Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 423 sampled Steam reviews (397 positive / 26 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
- Story & writing17% mention it
- Bugs & crashes17% mention it
- World & exploration5% mention it
- Visuals & art5% mention it
What negative reviews complain about
- Bugs & crashes69% mention it
- Story & writing27% mention it
- Performance12% mention it
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
89%
37 reviews
5-15h
94%
69 reviews
15-40h
92%
90 reviews
40-100h
95%
111 reviews
100h+
95%
116 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) | – | 86 | 0 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 96% | 91 | 1417 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 91 | 24 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 94% | 88 | 478 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 300 reviews sampled · 1367 total reviews in window · weighted 250.6 up / 10.5 down · computed 1h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (79)
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.
- 85
“All of the immersion in the world can't stop players from being pulled away by the show stopping bugs. These issues should not detract from those interested in New Vegas from checking it out. New players and Fallout veterans alike will appreciate the long length and amount of lore present.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Regardless, Fallout: New Vegas is a great experience. Offering a huge world with many sights to see and things to do, players will have a lot to do in the Mojave where the only bugs that should be feared are the wicked flying Cazadores.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Paradoxically, New Vegas doesn't make good on much new on any front, and it takes a hit both as experience and product for it.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Fallout: New Vegas is more a step side-wards for the series, as opposed to a step forwards that some of us may have been expecting.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“This could have been a great game, so it's a shame certain things are holding it back - still, it's addictive, interesting, highly enjoyable, and so credit where credit's due.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“When this game is running properly, without falling through the ground, NPC dialogue not triggering properly or enemies running through the floor, then it's a very fun journey.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“There is a lot of fun to be had. I just want to convey all that I had experienced with the game. It's left up to you to decide if you want to drop the money on it.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“You can beat the entire main story of Fallout: New Vegas in less than 20 hours, but that would be giving the game short shrift. It is really about savoring every little detail and side quest until you've seen everything there is to see.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“In terms of character creations, Obsidian managed to implement many improvements which totally make sense. Technically speaking, it's another Fallout like you know it: Questionable textures, some weird animations, a great story and so much to explore.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Until Fallout: New Vegas gets a major patch that fixes the problems, it can only be recommended to gamers who have a high threshold for frustration.”
read full review ↗ - 95
“If you never quite "got" Fallout 3, New Vegas won't be the epiphany that shows you what you've been missing. But for anyone who adored the frantic post-apocalyptic, choose-your-own-path vibe of Bethesda's original sprawling stunner, this trip to the sin-soaked West is one hell of a kickass homecoming.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“It's disappointing to see such an otherwise brilliant and polished game suffer from years-old bugs, and unfortunately our review score for the game has to reflect that.”
read full review ↗
RPGamer
GameWatcher
ZTGD
Worth Playing
The Escapist…and 67 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
No patch announcements found on Steam yet.