Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 300 sampled Steam reviews (280 positive / 20 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
- Story & writing29% mention it
- Content & length5% mention it
- Visuals & art5% mention it
What negative reviews complain about
- Story & writing25% mention it
- Content & length15% mention it
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
90%
132 reviews
5-15h
94%
125 reviews
15-40h
100%
36 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 (OpenCritic) | – | 82 | 52 |
| Creator reviews (2 tracked) | – | 80 | 2 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 93% | 88 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 98% | 93 | 75 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 213 reviews sampled · 184 total reviews in window · weighted 120.1 up / 2.9 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (61)
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
“Unpacking is basically ASMR in video game form. Nice pixel graphics and music, relaxing gameplay, and even a cool little story to tie it all together, an easy recommendation for puzzle fans.”
read full review ↗ - 80
- 80
“Unpacking is a delightful little game that is, at its core, quite simple, yet also very compelling and engaging. Its simple but effective gameplay, combined with appealing visuals, makes for a game that’s a joy to spend an evening or two playing. The developers thought of every detail and managed to transform a boring activity on paper into an entertaining experience that can tug at your heartstrings and perhaps even make you think a little. It has its minor flaws and isn’t a game for everyone. However, it definitely shouldn’t be overlooked, as it’s a creation that’s as unique as it is well-crafted.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Unpacking manages to do several things very well, all at the same time. It's a touching story told through interaction, it provides the creative play space of a great dollhouse game, and it deftly applies established game design ideas from completely different genres. Its only real shortcoming is the repetition that is a necessary byproduct of landing its message. Effort has gone into making the controls satisfying on Switch, and the visual and sound design are delightful throughout, making Unpacking, like any sane person's cutlery, absolutely top-drawer.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Unpacking is a lovely game to play, a thoughtfully crafted experience where an empathetic approach rewards the player.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Usually when you think of casual games puzzles and the like are usually what comes to mind, or perhaps something akin to a visual novel...”
read full review ↗ - 90
“I don’t think I’ve ever spent more time thinking about the objects that I own (apart from that time I watched Tidying Up with Marie Kondo and accidentally got rid of half of our stuff). I come from a long line of renters and have moved around a decent amount of times. And yet, some things, a Beanie Baby named Freckles, a box of old photographs, have moved along with me, adding permanence to something transient. Ultimately, Unpacking resonated so deeply with me, more so than any narrative-heavy games I’ve played this year. Life is not about things. After all, we don’t take things with us in the end. But things do tell a story of who we were. Things take on a meaning that we perhaps don’t even realize they have. Things are an outward clue about the things that matter to us. Unpacking shows this in a way I had never thought about before, just by forcing me to place each item one by one, and it reminds me of the unique power of video games to tell a story in a way that cannot exist in any other medium. I took the wine cooler. It lives on my windowsill. I use it to store kitchen utensils, and I don’t really notice it anymore. But every time I reach for a spatula, I see it. It reminds me, subtly, of my roots, of where I came from. And that’s no small thing. Look, I’m getting emotional. Just play Unpacking, alright? It’s gorgeous. You won’t regret it.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“Cute, charming, and surprisingly satisfying, Unpacking scratches an itch that no other game attempts. But it's also too bossy for its own good at times.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Quote not yet availablThe game nails absolutely everything it sets out to accomplish, with the exception of maybe the controls. While the cursor system functions adequately on a controller, the title is definitely better suited to a mouse and keyboard. Additionally, placing items behind other objects or trying to tuck them into corners will very often be uncooperative. But these are minor obstacles on the way to enjoying such a uniquely wonderful game.e”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Unpacking portrays the story of this character moving into new homes, and it is a short but intensely relaxing experience with a clever story.”
read full review ↗ - 65
“Unpacking on Switch doesn't quite stick the landing of the zen experience it aspires to be, but if you can tolerate some frustrating interfaces and controls, this is still a game worth exploring. Just maybe consider playing it on PC since that experience should be much stronger without the control caveats.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“Unpacking may take only a handful of hours to complete, but it stays with you for far longer. A beautiful, emotional, and unforgettable story awaits beyond a simple and calming puzzle-solving experience. Simply put, this is one of the best games of 2021.”
read full review ↗
cublikefoot
3DNews
Gaming Professors
Nintendo Life
VGChartz
Nindie Spotlight
Last Word on Gaming
PC Invasion
Push Square
Zoomg
NintendoWorldReport
BossLevelGamer…and 49 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Fixes and updatesOct 4, 2025
- Fixes and updatesNov 9, 2021
- Fixes and updatesNov 6, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- Demo update #2Sep 17, 2020
- Demo updateSep 15, 2020significant · resets scoring window