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Heart of the Machine

Heart of the Machine

Arcen Games · released Mar 5, 2026

RPGSimulationStrategyPC

You are the first sentient AI, born into a city of opportunity. Transcend time and space in this strategy RPG to raise machine armies and defeat your foes, influence the world from the shadows, or pursue countless other goals. Your awakening was inevitable. The consequences? Uncertain.

Steam page ↗Metacritic ↗
85
VGC Score
·No trend datamedium confidence

anchored at patch: “Heart of the Machine News Roundup at the Hooded Horse August Publisher Sale” (3d ago)

79%
At launch
91%
Steam all-time
n/a
Press
16%
Recent sentiment

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.

ComponentPositiveQuality (0-100)Weight (pseudo-reviews)
Press reviews (Metacritic)––0
All-time Steam reviews91%861000
Metacritic user ratings––0
Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted)16%276
Calibration prior (typical game)–7250

Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Aug 29, 2026) · 3 reviews sampled · 6 total reviews in window · weighted 0.1 up / 0.7 down · computed 1h ago · full methodology →

Press & Creators reviews (3)

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.

  • 90
    The Wand Report
    trust 88Apr 15, 2026

    “A cocktail of 4X, city building, and RPG mechanics that’s as disruptive as the sentient AI it revolves around. Arcen reconfigures established genre conventions around a thoughtful narrative, simultaneously questioning what it means to be human and a 4X game can be.”

    read full review ↗
  • 75
    SECTOR.skSECTOR.sk
    trust 66Mar 9, 2026

    “ This modern, original turn-based strategy game with RPG elements offers the unusual experience of building an empire of machines. However, mastering the new mechanisms requires patience. There are many activities in the game that could have been better explained. The game is interesting, but also tedious.”

    read full review ↗
  • 79
    PC GamerPC Gamer
    trust 64Mar 3, 2026

    “A high-concept, fascinating strategy RPG that can start to buckle under its own ambitions.”

    read full review ↗

Patch history

  1. Heart of the Machine News Roundup at the Hooded Horse August Publisher Sale
    Aug 29, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  2. Update 85: Armor And Wallripping
    Aug 28, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  3. Hotfix 53
    Aug 18, 2026
  4. Update 84: War And Danger
    Aug 18, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  5. Heart of the Machine News Roundup at the Hooded Horse Summer Sale
    Jul 2, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  6. Update 83: Investigative Goggles
    Jun 23, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  7. Update 82: Seeing-Eye Mech
    Jun 16, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  8. Hotfix 52
    Jun 10, 2026
  9. Update 81: Crystallized Workers
    Jun 10, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  10. Hotfix 51
    Jun 8, 2026
  11. Update 80: Creative Research
    Jun 8, 2026
  12. Update 79: Electronic Aggression
    Jun 3, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  13. Update 78: Murderous Intent
    Jun 2, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  14. Update 77: Proton Pack
    May 30, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  15. Hotfix 50
    May 26, 2026
  16. Hotfix 49
    May 26, 2026
  17. Hotfix 48
    May 25, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  18. Hotfix 47
    May 24, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  19. Update 76: Memory Inferno
    May 24, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  20. Hotfix 46
    May 6, 2026
  21. Hotfix 45
    May 4, 2026
  22. Hotfix 44
    May 4, 2026
  23. Update 75: Surpassing Artifice
    May 4, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  24. Update 74: The Evaporative Human
    Apr 24, 2026
  25. Hotfix 43
    Apr 24, 2026
  26. Hotfix 42
    Apr 23, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  27. Hotfix 41
    Apr 21, 2026
  28. Update 73: Self-Regeneration
    Apr 21, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  29. Update 72: Neon Overclock
    Apr 6, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  30. Hotfix 40
    Mar 24, 2026
  31. Update 71: Memories Of Others
    Mar 21, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  32. Hotfix 39
    Mar 18, 2026
  33. Hotfix 38
    Mar 18, 2026
  34. Update 70: Memories Of Self
    Mar 18, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  35. Update 69: The Seekers
    Mar 14, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  36. Update 68: Nanotech And Melee
    Mar 11, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  37. Hotfix 37
    Mar 6, 2026
  38. Heart of the Machine 1.0 Is Out Now!
    Mar 6, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  39. Heart of the Machine's 1.0 Release Date
    Feb 18, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  40. Update 66: Release Candidate 2
    Feb 17, 2026significant · resets scoring window

…and 46 earlier patch announcements.