THE FINALS | VGC Score 71

Screenshots & trailers

What players say

Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 424 sampled Steam reviews (275 positive / 149 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.

What positive reviews talk about

Performance15% mention it
Multiplayer & servers8% mention it
Visuals & art6% mention it
Difficulty & balance6% mention it
Combat4% mention it

What negative reviews complain about

Multiplayer & servers28% mention it
Bugs & crashes15% mention it
Difficulty & balance12% mention it
Combat10% mention it
Performance9% mention it

Satisfaction by hours played

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

Under 5h

57%

49 reviews

5-15h

68%

68 reviews

15-40h

71%

70 reviews

40-100h

72%

82 reviews

100h+

59%

155 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)	–	81	31
Creator reviews (1 tracked)	–	97	1
All-time Steam reviews	78%	73	1440
Metacritic user ratings	–	70	196
Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted)	73%	69	2473
Calibration prior (typical game)	–	72	50

Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Aug 27, 2026) · 300 reviews sampled · 2473 total reviews in window · weighted 182.3 up / 79.7 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →

Press & Creators reviews (29)

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
ZdobywcyGier.eu
trust 83Dec 23, 2023
“The Finals is a breath of fresh air in the already bloated market of FPS games, especially when it comes to F2P shooters. I can definitely recommend the game to any fan of fast and dynamic gameplay, especially that the game is fully free. If you have a desire for a good FPS game, then The Finals is waiting for you.”
read full review ↗
80
3DNews
trust 78Dec 24, 2023
“A fun and spectacular multiplayer shooter which has every chance to compete with industry giants.”
read full review ↗
80
Kakuchopurei
trust 71Jan 15, 2024
“The future meta of The Finals is uncertain, and concerns about potential imbalances remain. However, the game's current state is an exciting multiplayer shooter (a free one at that) launch that blends generosity with technology. The hope is that future expansions will maintain the game's core appeal and add items that enable new styles of play. For now, The Finals stands out as one of the most thrilling multiplayer shooters in recent years.”
read full review ↗
85
Prima Games
trust 70Dec 19, 2023
“The Finals' best moments are measured in milliseconds, and the time spent in between them is always a rush.”
read full review ↗
85
INVEN
trust 67Dec 15, 2023
“A well-crafted shooter with excellent fundamental skills and unique enjoyment. With a solid foundation, it holds promise for a long-lasting service, but addressing cheat users and making commitments to robust operation are essential.”
read full review ↗
70
Gamerheadquarters
trust 67Dec 10, 2023
“The Finals is action packed, filled with epic destruction and the tournament mode provides a nice competitive edge.”
read full review ↗
78
GamesCreed
trust 66Jan 19, 2024
“Embark Studios has given us a game with massive potential, and one would be confident that enough will be done to meet it eventually. THE FINALS is an extremely exciting, immersive, creative, and fast-paced first-person shooter. Moreover, with its impressive gameplay mechanics, game modes, features, completely destructible environments, and more, it’s no wonder it’s growing and will surely continue to do so in the future. Again, it has to be reiterated that it’s free to play, and I strongly recommend any FPS gamer install this game.”
read full review ↗
60
Eurogamer
trust 66Dec 19, 2023
“Embark Studios' multiplayer shooter dazzles in the moment, but its AI voices are symptomatic of a broader issue with artistic vision.”
read full review ↗
85
SECTOR.sk
trust 66Jan 2, 2024
“Despite the minor flaws, I'm having more fun with The Finals than I have had with any multiplayer game in perhaps the last 5 years. It's dynamic, explosive, exciting, mechanically perfect and technically polished. Gone are the pre-release flaws, and what's left is fun action gameplay for anyone hungry for action and destruction. Playing in small teams motivates a different play style to Call of Duty, Battlefield and others, and offers an experience that is virtually unmatched on the market.”
read full review ↗
80
GameSpot
trust 66Dec 24, 2023
“The Finals stands out amongst its contemporaries thanks to its thrilling destruction, fast-paced gunplay, and anomalous approach to familiar objectives. There are some balancing issues to iron out, its progression system needs expediting, and there are too few maps, but these flaws are ultimately minor when you're in the thick of the action with explosions and gunfire echoing all around you. The Finals is an absurdly fun shooter with the potential to grow, so here's hoping it's one of the success stories.”
read full review ↗
60
GameLuster
trust 66Dec 27, 2023
“There's plenty of fun to be had with The Finals' fast-paced gameplay, but it might just be a little too generic to survive in the long run.”
read full review ↗
80
GamingBolt
trust 63Dec 11, 2023
“THE FINALS has room to improve, but it shines in all the ways that matter. If you're keen on a new first-person shooter that mixes chaos with strategy in a sleek package, it's worth a look.”
read full review ↗

…and 17 more tracked reviews.

Patch history

Update 11.7.0
Aug 27, 2026significant · resets scoring window
Update 11.6.0
Aug 20, 2026significant · resets scoring window
Store Update 11.5.0
Aug 13, 2026
Hotfix 11.4.1
Aug 7, 2026
Store Update 11.4.0
Aug 6, 2026
Update 11.3.0
Jul 30, 2026significant · resets scoring window
Store Update 11.2.0
Jul 23, 2026
Store Update 11.1.0
Jul 16, 2026significant · resets scoring window
Update 11.0.0
Jul 9, 2026significant · resets scoring window
Launch into Season 11 | Galaxy Masters!
Jul 9, 2026significant · resets scoring window
Store Update 10.14.0
Jul 2, 2026
Store Update 10.13.0
Jun 25, 2026
Update 10.12.0
Jun 18, 2026significant · resets scoring window
Store Update 10.11.0
Jun 11, 2026
Store Update 10.10.0
Jun 4, 2026
Update 10.9.0
May 28, 2026significant · resets scoring window
Store Update 10.8.0
May 21, 2026
Store Update 10.7.0
May 14, 2026
Midseason Update 10.6
May 7, 2026significant · resets scoring window
Store Update 10.5.0
Apr 30, 2026
Hotfix 10.4.1
Apr 23, 2026
Update 10.4.0
Apr 23, 2026
Hotfix 10.3.1
Apr 17, 2026
Update 10.3.0
Apr 16, 2026significant · resets scoring window
Update 10.2.0
Apr 9, 2026
Store Update 10.1
Apr 2, 2026
Season 10 Fantasy League is live!
Mar 26, 2026significant · resets scoring window
Store Update 9.14.0
Mar 19, 2026
Store Update 9.13.0
Mar 12, 2026
Hotfix 9.12.1
Mar 6, 2026
Update 9.12.0
Mar 5, 2026significant · resets scoring window
Store Update 9.11.0
Feb 26, 2026
Store Update 9.10.0
Feb 19, 2026
Hotfix 9.9.1
Feb 17, 2026
Update 9.9.0
Feb 12, 2026significant · resets scoring window
Update 9.8.0
Feb 5, 2026
Update 9.7.0
Jan 29, 2026significant · resets scoring window
Store Update 9.6.0
Jan 22, 2026
Update 9.5.0
Jan 15, 2026
Update 9.4.0
Jan 8, 2026significant · resets scoring window

…and 52 earlier patch announcements.