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) | – | 73 | 32 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 88% | 82 | 82 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 86% | 80 | 135 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Jul 18, 2026) · 99 reviews sampled · 135 total reviews in window · weighted 38 up / 6 down · computed 1h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (16)
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.
- 70
“Celestial Return possesses one of the most interesting new worlds among modern narrative games, successfully blending cyberpunk with cosmic horror in an innovative way. However, the game seems closer to an excellent visual novel trying to present itself as an RPG, despite not reaching the point of being a true role-playing game. If the developers had succeeded in improving the dialogues, providing more creative outcomes for failure, and granting players greater freedom in shaping events, it would have transformed into one of the most prominent indie narrative games this year. Currently, it is a very good experience in terms of world and story, but it still stumbles due to some decisions that stand in the way of what it is trying to achieve.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Celestial Return takes the best elements of the Disco-likes, then adds a couple of clever mechanics to carve out an identity of its own.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Metaphor Games’ Celestial Return wonderfully nails the tension-filled angst with a twinge of hope in its world-building and presentation. However, this doesn’t coalesce with the plot or gameplay, creating some dissonance in the dice-powered narrative RPG.”
read full review ↗ - 30
“Celestial Return leaves as bitter a taste as the capitalist dystopia it aims to portray. While the art, music, and story are stunning in their own right, they create an immersion-breaking mishmash that, at times, makes no sense. It feels more like the development team wanted to throw everything they found cool into a single title without considering how it would all work together. Nowhere is this clearer than in the gameplay, which, due to design oversights in the addition of more layers, leads to an extreme number of potential softlocks. In shorter games, it is fine, but in a six-hour story-driven RPG, not so much.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“I’m a bit disappointed in how it comes together, but there are moments that really work. The setting is cool and has a lot of potential. They have a flair that could really work with some tweaking.”
read full review ↗ - 74
“Celestial Return rewards your curiosity with exceptional world-building, memorable atmosphere, and meaningful choices, but inconsistent balancing and frustrating progression keep an otherwise excellent cyberpunk RPG from fully realizing its remarkable potential.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Celestial Return establishes itself as a high-quality narrative RPG that elevates the genre through a successful blend of cyberpunk and cosmic horror.”
read full review ↗ - 64
“Celestial Return is a visually captivating detective RPG elevated by exceptional atmosphere, intelligent storytelling, and meaningful choices, yet restrained by uneven balancing and limited polish. Despite that, it is an ambitious indie experience that earns attention.”
read full review ↗ - 65
“Celestial Return is an ok riff on the melody Disco Elysium perfected.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“I have had a really good time with Celestial Return so far and look forward to playing more. There is a surprisingly complex narrative and socially relevant too. There are lots of shades of grey and not just because of the dystopian cyberpunk setting. Leaning into Howard’s 5 mental traits was interesting, especially when feeling a little gung-ho. I do wish the dice mechanic was more generous, as it often led to hitting a wall in the story. The graphics and audio were great at setting the tone and scenes, especially as there’s plenty to do in the game. I give Celestial Return the Thumb Culture Gold Award.”
read full review ↗ - 76
“Celestial Haven boasts a striking, hyper-stylized fusion of cyberpunk and cosmic horror, but the atmosphere is strangled by a lack of overall polish and cohesion.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Celestial Return is a worthy successor for Disco Elysium, and it'll be of particular interest if you like Cyberpunk 2077 as well.”
read full review ↗
Eternal Games
Jump Dash Roll
RPGamer
Cubed3
Pixel Byte
GamesCreed
CrazyGameCommunity.it
NoobFeed
PowerUp!
Thumb Culture
RPG Fan
DualShockers…and 4 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Patch 1.0.6 is LiveJul 26, 2026
- Patch 1.0.5 is LiveJul 19, 2026
- Patch 1.0.4 is LiveJul 19, 2026
- Patch 1.0.3 is LiveJul 18, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Patch 1.0.2 is LiveJul 17, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Patch 1.0.0.11 Is Live!Jul 15, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Hotfix 1.0.0.1Jul 14, 2026
- Known IssuesJul 14, 2026
- Release Date UpdateApr 30, 2026
- CELESTIAL RETURN: BIG UPDATE IS LIVE!Apr 17, 2025
- UI UPTADE & IN-GAME Encyclopedia!Jan 31, 2024