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) | – | 78 | 12 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 95% | 90 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 94% | 89 | 1303 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Acclaim gate: the raw blend lands at 88.9, but scores above 88 must be earned in front of a mass audience; this verdict rests on 6,685 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 (Dec 19, 2025) · 300 reviews sampled · 1303 total reviews in window · weighted 122.3 up / 2.7 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.
- 80
- 70
“A short but impressively realised walking simulator that will unnervingly delight many and disappoint some, POOLS is a purely experiential liminal piece of media. Like all of its halls and corridors, you may wonder where the end goal is, or where the purpose lies. But that’s precisely the purpose of the liminal, to focus on emotion and feeling, even if that’s slightly undermined by its structural design.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“The walk between the pools is audio-visually interesting, but practically you just watch and the gameplay is minimal.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“POOLS is not for the easily anxious, even if there’s nothing in the water to pull you down. The sounds alone will make you fear the depths. You should.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Few games let you experience the true horrors of an empty, slightly dilapidated council swimming pool, and for that, Pools must be commended.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Whether you find liminal spaces strangely appealing or unsettlingly eerie, we recommend you give Pools a try. We certainly haven’t played anything quite like it before. It may not be an action-packed experience with complex mechanics, hell, some might not even consider it a game at all, but it’s utterly compelling from beginning to end.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Impactful, silent, and haunting, Pools arrives on consoles with a unique proposal, far, far from being boring.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“It is a masterclass in vibes, the kind of immersive experience games with a small country’s worth of budgets can only ever try to clumsily emulate. That is of course if you’re open to what POOLS is trying to do, no doubt some will find its lack of explicit systems or goals frustrating or outright boring. Fortunately, I’m a sicko and this kind of slow-burn, ambient horror is exactly what I want from interactive experiences. As I began to piece together my understanding of events in the game through stray imagery and implications, jumping at shadows and straining my ears for an attack that never came, I realised I had drowned somewhere along the way in POOLS.”
read full review ↗ - 86
“POOLS for a lack of a better term could be called a cozy horror game. Instead of being creepy-cute like other darker games within that category, this game is creepy-cool. Each level flows into a floaty, dream-like experience. The "horror" lies in how the player perceives the environment in spite of the beautiful and sleek visuals. POOLS is a reserve of an almost constant air of unease. Instead of the classic horror elements, POOLS is a nervy, slow-burn that dives deep into your own personal anxieties. ”
read full review ↗ - 80
“POOLS is quite literally a walking game. No story, progression, dialogue or clear message to speak of, it’s all about vibes and interpretation, despite having some sort of an endign that’s open to interpretation. It’s a short but fascinating ride, even though there is barely any gameplay, which may turn away some people.”
read full review ↗
Push Square
FingerGuns
SECTOR.sk
GameGrin
Thumbsticks
GameSpew
República DG
WellPlayed
KeenGamer
DayOnePatch history
- Update notes (19th December 2025)Dec 19, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- VR mode available in Demo versionJun 5, 2025
- Update notes (4th June 2025)Jun 3, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Hotfix (26th Apr 2025)Apr 26, 2025
- Update notes (25th Apr 2025)Apr 25, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Chapter 0 Beta updateMar 25, 2025
- Update notes (23rd Oct 2024) - Going underwaterOct 23, 2024
- Update notes (14th Jun 2024) - the Steam Deck updateJun 14, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Update notes (21st May 2024)May 21, 2024
- Update notes (29th Apr 2024)Apr 29, 2024
- Update notes (28th Apr 2024)Apr 28, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Update notes (27th Apr 2024)Apr 27, 2024
- Hotfix for Steam language selectionApr 26, 2024
- Update notes (26th Apr 2024)Apr 26, 2024
- Update: Puddles, settings, tweaks and fixesMar 30, 2024
- Update: Fixes and tweaksFeb 23, 2024
- Update: Chairs and SettingsFeb 16, 2024
- Update: Devlog2Jan 23, 2024
- Update: Fixes, tweaks and laddersDec 16, 2023significant · resets scoring window