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) | – | 80 | 33 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 75% | 70 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 83% | 77 | 1907 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Oct 9, 2023) · 300 reviews sampled · 1907 total reviews in window · weighted 175.6 up / 42.5 down · computed 3h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (30)
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.
- 60
“Still, a good opportunity to jump into the nostalgia for the fans, but for the genre connoisseurs Pharaoh: A New Era is not something compelling.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“Pharaoh: A New Era is a faithful remake of the classic 1999 city-building strategy game that brings nostalgia to life while also appealing to new players. Unfortunately, the game does not include the Cleopatra expansion or a minimap, but it does feature attractive graphics and the entertaining gameplay familiar from the original game.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Pharaoh: A New Era is not quite the perfect remake of the classic city-builder from the 90s that I was hoping for. The good news is that all of it is fixable, so we just have to hope that the developers will keep working on the game to iron all of its bugs. If they do, then this will be a fantastic remake of an already excellent game. Right now, though, it stands as a decent remake of an excellent game.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Pharaoh is a fun city-building simulation that is challenging to understand, but very rewarding when players manage to pull it off. It is definitely one of those games where players will either spend an hour and quit, or continue to play until the major half of a day is over. Players looking for a challenge and don’t have a problem with the dated graphics should definitely try this out.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“After becoming familiar with its systems, Pharaoh offers tremendous city building flexibility and a plethora of challenges unseen in any other city builder. A New Era has introduced numerous quality of life features found in contemporary city building titles to an already solid classic. From sandbox to successive dynasties, with new options to tune the game to your playstyle introduced, Pharaoh: A New Era beyond satisfies.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“The remake of the cult classic brings the immortal glory of the pharaohs with a slightly more modern twist and many hours of fun. You definitely won't make a mistake by buying this game.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Build a pyramid to my greatness. Then figure out how to not die of malaria.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“It would take a careless development team to create a terrible remake of a game, and Triskell Interactive are not one of them; they faithfully created something worth playing while integrating the feeling of playing the original. Buy it now!”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Pharaoh: A New Era renews a classic of simulation games. While it could have improved some things, like the camera, the core gameplay basics from the original game are still there, updated for the new generation of players and for oldies like me too!”
read full review ↗ - 80
“One of the greatest classics of management games, finally playable in good conditions in 2023. A new interface and 4K graphics to welcome in 2023 the king of Egypt with open arms.”
read full review ↗ - 65
“Pharaoh: A New Era has a lot going for it, and if you can get past the generic graphics and occasional bugs, you'll find a deep city-building experience in here.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“I can’t recommend Pharaoh: A New Era enough. Whether you’re a fan of the classic game or a city-builder who’s never played it, this game will offer you a fantastic experience for a price point you simply can’t beat.”
read full review ↗
3DNews
Gaming Professors
Wolf's Gaming Blog
Gameffine
ZTGD
SECTOR.sk
MonsterVine
GameGrin
LadiesGamers.com
Gameblog
TechRaptor
Try Hard Guides…and 18 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- PHARAOH: A NEW ERA - NEW HOTFIX 1.5.3 LIVEOct 30, 2023
- HOTFIX 1.5.2Oct 13, 2023
- Hotfix 1.5.1Oct 10, 2023
- MISSION EDITOR MODE AVAILABLE NOW - UPDATE 1.5.0Oct 9, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- PHARAOH: A NEW ERA - NEW HOTFIX 1.4.1 LIVEAug 29, 2023
- NEW UPDATE 1.4.0 AVAILABLE ON PHARAOH: A NEW ERAAug 16, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- PHARAOH: A NEW ERA - 1.3.0 HOTFIXJun 8, 2023
- PHARAOH: A NEW ERA - NEW PATCH 1.3.0 AVAILABLE NOWJun 6, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- PHARAOH: A NEW ERA - NEW PATCH 1.2.0 AVAILABLE NOWApr 5, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- PHARAOH: A NEW ERA - 1.1.1 HOTFIXMar 27, 2023
- PHARAOH: A NEW ERA – NEW PATCH 1.1.0 AVAILABLE NOW!Mar 21, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- PHARAOH: A NEW ERA - WORDS FROM THE DEVS #4Mar 9, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- PHARAOH: A NEW ERA – NEW PATCH AVAILABLE NOWFeb 27, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- PHARAOH: A NEW ERA - WORDS FROM THE DEVS #3Feb 22, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- PHARAOH: A NEW ERA - 1.0 HOTFIXFeb 17, 2023