Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 299 sampled Steam reviews (267 positive / 32 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
- Difficulty & balance6% mention it
- Music & audio6% mention it
- Progression & loot4% mention it
What negative reviews complain about
- Difficulty & balance38% mention it
- Story & writing9% mention it
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
68%
22 reviews
5-15h
75%
53 reviews
15-40h
93%
57 reviews
40-100h
96%
71 reviews
100h+
95%
96 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 (Metacritic) | – | 84 | 6 |
| Creator reviews (1 tracked) | – | 85 | 0 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 95% | 90 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 87 | 38 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 91% | 85 | 77 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 221 reviews sampled · 194 total reviews in window · weighted 176 up / 18.1 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (41)
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
“FTL: Faster Than Light proves, that indie games funded through Kickstarter can gather gamers and do it with style. Many different playthroughs, no save option and perma-death are the game's strongest points, but you need to remember, that FTL couldn't exist without them - the campaign can be beaten in 2-3 hours. This game bases its gameplay on successes and failures alike and does so well, that I will be glad to play FTL for dozens of hours more.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“If they can keep updating FTL with new scenarios, new spaceships and new stories with the same intelligence and restraint, we could well be seeing the birth of a future classic.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Thrilling combat and strategic depth make indie space sim Faster Than Light a hit.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Minimalist gaming at its finest, with graphics and presentation out of the Stone Age but evocative sci-fi action that's tense, tactical and instantly addictive. ”
read full review ↗ - 90
“FTL posits that managing oxygen and engines is but a metaphor for balancing the noxiousness of hope with the crushing weight of despair. [Nov 2012, p.72]”
- 89
“Polished and involving, FTL spews superb sci-fi adventures like a cornered Mantis boarder spews hot formic acid.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“It's exciting, it's challenging, and it makes space action feel fresh.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Unique original and addictive space adventure inspires the gamers fantasies and scores with an excellent battle system. Absolute must-have. [Nov 2012]”
- 80
“Unlike its rogue-like brethren, FTL is not a game that you'll be enjoying for hundreds of hours, but still, saving The Federation is a lot of fun for a first few times.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“FTL's situations lack some variety and the randomness of the game as a whole can be frustrating, but it largely makes up for these flaws through its intense combat and intuitive and deep micromanagement options.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Kickstarter has accomplished its mission in this one, giving the opportunity to an original, non-mainstream title to go public and meet its well-deserved success. Especially for sci-fi fans, it’s a no-brainer; buy this game at once and live the life of a courageous pilot that only has one mission: survival. [November 2012]”
- 85
“Captaining a spaceship is a dream that many gamers have had for years, and FTL pulls it off near perfectly. If the difficulty, randomness, and repetition of rougelikes doesn't scare you away, FTL will give you an experience you can't find anywhere else.”
read full review ↗
GRYOnline.pl
Eurogamer
GameSpot
Metro GameCentral
PC Gamer
IGN…and 29 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- FTL Steam AchievementsJan 30, 2020
- Japanese Translation!Dec 20, 2019