Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 84 | 53 |
| Creator reviews (2 tracked) | – | 75 | 1 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 92% | 87 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 83 | 25 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 100% | 97 | 11 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 31 reviews sampled · 27 total reviews in window · weighted 27.2 up / 0 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (129)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 70
“A good concept, recommended itself from the 1st game, is largely broken on a failed implementation in Dragon Quest Builders 2: a mixture of an jRPG and a sandbox with an overweight in the direction of the jRPG will not suit everyone's taste. Bad episodes with dull artificial intelligence, an obsessive wall of text and empty world are disappointing. But the process of construction and defence of the city is really entertaining. In DQB3 we would like to see more focus on the variability of the walkthrough, deep exploration and development of creative potential of the series, then it would be the perfect mix for lovers of Minecraft like building games with a plot.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Dragon Quest Builders 2 can be recommended to all creative individuals who like to build or care for the farm. Despite the uncomfortable backlogs, such as the more delicate building or the boring arcades on the island, it is a great game.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“A wonderful sequel which fixed a lot of mistakes of the first game and still is as addictive as before. You're not even bothering to look for it's shortcomings, just because there are too many great things about it.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Charming characters, a well-tuned gameplay loop, and near endless replayability ensure that you’ll be coming back to this one for quite some time, and though the performance issues are disappointing, we’d still highly recommend you pick up Dragon Quest Builders 2.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Dragon Quest Time Devourer is back! A full-fledged JRPG with plenty of Minecraft elements comes as a ridiculously huge and open sandbox world. If there is a single element of the game that catches your eye, the bet is - you would enjoy it. Because, Dragon Quest Builders 2 is a monster of a game, only one with enough spare time will manage to explore it in a full capacity.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Dragon Quest Builders 2 seems to take the best ingredients of Minecraft, The Sims, Harvest Moon, and The Legend of Zelda, and blend it all together with a sprinkle of the Dragon Quest flavour. And it works magnificently, because it allows Dragon Quest Builders 2 to step out of being a straight clone and become a standout title in its own right. It is a game for both veterans of the series and newcomers alike. ”
read full review ↗ - 80
“They are so cute, but the juices and goo underneath their gelatin-like skin is a necessary resource. But I still feel bad. Sorry, Slimes. When my time on this mortal coil reaches its sunset period, I'll let the Slimes have my insides in an act of penance for the goo-based crimes I committed against them.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Even though it may look cute and targeted at children, there is a fully fleshed out RPG here with Dragon Quest Builder 2. It contains some really fun and addicting building mechanics and deep and likeable characters that will keep you entertained for a long time, which is good because the game is quite lengthy. This isn’t just a big sandbox to build stuff in and it’s certainly not ‘just another Minecraft clone’. If you enjoy JRPG’s and building games you’ll probably really enjoy Dragon Quest Builder 2.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“What we have here is an excellent title with truly addictive mechanics and some fun exploration. It’s just missing that “shock to the system” quality that the original had for me. If you’re new to this sub-franchise, I can guarantee you’ll have a great time with this game. For returning players, as long as you’re aware that this game is more of the same at its core, there’s still plenty of fun to be had here.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“The first Dragon Quest Builders was an amazing surprise, taking all the things its progenitor did and improving on them by adding its own flair and style, now Dragon Quest Builders 2 feels bigger in every way, but only better in some. The core mechanics have been polished, the world shines, and, generally, this is an absolute joy to chill out with. It's a shame that the whole thing doesn't feel this way, with the sections that experiment elsewhere feeling a step backward and detracting from the whole experience. It's clear the developers are still experimenting, and it's very exciting to imagine what the third entry could look like.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Dragon Quest Builders 2 is everything one could hope for in a sequel. Bigger environments, better gameplay mechanics, and a bunch of quality improvements. This makes for a better, more refined experience.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“It's rare to find a game that does this much right so often. With a huge amount of content, an entertaining story, and interesting, varied gameplay, Dragon Quest Builders 2 is really an unmissable title for anyone with even a passing interest in games about building.”
read full review ↗
GameMAG
INDIANTVCZ
3DNews
Nintendo Life
PLAY Zine
RPGamer
Paste Magazine
ani-game.com
Gamer Escape
Cubed3
Nexus Hub
PC Invasion…and 117 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Version 1.7.3d release noticeAug 20, 2024
- Version 1.7.3a release noticeApr 28, 2021