Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 299 sampled Steam reviews (280 positive / 19 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
- Story & writing18% mention it
- World & exploration9% mention it
- Visuals & art8% mention it
- Controls & UI8% mention it
- Combat7% mention it
What negative reviews complain about
- Story & writing53% mention it
- Combat32% mention it
- World & exploration21% mention it
- Visuals & art21% mention it
- Controls & UI16% mention it
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
88%
57 reviews
5-15h
90%
50 reviews
15-40h
93%
59 reviews
40-100h
97%
69 reviews
100h+
98%
64 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) | – | 87 | 6 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 95% | 90 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 88 | 4 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 92% | 86 | 63 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Acclaim gate: the raw blend lands at 88.8, but scores above 88 must be earned in front of a mass audience; this verdict rests on 28,932 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) · 181 reviews sampled · 172 total reviews in window · weighted 124.6 up / 11.3 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (34)
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 fact that the game is just so massive brings warm feelings to my heart. The character interaction in the game, joined with an amazing guild system and easy to menus and controls will allow you to get deeply involved.”
read full review ↗ - 81
“The Xbox equivalent of "War & Peace." [August 2002, p.77]”
- 85
“It's a beautiful-looking, sprawling, and completely open-ended game that allows you to play pretty much however you like as long as you're willing to fill in a few blanks using your imagination.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“The game has more freedom and options than any game I have played, but this also comes at a cost of containing several minor and some major glitches.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“A staggering epic, it almost hurts the brain to think of the effort it would have taken to produce Morrowind...Completing Morrowind is like earning a degree in gaming.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Despite a few minor issues, Morrowind manages to shine on the Xbox. It is the first game to truly bring a wide-open role-playing experience to the console.”
read full review ↗ - 83
“A wonderfully huge experience that will take dedicated gamers some time to finish. And with all of the options available, no two trips through the game will be the same.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Ultimately, Morrowind's biggest selling point - its expansive scope - is also its undoing.[Fall 2002, p.112]”
- 87
“But trying to separate myself from how much fun the game is and looking at it objectively reminds me that the game is still technically flawed, and thus far from perfect.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“Character designs are notably generic and boxy. Animation is quite stiff and the sluggish framerate does nothing to help matters. On the plus side, the environments are absolutely massive, and exhibit plenty of variety, creating a cohesive and believable alternate universe.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“The soundtrack and the effects (towns are deadly quiet) are a missed opportunity, with the occasional repetitive dialogue heightening the failure to grasp what could have been achieved.”
read full review ↗ - 94
“If the purpose of games is to provide absolute escapism, to immerse us deeply in another world that never was, and then to give us the ability to go through it and do what <I>we</I> want to do, then Morrowind accomplishes that brilliantly.”
read full review ↗
GameSpot
Gamestyle
IGN…and 22 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
No patch announcements found on Steam yet.