Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 300 sampled Steam reviews (274 positive / 26 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
- Grind & repetition4% mention it
What negative reviews complain about
- Difficulty & balance12% mention it
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
89%
104 reviews
5-15h
90%
98 reviews
15-40h
95%
61 reviews
40-100h
91%
23 reviews
100h+
100%
14 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) | – | 80 | 6 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 94% | 89 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 73 | 7 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 92% | 87 | 3000 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Apr 21, 2026) · 300 reviews sampled · 6196 total reviews in window · weighted 169.7 up / 15.5 down · computed 4h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (5)
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.
- 80
“The gameplay is complex and interesting, with a range of difficulties which range from easily accessible to completely unreasonable and it's startling how effectively the simple presentation can evoke a whole range of emotions.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Plague Inc: Evolved is a fun strategy game. Also on PC and console it amuses and entertains, despite the gameplay highlights, more than once, its handheld origins.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“This is simply a slightly better version of its source material, which means it's a difficult, complex, illness-themed strategy game with a lot to thrash out. So, still pretty great.”
read full review ↗ - 84
“Despite grim subject matter, Plague Inc. is a relaxing, entrancing game.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“In a world where the fascination of a zombie outbreak is now currently huge do to mainstream media, Plague Inc: Evolved is the game for you if you want to simulate your own outbreak.”
read full review ↗
Pure Xbox
EurogamerPatch history
- Patch Notes 1.24.0.3Aug 10, 2026
- World Update 2026 - Out Now!Aug 3, 2026
- Plague Inc: Evolved - Patch Notes 1.23.0.11Apr 21, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Plague Inc: Evolved - Patch Notes 1.23.0.10Apr 10, 2026
- Plague Inc: Evolved - Patch Notes 1.23.0.9Apr 10, 2026
- Plague Inc: Evolved - Patch Notes 1.23.0.8Apr 9, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Plague Inc: Evolved - Patch Notes 1.23.0.7Apr 8, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Plague Inc: Evolved - Patch Notes 1.23.0.5Apr 7, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Announcing Aliens & Anti-Vaxxers and Update 1.23Mar 26, 2026
- Patch Notes 1.22.1.10Jan 28, 2026
- Patch Notes 1.22.1.8Jan 27, 2026
- Steam Deck Update - 1.22.1.7Jan 26, 2026
- Patch Notes 1.22.1.6Jan 14, 2026
- Patch Notes 1.22.1.5Jan 8, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Patch Notes 1.22.1.4Jan 6, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Patch Notes 1.22.1.1Dec 16, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Outbreak Mode - Out Now!Dec 15, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Patch Notes 1.21.0.3Oct 6, 2025
- The 2025 World Update - Out Now!May 22, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- The 2025 World Update - Coming SoonMay 13, 2025
- Greenland International Update coming soonJan 30, 2025
- Patch Notes 1.19.1.0Oct 27, 2022
- Frozen Virus - Can you save the world?Oct 20, 2022
- Patch Notes 1.18.4.0Jul 15, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- Patch 1.18.3.1 - ChangelogFeb 18, 2021
- Patch 1.18.2.5Feb 11, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- Patch 1.18.1.1 - ChangelogFeb 1, 2021
- Sneak Peek: The next big update for Plague Inc.Jun 25, 2020significant · resets scoring window
- Minor Update 1.17.4Apr 28, 2020
- Minor update 1.17.1Dec 13, 2019
- The Fake News update is out now!Dec 6, 2019
- Minor Update 1.16.7Mar 28, 2019
- Popular Scenarios Update February 2019Feb 5, 2019
- Popular Scenarios Update 2018 Round UpDec 13, 2018
- Minor Update 1.16.4Nov 22, 2018
- Popular Scenarios Update October 2018Oct 2, 2018
- Popular Scenarios Update September 2018Sep 4, 2018
…and 6 earlier patch announcements.