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Hydroneer

Hydroneer

Foulball Hangover · released May 7, 2020

AdventureCasualIndieSimulationStrategyPCPlayStation 5Xbox Series X

Hydroneer is a mining and base building sandbox. Dig for gold and other resources to turn a profit and enhance your mining operation. Build a base of operations, forge weapons, go fishing, and dig deep!

74
VGC Score
Declininghigh confidence

anchored at patch: “[Update] Hydroneer Mega-Optimization” (3mo ago)

76%
At launch
86%
Steam all-time
n/a
Press
57%
Player sentiment
73%
Recent sentiment

PC 74 · PlayStation 57 · Xbox 61

Screenshots & trailers

What players say

Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 315 sampled Steam reviews (233 positive / 82 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.

What positive reviews talk about

  • Grind & repetition6% mention it
  • Bugs & crashes4% mention it

What negative reviews complain about

  • Grind & repetition29% mention it
  • Controls & UI20% mention it
  • Bugs & crashes13% mention it
  • Multiplayer & servers12% mention it
  • Performance9% mention it

Satisfaction by hours played

Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.

Under 5h

49%

69 reviews

5-15h

74%

92 reviews

15-40h

81%

70 reviews

40-100h

88%

57 reviews

100h+

89%

27 reviews

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.

ComponentPositiveQuality (0-100)Weight (pseudo-reviews)
Press reviews (Metacritic)0
All-time Steam reviews86%791000
Metacritic user ratings0
Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted)73%691292
Calibration prior (typical game)7250

Scoring window: since the last significant patch (May 8, 2026) · 300 reviews sampled · 1292 total reviews in window · weighted 200.8 up / 40.9 down · computed 3h ago · full methodology →

Press & Creators reviews (1)

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.

  • 80
    trust 52May 11, 2026

    While it won’t be for everyone, for the right player, I can’t recommend Hydroneer enough. It's an addicting game that can provide countless hours of fun.

    read full review ↗

Patch history

  1. [Update] Hydroneer Mega-Optimization
    May 8, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  2. 3.08 Patch
    Jun 3, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  3. 3.0.7 Patch
    Apr 22, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  4. 3.0.6 Patch
    Apr 15, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  5. 3.0.5 [Bug Fixes]
    Apr 10, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  6. Hydroneer: Journey to Volcalidus DLC (OUT NOW!)
    Apr 5, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  7. Hydroneer's MEGA PATCH!
    Apr 5, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  8. [Dev Vlog] More QoL fixes coming to the base game + DLC additions!
    Mar 24, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  9. 2.2.5 Patch
    Jul 27, 2023significant · resets scoring window
  10. 2.2.4 Patch
    May 3, 2023significant · resets scoring window
  11. 2.2.3 Patch
    Apr 28, 2023significant · resets scoring window
  12. 2.2.2 Patch
    Apr 18, 2023significant · resets scoring window
  13. The Prospecting Update is Here!
    Apr 14, 2023significant · resets scoring window
  14. Patch 2.1.2 [Vehicle overhaul + Bug fixes]
    Dec 21, 2022significant · resets scoring window
  15. Patch 2.1.1 [Bug fixes, Player Suggestions]
    Dec 13, 2022significant · resets scoring window
  16. Farming Season is here!
    Dec 9, 2022significant · resets scoring window
  17. 2.0.8 Mini patch
    Jul 9, 2022
  18. We took YOUR suggestions and made an update! OUT NOW!
    Jul 5, 2022significant · resets scoring window
  19. 2.0.5 Patch
    May 23, 2022significant · resets scoring window
  20. 2.0.1 Patch
    May 11, 2022significant · resets scoring window
  21. HYDRONEER 2.0 IS HERE!
    May 8, 2022significant · resets scoring window
  22. 1.7.2 Patch - A few quality of life improvements
    Nov 24, 2021significant · resets scoring window

…and 8 earlier patch announcements.