Screenshots & trailers
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) | – | 86 | 15 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 96% | 91 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 85 | 15 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 92% | 86 | 422 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Acclaim gate: the raw blend lands at 89.0, but scores above 88 must be earned in front of a mass audience; this verdict rests on 23,645 player reviews, a largely self-selected fanbase. As more players weigh in, the ceiling rises (full scale unlocks at 100,000 reviews).
Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Jun 29, 2026) · 300 reviews sampled · 422 total reviews in window · weighted 193.6 up / 17.3 down · computed 1h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (10)
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.
- 94
“Resource management ala Kingdom mixed with more traditional tower defense concepts makes for something special”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Thronefall is an absolutely wonderful RTS game from Grizzly Games that pulls ideas from past strategy and tower defense titles, then executes them in a stylish, minimalistic manner.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“Chic, sleek, addictive, Thronefall is an artful gift to anyone who has been wanting to play a strategy game again for a long time, but who has struggled to integrate this often over-complex genre into their everyday lives. That's what makes it precious.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Thronefall combines the economy and management elements of real time strategy with familiar tower defense mechanics to create a challenging and enjoyable gameplay with distinctive minimalistic visual design.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Thronefall may be a minimalist strategy title, but it is big in heart and has a lot of depth to it. It is a game that is simple to play, but will challenge you at every turn. It is incredibly tough to put Thronefall down as it has that one more turn feel down to a tee. The challenge will be offputting for some, and there is a possible bug of enemies running around a wall, but other than that Thronefall is worth your time. ”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Thronefall is an engaging tower defense game that rewards maximizing your strategy through precision and base-building mechanics.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“Thronefall has easily become my new favorite tower defense game, thanks to its solid mechanics and the absolute wealth of variety present in each aspect of the game. Countless difficulty mutations and enemies await you in this game, which gives new meaning to the word “replayability.””
read full review ↗ - 100
“Thronefall is designed for agile games, almost always on the couch or between subway stops. The performance on Switch, fortunately, accompanies a proposal born to shine on this system thanks to the simplicity of its mechanics, its infinite replayability and a depth that promises hours and hours of content for a ridiculous price.”
read full review ↗ - 77
“Thronefall pares back the usual tower defence formula into something simpler but still quite satisfying. Being forced to work with a predefined layout for your castle is a major limitation, and one that will frustrate some, but the perks and mutations system reintroduces just enough complexity to give Thronefall staying power. It also helps that the game looks great.”
read full review ↗ - –
“I’ve enjoyed how breezy the game is, but I can definitely see the difficulty and complexity ramping up a bit further in. As you play you unlock additional perks that you can choose between at the start of each map, like whether to arm your commander with a spear or bow, or whether to increase your money generation or get bonus health for your castle. There’s also a set of mutators you can mess around with to increase the challenge and in turn raise your high score. I’m sure I’ll get there, but in the meantime it’s the little things I’m enjoying about Thronefall, like the super-satisfying clink of all the gold filling my coffer each morning.”
read full review ↗
Nindie Spotlight
Siliconera
Eurogamer
GameLuster
TheSixthAxis
Six One Indie
Try Hard Guides
PCMGAMES
New Game Network
KotakuPatch history
- Incoming Update: A Royal WardrobeAug 27, 2026
- Thronefall | Quality of Life Update | v2.13 Live NowJun 29, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Incoming Thronefall UpdateJun 2, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Thronefall | Dev UpdateApr 27, 2026
- Update 2.11Feb 3, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- UPDATE 2.06Oct 23, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Hotfix 2.04 - Moorweg Boss BalancingOct 12, 2024
- Hotfix 2.03Oct 11, 2024
- V1.0 Now Available!Oct 11, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Thronefall 1.0 will release Oct 11th, 3pm CEST!Oct 10, 2024
- Hotfix 1.753Aug 8, 2024
- UPDATE 1.75Aug 7, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- UPDATE 1.73Jul 23, 2024
- 1.71 Hot FixJul 10, 2024
- UPDATE 1.7Jul 9, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- UPDATE 1.6 - New LevelMay 28, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Hotfix 1.57Apr 30, 2024
- Update 1.56: Mini-Modes ReworkApr 26, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Update 1.55: Mini-ModesApr 16, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Update 1.5: Big ReworksMar 20, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Update 1.42 and SaleFeb 5, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Hotfix 1.41Feb 2, 2024
- Update 1.4: New Level "Sturmklamm"Feb 2, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Update 1.36Dec 19, 2023
- Update 1.34Dec 14, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- Update 1.33Dec 4, 2023
- Hotfix 1.32Dec 1, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- Endless Mode UpdateNov 29, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- Update 1.27Nov 15, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- UPDATE 1.26Nov 9, 2023
- UPDATE 1.25Oct 19, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- CONTENT UPDATE #01: NEW LEVEL UFERWINDSep 29, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- HOTFIX 1.16Aug 24, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- Hotfix 1.11Aug 17, 2023
- Early Access Update 1.1Aug 17, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- FAQAug 7, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- Early Access Hotfix 1.01Aug 4, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- Thronefall will release into Early Access on August 2nd, 2023!Jul 11, 2023significant · resets scoring window