SnowRunner | VGC Score 82

Screenshots & trailers

What players say

Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 296 sampled Steam reviews (244 positive / 52 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.

What positive reviews talk about

Bugs & crashes4% mention it

What negative reviews complain about

Negative reviews don't converge on specific aspects.

Satisfaction by hours played

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

Under 5h

61%

28 reviews

5-15h

79%

53 reviews

15-40h

86%

64 reviews

40-100h

85%

61 reviews

100h+

87%

90 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)	–	80	50
All-time Steam reviews	90%	84	1000
Metacritic user ratings	–	74	73
Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted)	87%	81	1225
Calibration prior (typical game)	–	72	50

Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Jun 29, 2026) · 300 reviews sampled · 1225 total reviews in window · weighted 231.1 up / 20.1 down · computed 4h ago · full methodology →

Press & Creators reviews (78)

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
GameMAG
trust 78May 8, 2020
“SnowRunner is an exemplary sequel in which the variety of content has increased several times compared to the previous game.”
read full review ↗
70
INDIANTVCZ
trust 78May 18, 2020
“SnowRunner is a perfect off-road simulation. It is a complex game with tons of content and great challenge. You can spend dozens of hours playing it. There've been some improvements since MudRunner. The technical part, however, lowers the final verdict by two points with lots of mistakes that have negative impact on the gameplay and with worse graphics. That's why our recommendation stopped at 7/10. Otherwise, it would be a 9/10, because in its genre, SnowRunner is unrivalled.”
read full review ↗
80
3DNews
trust 78May 2, 2020
“Despite some insignificant and purely subjective flaws, SnowRunner offers the best offroad simulation experience yet.”
read full review ↗
60
Jump Dash Roll
trust 76May 13, 2020
“SnowRunner's core gameplay is unique and satisfying, but there are too many simple design flaws to make the game anything more than Death Stranding without the intrigue.”
read full review ↗
70
Nintendo Life
trust 76May 21, 2021
“SnowRunner is an interesting truck driving game where the environment is your opponent. As long as you can put up with its audio and visual issues and understand that it's an extremely slow-paced game, the rewards for sticking with it are worthwhile.”
read full review ↗
80
Hu3br
trust 75May 11, 2020
“It’s hard not to say that SnowRunner is the sequel to MudRunner. But one can argue that it is also a more gamified and less authorial piece. It feels better to play in the long run, but it lacks the feeling of discovery the previous one had. If anything, the games complement each other. If you do plan on getting it, make sure to grab MudRunner too, even if only for its vibrant mod community.”
read full review ↗
75
PLAY Zine
trust 75Apr 28, 2020
“Experience world-famous trucks and deliver various cargo across sunny Michigan, snowy Alaska and beautiful Taymyr. SnowRunner takes you on a journey through the breathtaking landscapes and widely recognised landmarks. The game isn't easy, you need to carefully think about every move you make, but that's why it's actually so rewarding. Having said that, it's a niche video game and will not be to everyone's taste.”
read full review ↗
75
Nindie Spotlight
trust 70May 18, 2021
“Realistic all-terrain driving games are an odd breed that has emerged in popularity in more recent years, and to date hasn’t been represented too well on the Switch...”
read full review ↗
75
Nexus Hub
trust 70Jun 7, 2022
“The slow pacing, often frustrating traversal and deliberately tanky controls will turn off those looking for an easy-going experience. However, once all of its mechanics click, it offers a deep and rewarding adventure that isn't like anything else on the market.”
read full review ↗
80
PC Invasion
trust 69Apr 27, 2020
“SnowRunner is an excellent game with wonderful visuals and great controls. It also has a massive amount of content for players to sink their teeth into. The game is slow and can be frustrating, but it's very much worth getting down and dirty with this one.”
read full review ↗
70
Push Square
trust 69Apr 27, 2020
“SnowRunner’s glacial pace won’t appeal to everyone, but this unique haulage simulation manages to transform everyday terrain into an enemy you need to tame. This is a game that’s less about the destination and all about the journey you take; in that sense it’s unmatched, and wildly rewarding in a way that few other open worlders are.”
read full review ↗
70
NintendoWorldReport
trust 69Jun 26, 2021
“Its steep learning curve takes patience and determination to overcome. It's clear that this game is aimed at a very specific clientele. If you like a good challenge and overlanding is your kind of thing, Snow Runners is for you. If you like to romp through the countryside at full tilt with little consequence to your vehicle, stick to Forza Horizon.”
read full review ↗

…and 66 more tracked reviews.

Patch history

Driver's Diary of June
Jun 29, 2026significant · resets scoring window
SnowRunner's Season 18 - Patch & Power is here!
Jun 25, 2026
Patch Notes 42 (Season 18)
Jun 25, 2026significant · resets scoring window
Driver's Diary of May
May 29, 2026significant · resets scoring window
Driver's Diary of April
Apr 28, 2026significant · resets scoring window
Driver's Diary of March
Mar 31, 2026significant · resets scoring window
The SnowRunner Mercedes-Benz Trucks Dual Pack 1 is now available!
Mar 19, 2026significant · resets scoring window
Patch notes 41 (Mercedes-Benz Trucks Dual Pack 1)
Mar 19, 2026significant · resets scoring window
Driver's Diary of February
Feb 27, 2026significant · resets scoring window
Patch Notes 40.1 (Hotfix)
Feb 5, 2026
Driver's Diary of January
Jan 28, 2026significant · resets scoring window
SnowRunner's Season 17 is out!
Jan 27, 2026significant · resets scoring window
Patch notes 40 (Season 17)
Jan 27, 2026significant · resets scoring window
Driver's Diary of December
Dec 19, 2025significant · resets scoring window
Driver's Diary of November
Nov 27, 2025significant · resets scoring window
Patch notes 39 (DLC43)
Nov 6, 2025significant · resets scoring window
Driver's Diary of October
Oct 31, 2025significant · resets scoring window
Driver's Diary of September
Oct 9, 2025significant · resets scoring window
SnowRunner's Season 16 is LIVE!
Sep 4, 2025significant · resets scoring window
Driver's Diary of August
Aug 27, 2025significant · resets scoring window
Driver's Diary of June
Jun 30, 2025significant · resets scoring window
Patch notes 37.1 (hotfix)
Jun 30, 2025
Freightliner and Western Star Dual Pack is out!
Jun 12, 2025significant · resets scoring window
Driver's Diary of May
May 30, 2025significant · resets scoring window
SnowRunner Season 15 is here!
Apr 10, 2025significant · resets scoring window
Patch notes 34.1 (Hotfix)
Mar 5, 2025
Mack Dual Pack is out!!
Feb 11, 2025significant · resets scoring window
Driver's Diary of January
Jan 28, 2025significant · resets scoring window
Driver's Diary of December
Dec 31, 2024significant · resets scoring window
The Kenworth Dual Pack DLC is OUT!!
Dec 3, 2024significant · resets scoring window
Driver's Diary of November
Nov 29, 2024significant · resets scoring window
Driver's Diary of October
Oct 31, 2024significant · resets scoring window
Patch 32.2 is live
Oct 29, 2024
Patch notes 32.1 (season 14)
Oct 10, 2024
September Community Update - Driver's Diary
Sep 27, 2024significant · resets scoring window
Season 14: Reap & Sow is OUT!
Sep 26, 2024significant · resets scoring window
August Community Update - Driver's Diary
Aug 28, 2024significant · resets scoring window
July Community Update
Jul 30, 2024
Patch Notes 31.0
Jul 30, 2024significant · resets scoring window
June Community Update
Jun 28, 2024

…and 27 earlier patch announcements.