Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 300 sampled Steam reviews (259 positive / 41 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
Positive reviews don't converge on specific aspects.
What negative reviews complain about
- Difficulty & balance12% mention it
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
84%
99 reviews
5-15h
89%
84 reviews
15-40h
83%
58 reviews
40-100h
84%
32 reviews
100h+
96%
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.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (Metacritic) | – | 84 | 6 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 95% | 89 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 86 | 25 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 88% | 82 | 3000 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Nov 5, 2024) · 300 reviews sampled · 4788 total reviews in window · weighted 185 up / 24.5 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (29)
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.
- 100
“The Binding Of Isaac is pitch-black and hard as hell.”
read full review ↗ - 83
“The Binding of Isaac looks like an old school game like the original Zeldas, but with a dark scenario and dark humor. It has the typical difficulty of a McMillen game, which is not found anywhere else these days. This game will motivate you to try and try again in such a simple way, just brilliant. If you like the style and the old school gameplay of The Binding of Isaac, you'll have a lot of fun with it.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“With Binding, McMillen and Himsl created the rules of the world and then set it in motion. Yet this game is nearly as much fun as Super Meat Boy, and more profound. It proves that there's more than one way to make a masterpiece.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“While it does lack some of the extra bells and whistles of other modern games, The Binding of Isaac remains an enjoyable (and demented) adventure.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“If you don't mind the relative difficulty and dark overtones, forget that footlong and invest your $5 in Isaac. [Feb 2012, p.79]”
- 90
“The Binding of Isaac is a game I would reccomend to anyone old enough to hold serious opinions on family planning. It is available on Steam for less than the price of a cinema ticket and it deserves your attention.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Sprinkled with humor and nods to gaming's past, The Binding of Isaac is a ballsy game that revels in its absurd moments. Shock value aside, you'll want to play this indie gem over and over again. It's imaginative, utterly absorbing, and the best five dollars I've spent all year. ”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Stylish indie action game you can play over and over again. Sometimes frustrating because of its high difficulty setting but overall Isaac is pure fun. [Nov 2011]”
- 75
“As it is, it reminds me of avant-garde art or haute cuisine; interesting and bold but made for a small group of devoted connoisseurs. Those of a certain palate are sure to love its humor, weirdness and replayability but the broader gaming audience is likely to find it more of an acquired taste.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Cumbersome controls hamper what would otherwise be a resoundingly memorable adventure. At just five dollars The Binding of Isaac is a great indie title that offers up a ton of replay value and gruesome fun.”
read full review ↗ - 90
- 90
“We do not very often see simple and funny, yet smart and primarily an entertaining action role-playing shooter game. You need a skill of the best ones to make a basically positive, joyful thing of the Game Over message. Edmund McMillen proves once again that he belongs to those best ones.”
read full review ↗
The A.V. Club
Eurogamer
GameSpot
PC Gamer
DarkZero
IGN…and 17 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Isaac Mega update!Nov 5, 2024significant · resets scoring window