The Long Dark

Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Aug 28, 2026) · 71 reviews sampled · 512 total reviews in window · weighted 48.8 up / 12.8 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →

• 85
  Pure Nintendo

  trust 80Oct 16, 2020

  “The Long Dark is a title that successfully uses the classic plot device of man vs. nature. With so much detail put into the gameplay, it can be easy to feel as cold as your player in this freezing Canadian wilderness. The endlessly entertaining survival mode lets you explore Great Bear Island to your heart's desire.”

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• 85
  Gaming Professors

  trust 76Jul 27, 2021

  “The Long Dark is certainly one of the better games of the survival genre, dare I say even one of the best. The lack of building and extensive crafting is replaced by other survival elements. The winter landscapes all around you are breathtaking, sometimes to the point where you forget about the reality around you and take on the role of a survivor. Great music and background sounds are just the icing on the cake.”

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• 80
  Nintendo Life

  trust 76Oct 3, 2020

  “The Long Dark is an onerous experience, but a memorably and powerfully atmospheric one. Its Survival mode stands out as something of a singular achievement on the Switch, and one we'd urge you to try if you don't mind freezing to death more than a few times before you've got a grip on how to last a couple of nights. It's difficult to call it outright fun given its sheer hostility, but it's certainly absorbing and at times downright terrifying game. Just like real life, nature is the real enemy.”

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• 100
  Hu3br

  trust 75Aug 6, 2017

  “Calling The Long dark a "survival game" is not enough. It is a thoughtful, moving experience about loneliness in the wilderness, how to respect nature in order to be respected by it. Easily one of the best, if not the best, in the genre.”

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• 80
  PLAY Zine

  trust 75Oct 12, 2017

  “The Long Dark is a survival game, one of many some will say, but with its interesting story and a touch of mystery, we’ve got a very good game before us. ”

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• 85
  GRYOnline.pl

  trust 75Aug 6, 2017

  “Many gamers will bounce off of The Long Dark, it is extremely difficult and makes you remember about very basic stuff. The final version of the game offers a mediocre story mode and features some boring repetitiveness but overall quality is great, fans of slow exploration and learning will love it.”

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• 85
  STWGames Italia

  trust 72Apr 18, 2026

  “The Long Dark is not merely a form of entertainment; rather, it is an experience that demands immense patience, the kind needed to accept failure as an integral part of personal growth. Despite some shortcomings in both gameplay and graphics, the atmosphere amidst the ice is so powerful that it makes one overlook the technical flaws.”

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• 50
  Cubed3

  trust 70Dec 27, 2025

  “The Long Dark is a mostly functional survival title, with a relatively good atmosphere and a relatively clear vision…but it struggles to turn its ideas into an engaging experience. Its core gameplay loop quickly becomes a slow, repetitive ordeal, where survival feels more tedious than tense. Unintuitive systems undermine immersion, while the story mode fails to serve as a welcoming introduction, not to mention that it is an incomplete part. Final word of caution: if still willing to try this out, stay away from the Switch port.”

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• 80
  Push Square

  trust 69Aug 5, 2017

  “The Long Dark is a strong survival title, possibly even the strongest of the entire genre. A beautiful, but dangerous Canadian wilderness provides the backdrop to a challenging, but largely satisfying fight for survival. While micromanaging every facet of your well-being while trying to survive might sound tedious in description, it actually ends up being fun, satisfying, and even tense.  With three more episodes to come for this title's story mode, there's already tons of content to chow down on. Just watch out for the wolves.”

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• 68
  R

  RageQuit.GR

  trust 69Aug 18, 2017

  “The Long Dark’s long-awaited story mode, ultimately fails to stand on its own. It rather serves as a tutorial for an extremely robust, utterly unforgiving and uncomfortably realistic extreme winter conditions survival simulator game, that transcends Unity’s limitations to deliver a unique experience aimed at a very narrow and specific audience. Future episodes may tweak the story mode into a cohesive entity that can stand on its own, but in its current state, the Long Dark is aimed exclusively at the hardcore survival enthusiast.”

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• 80
  NintendoWorldReport

  trust 69Oct 6, 2020

  “In the end, The Long Dark won me over through the same war of attrition it demanded of me during playing. What starts as an oppressive wilderness and battle of the elements eventually unfolds into a gratifying progression as I learned how to survive efficiently through trial and error. They say that adversity builds character, and if you can grow some thicker skin, there's a lot of character in The Long Dark to discover.”

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• 80
  SomosXbox

  trust 68Aug 19, 2017

  “‎It has become one of those games interested in transmitting something else, instead of making us have an entertaining time without more. His way of facing nature is plausible (saving perhaps some other detail), such as making us go through an ordeal, whether we are beginners, the learning process, as if we are experts, for the possibility of modifying the difficulty, Because the long darkness, the real one, is what there is after each game, when it's all over. Luckily, we can face that moment again and again, try to do better, prolong it more.‎”

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…and 48 more tracked reviews.

1. August Dev Diary

   Aug 28, 2026significant · resets scoring window
2. The Long Dark WINTERMUTE Updated to version 2.24 -- Episode Five version 2.54

   Apr 23, 2026significant · resets scoring window
3. The Long Dark WINTERMUTE Updated to version 2.23

   Apr 8, 2026significant · resets scoring window
4. EPISODE FIVE, Post-Launch Update

   Apr 2, 2026
5. The Long Dark Updated to version 2.52

   Mar 31, 2026significant · resets scoring window
6. The Long Dark Updated to version 2.51

   Dec 11, 2025significant · resets scoring window
7. The Long Dark Updated to version 2.50

   Dec 3, 2025significant · resets scoring window
8. The Long Dark Updated to version 2.44

   Jun 10, 2025significant · resets scoring window
9. The Long Dark Updated to version 2.43

   May 28, 2025
10. THE LONG DARK - VISUAL ENHANCEMENTS UPDATE - Now Live!

    May 27, 2025significant · resets scoring window
11. APRIL DEVELOPER DIARY

    Apr 24, 2025significant · resets scoring window
12. The Long Dark Updated to version 2.40

    Mar 19, 2025significant · resets scoring window
13. The Long Dark Updated to version 2.39

    Dec 19, 2024
14. The Long Dark Updated to version 2.38

    Dec 17, 2024
15. The Long Dark Updated to version 2.36

    Dec 16, 2024significant · resets scoring window
16. The Long Dark Updated to version 2.35

    Dec 6, 2024significant · resets scoring window
17. TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY, PART SIX: "BROKEN SILENCE" -- NOW LIVE!

    Dec 2, 2024significant · resets scoring window
18. THE LONG DARK Updated to version 2.32

    Aug 7, 2024significant · resets scoring window
19. THE LONG DARK Updated to version 2.31

    Jul 4, 2024significant · resets scoring window
20. THE LONG DARK Updated to version 2.29

    Jun 25, 2024significant · resets scoring window
21. TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY, PART FIVE -- "LAST HORIZON". Now Live!

    Jun 24, 2024significant · resets scoring window
22. THE LONG DARK Updated to v 2.27

    Jan 24, 2024significant · resets scoring window
23. THE LONG DARK Updated to v 2.26

    Dec 14, 2023
24. TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY, PART FOUR IS HERE!

    Dec 5, 2023significant · resets scoring window
25. Pop-Up Merch Store Update

    Nov 1, 2023
26. THE LONG DARK Updated to v 2.23

    Sep 26, 2023significant · resets scoring window
27. September Dev Diary

    Sep 13, 2023significant · resets scoring window
28. THE LONG DARK Updated to v 2.22

    Jul 19, 2023significant · resets scoring window
29. The Long Dark Updated to v 2.21

    Jul 14, 2023significant · resets scoring window
30. The Long Dark Updated to v2.20

    Jul 13, 2023significant · resets scoring window
31. The Long Dark Updated to v2.19

    Jun 28, 2023significant · resets scoring window
32. The Long Dark Updated to v2.18 on Linux

    Jun 23, 2023
33. TALES, Part Three Released & THE LONG DARK UPDATED to Version 2.17

    Jun 21, 2023significant · resets scoring window
34. June Dev Diary

    Jun 12, 2023significant · resets scoring window
35. The Long Dark Updated to v2.16

    Apr 26, 2023
36. The Long Dark Updated to v2.15

    Apr 20, 2023
37. April Dev Diary

    Apr 15, 2023significant · resets scoring window
38. The Long Dark Updated to v2.12

    Apr 5, 2023
39. TALES, PART TWO Released & THE LONG DARK UPDATED to Version 2.10

    Mar 30, 2023
40. The Long Dark Updated to v2.08

    Mar 21, 2023significant · resets scoring window

…and 20 earlier patch announcements.