Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 296 sampled Steam reviews (249 positive / 47 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
- Story & writing35% mention it
- Combat20% mention it
- Difficulty & balance9% mention it
- World & exploration6% mention it
- Visuals & art6% mention it
What negative reviews complain about
- Story & writing57% mention it
- Combat45% mention it
- World & exploration17% mention it
- Difficulty & balance15% mention it
- Bugs & crashes15% mention it
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
74%
23 reviews
5-15h
69%
32 reviews
15-40h
80%
51 reviews
40-100h
81%
84 reviews
100h+
95%
106 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) | – | 89 | 21 |
| Creator reviews (3 tracked) | – | 89 | 1 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 88% | 82 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 87 | 67 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 86% | 80 | 318 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: since the last significant patch (May 20, 2026) · 300 reviews sampled · 318 total reviews in window · weighted 220.4 up / 35.3 down · computed 3h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (95)
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.
- 95
“This time, the money from Kickstarter was not wasted. A hellishly experienced team has created a classic RPG that is a natural development of ideas from Baldur's Gate and Planescape: Torment.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“I enjoyed my time with Pillars of Eternity and think it provides a good example of the type of RPG not seen much in recent years, but it’s not going to convince those who were never attracted by similarly styled titles in the past.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Pillars of Eternity is an epic that either meets or exceeds all of my lofty expectations. Minutes turned to hours, hours turned to evenings and evenings turned to days as I immersed myself in the wonderful world that Obsidian has created. You must gather your party before venturing forth, a dangerous and exciting world awaits you in Pillars of Eternity.”
read full review ↗ - 80
- 100
“Still, it's in the smallest moments where Pillars is most fascinating. Stories of dead gods resurrected, of divine plagues and magical obelisks jutting from the earth like broken bones, are the easy stories for fantasy games to tell. It's in the simple stories where they often falter. Pillars Of Eternity deserves credit not just for telling those stories but telling them well.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Pillars of Eternity is a rare game that delivers exactly what it promises, all of which are things that gamers frequently ask for: legitimately mature narrative, deep tactical combat, and a genuine challenge free of artificial difficulty. Obsidian claimed the game would relive a classic era, but it didn't stop there. By casting off the restrictions of its inspirations' Dungeons & Dragons-rooted mechanics (and a lot of standard role-playing tropes with them) and building such an intriguing world, Obsidian has made one of the most refined and original RPGs in years.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Obsidian's Pillars of Eternity revisits the company's Black Isle roots, resulting in a High Fantasy, party-based RPG in the traditional style. Strong thematic hooks, well-written characters and reactive quest design, all resting on an original set of tabletop-inspired mechanics, make this a triumphant return.”
read full review ↗ - 93
“Pillars of Eternity made it clear that Kickstarter can be a valuable tool for developers, as long as they are committed to achieving the best possible quality of their artistic vision. In this case, the product far exceeded our expectations by delivering a wonderful, indomitable and representative experience of the RPG genre. I am eager to know what the future of the franchise will be, especially if there will be a sequel, because I want to reuse the character that I painstakingly built and watched grow.”
read full review ↗ - 99
“Despite drawing obvious inspiration from the Infinity Engine games, Pillars of Eternity manages to be so much more than a simple tribute. Carving out its own unique identity as a masterfully created RPG, it is sure to be remembered as a Role-Playing masterpiece of our times.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“All you really need to know though, is this; Pillars of Eternity is a triumph.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“A production that deserves applause not only as a quality RPG game, but also for its full content and poetic narration.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“It's the best new, isometric RPG to come out in years.”
read full review ↗
GRYOnline.pl
RPGamer
Paste Magazine
The Angry Joe Show
The A.V. Club
Cubed3
PC Invasion
LevelUp
GameWatcher
Merlin'in Kazanı
The Escapist…and 83 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Pillars of Eternity Patch 3.9.4.0 is now LiveMay 20, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Pillars of Eternity Turn Based Mode is LiveApr 6, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- The Public Beta for Turn-Based Mode is now AvailableNov 7, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Patch 1.3.8.0.87535 is LiveMar 26, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Update v3.7.1.1411Jul 10, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Build 1.3.7.1377 Patch NotesJun 6, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Patch 3.06 Patch NotesJun 14, 2017
- Patch 3.06 Patch NotesJun 14, 2017
- 3.04 and 3.05 Patch NotesNov 23, 2016
- 3.04 and 3.05 Patch NotesNov 23, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- Patch Beta 3.0.4 Is Live; Plus a Competition!Oct 4, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- Patch Beta 3.0.4 Is Live; Plus a Competition!Oct 4, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- The Patch Beta for Update 3.0.3 is Now Live!Jun 1, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- The Patch Beta for Update 3.0.3 is Now Live!Jun 1, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- Update 3.02 and we announced a new game!Mar 23, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- Update 3.02 and we announced a new game!Mar 23, 2016
- Update Notes: 3.01Feb 23, 2016
- Update Notes: 3.01Feb 23, 2016
- Patch Beta for Update 2.03 is Now Live and Short Stories!Oct 26, 2015significant · resets scoring window
- Patch Beta for Update 2.03 is Now Live and Short Stories!Oct 26, 2015significant · resets scoring window
- Patch Beta for Update 2.02 now live!Sep 25, 2015
- Patch Beta for Update 2.02 now live!Sep 25, 2015
- Beta for Patch 1.06 is now live!May 26, 2015
- Beta for Patch 1.06 is now live!May 26, 2015
- A Week in Eternity! (5/4-5/8)May 11, 2015
- A Week in Eternity! (5/4-5/8)May 11, 2015
- Patch 1.05 is now live!May 8, 2015
- Patch 1.05 is now live!May 8, 2015
- Patch Notes for 1.03!Apr 3, 2015
- Patch Notes for 1.03!Apr 3, 2015