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Don't Starve

Don't Starve

Klei Entertainment · released Apr 22, 2013

AdventureIndieSimulationPCPlayStation 4Xbox OneNintendo SwitchiOS (iPhone/iPad)

Don’t Starve is an uncompromising wilderness survival game full of science and magic. Enter a strange and unexplored world full of strange creatures, dangers, and surprises. Gather resources to craft items and structures that match your survival style.

Steam page ↗Metacritic 78 · users 7.1 ↗
91
VGC Score
■Stablehigh confidence
95%
At launch
97%
Steam all-time
78%
Press
69%
Player sentiment
95%
Recent sentiment

PC 91 · Xbox 68

Screenshots & trailers

What players say

Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 300 sampled Steam reviews (281 positive / 19 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.

What positive reviews talk about

  • Visuals & art8% mention it
  • Story & writing7% 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

90%

77 reviews

5-15h

92%

75 reviews

15-40h

97%

58 reviews

40-100h

92%

39 reviews

100h+

100%

51 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.

ComponentPositiveQuality (0-100)Weight (pseudo-reviews)
Press reviews (Metacritic)–786
All-time Steam reviews97%921055
Metacritic user ratings–7314
Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted)95%8979
Calibration prior (typical game)–7250

Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 222 reviews sampled · 227 total reviews in window · weighted 163.3 up / 9.3 down · computed 1h ago · full methodology →

Press & Creators reviews (33)

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.

  • 77
    LaPS4
    trust 66Feb 26, 2014

    “Don't Starve is a tremendously addictive game where the fight for the survival, mixed with exploring several places with its own magic, throw the player into searching every corner of the map. However, it is extremely hard from the very beginning, so there will be many players thinking twice before going on with their adventures.”

    read full review ↗
  • 70
    Push SquarePush Square
    trust 65Jan 15, 2014

    “Don’t Starve may make your stomach rumble in frustration if you’re not willing to invest the required time to master its complex systems, but triumph over its crushing difficulty, and you may find a satisfactory dish here.”

    read full review ↗
  • 88
    ZTGDZTGD
    trust 64Jan 21, 2014

    “Don’t Starve is all about trial and error. The first few play throughs often ended quickly; but with each passing game I learned something new and this, in turn, fueled my interest in the game and my desire to get it right the next time. ”

    read full review ↗
  • 70
    The EscapistThe Escapist
    trust 63Jan 13, 2014

    “Don't Starve is a gorgeous, terrifying, often funny game, albeit one that can chew away at the player's morale with its constant demands and willingness to undo hard work. Provided you go in willing to work hard and take punches on the nose, there's plenty of reward to be had.”

    read full review ↗
  • 70
    EurogamerEurogamer
    trust 63Jan 14, 2014

    “Don't Starve flies too low to take advantage of all that's good in its gameplay, but is a good game anyway, recommended to all those looking for a challenge despite a depressed world and the lack of a true goal.”

    read full review ↗
  • 70
    GameSpotGameSpot
    trust 63Jan 16, 2014

    “On the PS4, it remains a frustrating, fascinating, and beautifully grim experience that controls nicely and packs the same absorbing punch as the original.”

    read full review ↗
  • 60
    Metro GameCentralMetro GameCentral
    trust 62Jan 8, 2014

    “An interesting stew of ideas and great presentation can’t make up for a game that goes out of its way to frustrate and discourage its players.”

    read full review ↗
  • 70
    AusGamersAusGamers
    trust 61Jan 13, 2014

    “Don’t Starve’s singular focus, wrapped up in a deadly dance between threat and empowerment, is also its biggest flaw. There is no horizon to strive for. The attrition-based gameplay is initially interesting and temporarily engaging, but lacks any lasting impact on the world.”

    read full review ↗
  • 70
    EGMEGM
    trust 61Jan 15, 2014

    “Uncovering the secrets of Don’t Starve’s oppressive world is gratifying, but the basics of gameplay get too mindlessly repetitive once you’ve figured out what you’re doing.”

    read full review ↗
  • 75
    IGNIGN
    trust 61Jan 13, 2014

    “While I appreciate the world, atmosphere, and mechanics, I can't help but wish that there was a light at the end of Don't Starve's dark and lonely tunnel.”

    read full review ↗
  • 90
    NowGamer
    trust 60Jan 10, 2014

    “Don't Starve is an incredibly satisfying survival-exploration game that understands how to foster the joy of discovery. ”

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    Level7.nu
    trust 60Feb 16, 2014

    “Probably not a game for everyone. The pace can at times be very low, and the developers could've thrown in more surprises. But it's a title that is hard to put down once you've gotten into it.”

    read full review ↗

…and 21 more tracked reviews.

Patch history

  1. Major Quality of Life and Big Fix Update Now Live!
    Apr 27, 2023significant · resets scoring window
  2. [Beta Update - PT II] Quality of Life Beta Available Now!
    Mar 14, 2023significant · resets scoring window
  3. [Beta Update] Huge Bug Fix Beta Available Now!
    Jan 26, 2023significant · resets scoring window
  4. [Game Update] Hamlet - 428605 to 429404
    Sep 3, 2020
  5. [Game Update] Hamlet - 345820 to 379591
    Jun 25, 2019significant · resets scoring window
  6. [Game Update] Hamlet - 343524
    Jun 14, 2019significant · resets scoring window
  7. [Game Update] Hamlet - 341281
    Jun 6, 2019significant · resets scoring window
  8. Hail Survivors, Don’t Starve: Hamlet has come out of Early Access! + Game Update 338264
    May 14, 2019significant · resets scoring window
  9. [Game Update] Hamlet - 327257 to 332388
    Apr 18, 2019significant · resets scoring window
  10. [Game Update] Hamlet - 319878
    Mar 28, 2019significant · resets scoring window
  11. [Game Update] Hamlet - 317078
    Mar 18, 2019significant · resets scoring window
  12. [Game Update] - 311861
    Feb 27, 2019significant · resets scoring window
  13. [Game Update] Hamlet - 309895
    Feb 19, 2019significant · resets scoring window
  14. Don't Starve: Hamlet Roadmap
    Feb 15, 2019significant · resets scoring window
  15. [Game Update] Hamlet - 309027
    Feb 14, 2019significant · resets scoring window
  16. [Game Update] Hamlet Character Update - 307715
    Feb 7, 2019significant · resets scoring window
  17. [Game Update] Hamlet - 305080
    Jan 24, 2019significant · resets scoring window
  18. [Game Update] Hamlet - 303895 and 303804
    Jan 16, 2019
  19. Quality of Life Update Available Now!
    Jan 11, 2019
  20. [Game Update] Hamlet - 302650 & 302498
    Jan 9, 2019significant · resets scoring window
  21. Don't Starve: Hamlet. The Aporkalypse!
    Dec 6, 2018significant · resets scoring window
  22. [Game Update] Hamlet - 296676
    Nov 28, 2018significant · resets scoring window
  23. [Hamlet Game Update] - 296153 & 296000
    Nov 20, 2018significant · resets scoring window
  24. Don't Starve: Hamlet Early Access now available on Steam
    Nov 8, 2018
  25. Hamlet Update - October 29
    Oct 29, 2018
  26. Shipwrecked Update: Home Sea Home (Updated - 12/15/2017)
    Nov 21, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  27. Shipwrecked Update: Home Sea Home (Updated - 12/15/2017)
    Nov 21, 2017
  28. Announcing Don't Starve: Hamlet, The Forge and other exciting news!
    Sep 13, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  29. Announcing Don't Starve: Hamlet, The Forge and other exciting news!
    Sep 13, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  30. Game Update 222215 - 07/04/2017
    Jul 4, 2017
  31. Game Update 222215 - 07/04/2017
    Jul 4, 2017
  32. Game Update 197843, Hotfixes 198080, 198177, 198251 - 11/25/2016
    Nov 24, 2016
  33. Game Update 197843, Hotfixes 198080, 198177, 198251 - 11/25/2016
    Nov 24, 2016significant · resets scoring window
  34. Shipwrecked Update 193934 - 10/20/2016
    Oct 20, 2016significant · resets scoring window
  35. Shipwrecked Update 193934 - 10/20/2016
    Oct 20, 2016significant · resets scoring window
  36. Shipwrecked Update 193193 to 193234 (10/14/2016)
    Oct 14, 2016
  37. Shipwrecked Update 193193 to 193234 (10/14/2016)
    Oct 14, 2016significant · resets scoring window
  38. [Shipwrecked Update] - 190713
    Sep 20, 2016
  39. [Shipwrecked Update] - 190713
    Sep 20, 2016
  40. Game Update 190428 - 9/16/2016
    Sep 16, 2016

…and 25 earlier patch announcements.