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) | – | 84 | 5 |
| Creator reviews (2 tracked) | – | 48 | 1 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 77% | 72 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 57 | 46 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 66% | 64 | 16 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 46 reviews sampled · 43 total reviews in window · weighted 10.4 up / 5.3 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (66)
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
“By the end of this two-to-three-hour journey, it isn't just the house that'll seem lived-in, as the characters are equally realized and relatable.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“While it is a five-year-old game, there's no denying the cultural and developmental impact Gone Home has had on the game industry. Both as a near-perfect exercise in interactive storytelling and an example of how to handle complex and very real ideas in a game, only Life is Strange has ever come close to matching its significance. While there still isn't much ‘game' to be found here, the story you unravel through exploring an empty home will stay with you long after you've put down your Switch. Essential.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Gone Home does only one thing but does it superbly, telling a touching story solely through exploration that makes it well worth experiencing.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Gone Home is an interesting experiment, that didn't move me as much, as the developers probably wanted it to. The way of telling the story and the quality of the script seem a bit simplistic and tend to look at the gamer from a high position. Still, I think Gone Home is a step in a right direction and I really like these kinds of experiences. If only the developers had put more work into polishing the game - perhaps next time?”
read full review ↗ - 10
“Gone Home feels like a tech demo more than anything else, as if it's put together to test lighting effects, map layout, being able to pick up and examine objects, and so on, but even then it fails. The storytelling isn't bad, but it's for a story that's hardly even there or worth telling in the first place.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“The experience, even if quite short, will be thoroughly enjoyed by players who like to explore environments and follow compelling storylines. The more you know about the story, the more you want to keep going.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Gone Home offers its revelations in quietness and purity, and that's why you'll leave it with a spring in your step. Turning the world into a storyteller is nothing new in video games, but I think I've gotten to know it much better here, in its pajamas and inside, without all the noise.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Thoughtful, clever, and articulately composed, Gone Home is the sweet sort of story that games typically tend to shun. Katie's homecoming is emotionally charged, cleverly plotted, and impressively authentic. And while it may not quench the thirst of those anxious for action, it tells a tale that practically everyone will be able to identify with, as long as you give it the chance.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“The Fullbright Company knows how to tell a story and they succeed at making the player feel that he or she is part of that story. If you want a narrative experience that demonstrates what the video game medium is truly capable of, play this game, but do so slowly. Gone Home is not a game to hurry through, but one to savor and remember.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“As a statement of intent, Gone Home is laudable; as a technical exercise in game narrative, it's compromised, but it definitely has its strengths and is worthy of study. But you can't escape the sense that Gaynor, Zimonja and Nordhagen started on this project with grand designs for games as a storytelling medium, yet without a story they desperately wanted to tell.”
read full review ↗ - 95
“With excellent writing and remarkable attention to period detail, Gone Home turns the process of exploring a house into a captivating and deeply poignant journey of discovery.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“'Gone Home' is a game with a very touching story and unique play style, though it is a little overpriced.”
read full review ↗
Slant Magazine
Nintendo Life
GRYOnline.pl
FourFaceButtons
Portal E7
Push Square
NintendoWorldReport
Eurogamer
GameSpot
GameSkinny…and 54 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Fullbright Presents TOILET SPIDERS has hit 1.0!Nov 27, 2024
- Minor patch, big in size!Nov 6, 2019
- Patch for minor bugfixApr 24, 2018
- Gone Home Official Languages/Achievements Update Available Now!Feb 13, 2018significant · resets scoring window