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 (Metacritic) | – | – | 0 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 74% | 70 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 59% | 59 | 976 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Jun 30, 2025) · 300 reviews sampled · 976 total reviews in window · weighted 121.4 up / 123.8 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (11)
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
“PlaySide concludes the development of Age of Darkness: Final Stand by offering a survival RTS that has all the ingredients to keep us hooked for hours. A title with a good level of challenge that offers many hours of gameplay, but still needs some polishing. The strong point is in the survival mode. And that's where the title shines, as it has all the ingredients to keep us hooked from dusk till dawn.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“Age of Darkness: Final Stand presented me with a challenge you rarely see in modern games. Every time my city is reduced to rubble, I promise myself that this will be my last game, but it never is. If you like games where you have to think before you rush into battle, Age of Darkness is perfect for you. There are a few shortcomings, which I believe will be resolved in upcoming updates. I found that the Bloody Nights were sometimes excessively difficult, and no matter how good my defenses were, I still couldn’t avoid death. So far, there’s only one hero in the game, though the developers are planning more, and I hope they’ll add more different types of monsters and some of your own attack units. The game has great potential, but unfortunately, it’s in Early Access and costs €21.99. At this point, it’s better to play They Are Billions, wait for the new Age of Empires 4, or play one of the classics like Warcraft 3 or StarCraft, which, even though they’re more than 20 years old, are still great.”
read full review ↗ - 72
“Age of Darkness: final stand is surely a good surprise and a real deal, especially for old school RTS lovers. Campaign mode is very promising and got on the right way.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Age Of Darkness is an great RTS, with a narrative campaign that is not excellent but certainly enjoyable and long enough, considering however that the survival mode is the real point of interest for hardcore gamers. The graphics and sound are also excellent; the only flaws we found in this game, which are not insignificant, are the many bugs that made our games unnerving, together with path finding problems for allied troops and frame rate drops when the enemy hordes became really numerous.”
read full review ↗ - 78
“Age of Darkness: Final Stand is a great way to bring together two different genres, leveraging the strengths of both to create a unique experience that challenges the player in a variety of different ways.”
read full review ↗ - 65
“There's a great 'town defense' RTS at the center of Age of Darkness, but the lack of polish even after its 1.0 launch is disappointing and the campaign lacks punch.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“It’s no surprise this game has been eagerly awaited for its full release. After years as a standout early-access title, it has matured into an RTS experience worth celebrating. With its polished mechanics, diverse playstyles, challenging yet fair difficulty, and a generous dose of stellar art direction and production value, it’s everything an early-access game aspires to become. If you’re ready to rise to the challenge, this game promises one unforgettable ride from start to finish.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“Age of Darkness: Final Stand is an instant favorite of mine, cleverly improving and expanding upon tried-and-true RTS mechanics, adding co-op multiplayer, and delivering it all in an awesome dark fantasy RPG package. Grab a friend and face the darkness in what could very well be the best RTS game on the market.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“Age of Darkness: Final Stand is a very tough game, though, with not too many ways to fend for yourself. It is still a decent game that is fun to play and gets you hooked easily. Despite that, it could use a lot more content and no small amount of polishing. Until then, it remains feeling somewhat incomplete.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Age of Darkness: Final Stand feels like a game that could have been something more, but it settles for being just another decent, if forgettable, entry in the survival RTS genre. The game checks all the boxes, base-building, enemy waves, heroes, procedurally generated maps, but none of them feel particularly new or innovative. If you’re a fan of the genre, you’ll find some enjoyment in the game’s competent mechanics, but it doesn’t do enough to stand out from the crowd. For those looking for a truly memorable dark fantasy survival RTS experience, Age of Darkness: Final Stand will likely leave you wanting more.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“For experienced RTS players seeking a challenging and immersive experience, Age of Darkness offers plenty to enjoy. Its dark aesthetic and survival elements set it apart from other games in the genre. However, casual players or those new to RTS games may find the game’s difficulty and flaws too daunting to overlook.”
read full review ↗
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Entertainment GeeklyPatch history
- Age of Darkness: Final Stand - Patch v1.0.2.5 Bug Fixes and QoL ChangesJun 30, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Age of Darkness: Final Stand - Patch v1.0.2.3 Crash and Achievements FixesMay 20, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Age of Darkness: Final Stand - Patch v1.0.2.2 Crash and Bug FixesMay 5, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- An Update On Age of Darkness: Final StandMar 27, 2025
- Age of Darkness: Final Stand - v1.0.1.4 Balance TweaksFeb 7, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Age of Darkness: Final Stand - Hotfix: Crash Fixes and General ImprovementsFeb 6, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Age of Darkness: Final Stand - Hotfix: v1.0.1.1Jan 24, 2025
- Age of Darkness: Final Stand - Patch v1.0.1Jan 24, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Age of Darkness: Final Stand - Hotfix: Multiplayer Region Fixes & More!Jan 19, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Age of Darkness: Final Stand - Hotfix: 1.0Jan 17, 2025
- Age of Darkness: Final Stand – v0.12.2 Update – Out Now!Aug 21, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Age of Darkness: Final Stand – v0.12.1 Update – Out Now!Jul 9, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Age of Darkness: Final Stand – Multiplayer Progress UpdateJun 25, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Age of Darkness: Final Stand – v0.12.0 Update – Out Now!May 7, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Age of Darkness: Final Stand – Roadmap Reveal & Multiplayer UpdateMay 2, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Age of Darkness: Final Stand – Update v0.11.4Feb 5, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Age of Darkness: Final Stand – Exile’s Return – Out Now!Jan 18, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Age of Darkness: Final Stand – Exile’s Return - Patch NotesJan 18, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Age of Darkness: Final Stand – v0.11.2 Beta Update – Out Now!Dec 19, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- Exile’s Return Beta branch now liveDec 5, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- Age of Darkness: Final Stand – v0.10.0 Update – Out Now!Sep 5, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- Age of Darkness: Final Stand - July Dev DiaryJul 11, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- Age of Darkness: Final Stand – v0.9.1 Hotfix Update – Out Now!May 4, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- Age of Darkness: Final Stand – Thank You and Upcoming FixesApr 27, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- Age of Darkness: Final Stand – Flames of Retribution Update – Out Now!Apr 19, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- Age of Darkness: Final Stand - Rebellion's Rise Update v0.8.3Dec 15, 2022significant · resets scoring window
- Age of Darkness: Final Stand - Patch Update v0.8.1Sep 6, 2022significant · resets scoring window
- Age of Darkness: Final Stand - Content Update v0.8.0Aug 3, 2022significant · resets scoring window
- v0.8 PreviewJul 28, 2022
…and 10 earlier patch announcements.