Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 298 sampled Steam reviews (274 positive / 24 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
- Story & writing11% mention it
- World & exploration7% mention it
What negative reviews complain about
- Bugs & crashes21% mention it
- Controls & UI17% mention it
- Combat13% mention it
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
78%
51 reviews
5-15h
97%
65 reviews
15-40h
95%
86 reviews
40-100h
91%
67 reviews
100h+
97%
29 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) | – | 75 | 30 |
| Creator reviews (3 tracked) | – | 56 | 1 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 84% | 78 | 1107 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 93% | 87 | 152 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 300 reviews sampled · 433 total reviews in window · weighted 223.1 up / 17.3 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (108)
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.
- 65
“Just Cause 3 is okay. It's far from great, but it's not bad either. It's just a decent waste of time. You can expect to mine at least twenty hours from it, with far more on top if you get really into it. Personally, I feel there are far better ways to waste your time, but there are far worse too. The wing suit's cute, at least.”
read full review ↗ - 30
“Imagine a roller coaster that stops for maintenance every 30 feet and doesn't allow you to exit, even after you've already been around the track a few dozen times.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“In a game wherein so much rests on smooth technical performance, Just Cause 3 feels like it could have used more time in development. It's an enjoyable romp bogged down by these issues. If you have higher than normal tolerance for long loading times, intrusive online connectivity, and erratic frame rate, you'll find Just Cause 3 worth its day one price tag. For the rest of us, waiting until there's clarity on these problems is advised.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“As long as you don't think too hard when playing Just Cause 3, there's still plenty to like. After three iterations, however, it's really time for the series to grow up a bit more and expand the nature of the world and its leading man. Just Cause 3 can be a ton of fun, but the lack of just a little more depth causes its appeal to burn out far quicker than it should.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“Maybe further down the road, or as part of a sale, it would be worth picking up just to mess around in the world and go crazy…and perhaps by then the technical issues will be fixed.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“IF you can run it, Just Cause 3 is an amazing experience, packed with big explosions, exciting gameplay, and enjoyment. But the IF is an actual question as this has performance issues.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Avalanche Studio's creation doesn't care about the "are videogames art?" dispute, it doesn't give a dirty rodent's behind about realism, and it doesn't takes itself too serious. It's an unapologetic tribute to the best adolescent boy fantasy of all time, besides a gaming session with a young, black stockings-wearing Dolly Parton, which is none other than being a flying, bullet-eating cocktail of comic book superheroes, and all this with the sex appeal of a Mediterranean Nathan Drake. Sure, all this destruction and mayhem lacks the required depth and motivation inherent in other sandbox titles, and yes, it can all become extremely boring, but while this ultimately more of a somewhat flawed toy and not a "true" videogame, it's an extremely addictive and enjoyable one at that, nonetheless.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Just Cause 3 pretty much raises explosions and physics-based destruction to the level of an art form, and a few annoyances with gunplay and repetition don't do much to detract from that.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Despite the technical problems, which need to be sorted out quickly, really, we've had a terrifying amount of fun with Just Cause 3. The freedom enabled by this game is second to none, and the island of Medici offers plenty of opportunities for creativity, or, of course, explosions. The campaign may have some low points, but attacking bases and liberating towns is some of the best fun that you'll find on the PS4 this year.”
read full review ↗ - 80
- 85
“Just Cause 3 is truly a one-note experience, but one with a loop so addictive I can't stop playing it. This is the most fun sandbox I have toyed around in since the previous entry, and I can easily see myself sinking another couple dozen hours exploring the world of Medici. Those that found JC2 underwhelming or repetitive won't find much to change their mind here, but for fans like myself that simply can't get enough destruction, Just Cause 3 delivers on all levels.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Just Cause 3 is a big sandbox that lets you run around with a gun, a grappling hook, and a wing suit and blow up anything or anyone you want.”
read full review ↗
The Jimquisition
Slant Magazine
Gadgets 360
Paste Magazine
Gamer Escape
Kinglink Reviews
Cubed3
PC Invasion
Push Square
GameWatcher
ZTGD
PCMag…and 96 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Just Cause 3 Multiplayer now on SteamJul 21, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Bavarium Sea Heist on general release todayAug 18, 2016
- Bavarium Sea Heist live for Expansion Pass Holders todayAug 11, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- Patch 1.05 incomingJul 25, 2016
- Patch 1.05 incomingJul 25, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- MECH LAND ASSAULTMay 31, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- Patch 1.04 dropping shortlyMay 31, 2016
- Patch 1.04 dropping shortlyMay 31, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- PC Patch Now Live, Sky Fortress Release Date and Patch NotesMar 7, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- Sky Fortress Release Date and Patch Notes UPDATEMar 4, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- Sky Fortress Release Date and Patch NotesMar 3, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- Sky Fortress Release Date and Patch NotesMar 3, 2016
- (20/01/2016) Patch DetailsJan 22, 2016
- (20/01/2016) Patch DetailsJan 22, 2016
- New Year's UpdateJan 5, 2016
- New Year's UpdateJan 5, 2016
- Patch 1.021 Now Live on PC!Dec 21, 2015significant · resets scoring window
- Patch 1.021 Now Live on PC!Dec 21, 2015
- UPDATE FOLLOWING PATCH 1.02Dec 18, 2015
- UPDATE FOLLOWING PATCH 1.02Dec 18, 2015
- Patch 1.02 Now Live on PC!Dec 16, 2015
- Patch 1.02 Now Live on PC!Dec 16, 2015
- JC3 PATCH 1.02 – AN UPDATE FOR OUR FANSDec 16, 2015significant · resets scoring window
- JC3 PATCH 1.02 – AN UPDATE FOR OUR FANSDec 16, 2015
- PATCH INFONov 27, 2015
- PATCH INFONov 27, 2015
- LANGUAGE UPDATEAug 26, 2015
- LANGUAGE UPDATEAug 26, 2015