Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 298 sampled Steam reviews (292 positive / 6 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
- Story & writing13% mention it
- Combat8% 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
93%
27 reviews
5-15h
99%
116 reviews
15-40h
98%
129 reviews
40-100h
100%
21 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) | – | 85 | 22 |
| Creator reviews (3 tracked) | – | 88 | 1 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 98% | 93 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 90 | 53 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 99% | 95 | 102 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Acclaim gate: the raw blend lands at 92.3, but scores above 88 must be earned in front of a mass audience; this verdict rests on 76,369 player reviews, a largely self-selected fanbase. As more players weigh in, the ceiling rises (full scale unlocks at 100,000 reviews).
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 278 reviews sampled · 290 total reviews in window · weighted 246.4 up / 2 down · computed 1h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (93)
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
- 80
“The lesson to be learned from it is for anyone making this kind of game to find the beauty in simplicity. Also, to never, ever fart on another man's balls.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Benefitting from the performance tweaks made by the transition from old-gen to current-gen hardware - and the same smooth mapping of its controls to the Joy-Con - South Park: The Stick of Truth proves itself just as good a fit on Nintendo Switch as South Park: The Fractured But Whole. Both a pastiche of classic RPG tropes and a wonderfully empowering example of how to make a great modern example of the genre, this is still one of Obsidian's best exports and as authentic as any episode of the cult TV show it's so closely tied to.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Obsidian's new game has some minor issues, but the grand picture is enchanting. The Stick of Truth is a stylish "the best of South park" packed into a well-made game that will definitely please all the fans. After more than a dozen hours spent with Cartman and his buddies I can confidently call South Park: The Stick of Truth the first big game of 2014 that doesn't disappoint.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Much like the beloved TV show, South Park: The Stick of Truth is ridiculous, over-the-top, and crude. It's also painfully funny and just a little bit poignant.”
read full review ↗ - 90
- 100
“Park: The Stick of Truth is South Park. Even coming back to it after years of not watching the show, there was something for me here. That something was good comedy, which is rare in games or anywhere, and never gets old.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“If you're well-versed in South Park history and can imagine cookies as a "health potion," you're off to a good start. If you can also forgive the repetitive nature of combat and some uninspired quests, it's worth taking up arms, or dildos, for The Stick of Truth's hilarious, disgusting adventure.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“It would've been nice to have trickier combat or more real RPG bits and bobs, but as an interactive South Park title, this hits pretty much every mark. The Stick of Truth is puerile, authentic, and constantly hilarious.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Without a doubt, this is the best South Park game so far. The quality in the level design, the animations, and the addictive combat highlight this fun experience and really makes you feel part of a South Park episode. The Stick of Truth doesn't try to revolutionize the genre but tries to offer a good laugh from classic poop and fart jokes.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Not since Rocksteady's Batman Arkham games has a developer so successfully made such an amazing title out of a licensed property, one that not only is a perfect South Park game but an incredible RPG as well.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“South Park: The Stick of Truth is a filthy, disgusting, offensive mess. A really good filthy, disgusting,offensive mess.”
read full review ↗
Fintendo
Slant Magazine
Nintendo Life
GRYOnline.pl
RPGamer
The Angry Joe Show
The A.V. Club
PC Invasion
LevelUp
GameWatcher
PCMag…and 81 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Patch NotesApr 8, 2014
- Patch NotesApr 8, 2014
- Patch NotesMar 6, 2014
- Patch NotesMar 6, 2014