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) | – | 86 | 29 |
| Creator reviews (2 tracked) | – | 77 | 1 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 84% | 78 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 76 | 53 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 87% | 80 | 71 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 203 reviews sampled · 165 total reviews in window · weighted 134.8 up / 20.6 down · computed 3h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (131)
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 game allows players to learn and wonder at all the symbolism at their own pace, to draw their own conclusions.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Its insistence at not providing answers and straying away from the safety of regular rewards can be off-putting. The Witness wants to be more than a game filled with puzzles, but Blow's singular vision lets it down.”
read full review ↗ - 92
“Sometimes, we think that there are no new ideas in video games. So Jonathan Blow comes in and blows hard. The Witness is fresh air in the classic puzzles and mazes. This title draws a quiet and reflective journey, in a beautiful and mysterious island. That's just what we wanted to we perceive ourselves intelligent. ”
read full review ↗ - 90
“t’s a pure puzzle game and is happy to be a puzzle game, though with simplistic controls, excellent environment, and well developed puzzles. It’s worth checking out even if you aren’t a major puzzle fan.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“The Witness is an intelligent, expertly crafted puzzle game with ceaselessly satisfying gameplay. It becomes bafflingly complex, yet the free-roaming nature of the island means that you'll never be stuck for long. In addition, the way in which it communicates new elements is nothing short of masterful. All in all, Jonathan Blow's latest is an enormous triumph.”
read full review ↗ - 94
“Hard, frustrating and beautiful. A game that will make you think and wonder why it feels so good to solve a puzzle. You'll hate and, at the same time, love The Witness. Brilliant.”
read full review ↗ - 95
“The Witness is a fantastic experience that everyone should play and love. Great looking graphics are walking hand in hand with fun and challenging puzzle gameplay.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“The Witness is an example of superlative game design. Carefully crafted and mentally challenging. Everyone should dive into this world, it is the perfect game for several players to sit on a couch and solve. It will make your head hurt, it will tease your brain more than any game before it, but it also delivers satisfaction in solution better than anything else before, and perhaps after it. Play this game.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“I found The Witness to be a fascinating idea that shows an incredible sense of scope. Solving the game's myriad puzzles almost always delivers an incredible sense of satisfaction - an impressive feat when you consider just how many there are to tackle. The island is a truly interesting place to explore and the vast majority of the puzzles work incredibly well with one another and the environment to create a unique if methodical experience that I can easily recommend to fans of puzzle and exploration video games.”
read full review ↗ - 82
“The Witness is a haven for those that love puzzles being a special world for them to explore.”
read full review ↗ - 95
“The Witness is a masterpiece of game design and an early contender for one of the best titles of the year. Boiled down to the basics, it's just a series of increasingly complex puzzle-mazes, but the presentation and execution are stellar, and the sense of exploration really adds to the game. It captures just the right sense of maddening and enticing to keep you moving forward. Its high price might scare off some gamers, but those who give it a shot will find it to be a worthwhile experience.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“The Witness revives the puzzle-solving portion of your brain that's lain dormant since Braid.”
read full review ↗
Slant Magazine
Gadgets 360
Kinglink Reviews
Push Square
LevelUp
Life is Xbox
ZTGD
Chalgyr's Game Room
Gamerheadquarters
Worth Playing
The Escapist…and 119 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Another Update for the macOS versionJun 1, 2023
- Hotfix for macOS 10.13-10.14May 19, 2023
- Hotfix for the macOS versionMay 18, 2023
- Update for the macOS versionMay 17, 2023
- The update has been published as the default version for all users.Dec 21, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- The update has been published as the default version for all users.Dec 21, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Mac Version is out, plus Sale This WeekApr 3, 2017
- Mac Version is out, plus Sale This WeekApr 3, 2017
- NVIDIA Ansel UpdateAug 22, 2016
- NVIDIA Ansel UpdateAug 22, 2016
- New version is now live.Apr 2, 2016
- New version is now live.Apr 2, 2016
- New executable-only patch (small!)Feb 19, 2016
- New executable-only patch (small!)Feb 19, 2016
- AMD R9 fix and added command-line options.Feb 4, 2016
- AMD R9 fix and added command-line options.Feb 4, 2016