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Everything is Crab: The Animal Evolution Roguelite

Everything is Crab: The Animal Evolution Roguelite

Odd Dreams Digital · released May 7, 2026

ActionIndieSimulationStrategyPC

The Animal Evolution Roguelite. Hunt, Flee, Scavenge and Thrive in a living ecosystem. Choose from 125+ Evolutions and Specialisations for unique creature combinations in every run. Adapt to survive the natural curve in order to beat carcinisation... or get Darwin'd trying!

71
VGC Score
Improvinghigh confidence

anchored at patch: “August 20th 1.2.1 Hotfix 🦀” (12d ago)

72%
At launch
77%
Steam all-time
74%
Press
73%
Recent sentiment

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.

ComponentPositiveQuality (0-100)Weight (pseudo-reviews)
Press reviews (Metacritic)7440
Creator reviews (1 tracked)702
All-time Steam reviews77%721000
Metacritic user ratings0
Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted)73%69241
Calibration prior (typical game)7250

Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Aug 20, 2026) · 143 reviews sampled · 241 total reviews in window · weighted 82.8 up / 29.9 down · computed 1h ago · full methodology →

Press & Creators reviews (11)

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
    trust 72CreatorMay 20, 2026

    Everything is Crab is brimming with so much potential and I genuinely hope it keeps evolving alongside its menagerie of critters. The concept is wonderfully flexible but it’s been realized with such rigidity as to trap it in the shadow of its own immense promise. Still, it manages to provide plenty of fun even if it does get predictable, and the premise alone is clever enough to make it a worthwhile genre entry.

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    trust 63May 7, 2026

    Everything Is Crab is one of those games where you really get the whole game in the first run. If you like that first attempt, and the general vibe you're getting, then you're going to enjoy run after run. However, if you're hoping for more than what that first play session offers, you're going to find the game to be a little bit lacking. Still, it's a lot of fun if you're looking for a more pure arcade experience in your roguelike, and if you like seeing the horrifying monster your little blue blob can become once you've eaten half of a planet.

    read full review ↗
  • 76
    trust 62May 11, 2026

    Everything may be crab, but not everything is well with Everything is Crab. It’s a tad too simple for its enterprising attempt at evolving the roguelite formula, but I still think it’s another crab game that’s worth treasuring. Splicing simply addictive gameplay with a famous high-brow meme and enough difficulty levels to challenge anyone, this game’s got the potential to template a better attempt in the future. We must’ve just caught it mid-evolution is all.

    read full review ↗
  • 72
    trust 62May 8, 2026

    More a novelty than your next roguelike obsession, but it has enough creativity and left-field ideas to be well worth experiencing, especially if you're still pining for the lost potential of Spore.

    read full review ↗
  • 50
    trust 61May 7, 2026

    Everything is Crab is a charming roguelite with a strong visual identity and entertaining early hours, centered around building your own bizarre creature. The mix of evolution, combat, and time pressure creates exciting runs, but is held back by limited variety and strict RNG. Fun in short bursts, but it lacks the depth and freedom to stay engaging long-term.

    read full review ↗
  • 70
    trust 59May 7, 2026

    Everything is Crab delivers a lot of fun, with just the right amount of challenge. Allowing players to pursue survival however they wish adds some overarching variety to the game, despite its fairly shallow moment-to-moment gameplay.

    read full review ↗
  • 75
    trust 59May 12, 2026

    Everything is Crab combines Roguelike gameplay with Spore-like evolutions to create something that feels wholly unique. That doesn't stop the game from falling into the trap of having a bit too much RNG. It's visually interesting with a fun art style that showcases those evolutions well, but gets weighed down by some of the more pressing issues. All in all, Everything is Crab is a good game that is hopefully well on the way to becoming a great game.

    read full review ↗
  • 100
    trust 59May 7, 2026

    Everything is Crab: The Animal Evolution Roguelite from developer Odd Dreams Digital is a marvel to behold. It’s fun, enormous in the number of directions the player can take the gameplay, and it’s easily replayable. It’s one of my top 10 games of 2026 so far.

    read full review ↗
  • 70
    trust 57May 7, 2026

    At the moment, Everything Is Crab is in a great state, but I think it’s missing a lot of content for more replayability and variation from run-to-run. I can see a ‘meta’ developing quickly, too, which will reduce choice even more. That being said, even in its current evolutionary form, I’d say this is one of the better roguelikes so far this year.

    read full review ↗
  • 85
    trust 57May 7, 2026

    Everything is Crab is such a unique take on the Survivors style Roguelike, with all sorts of ways to evolve your creature and keep its belly full.

    read full review ↗
  • 75
    trust 54May 12, 2026

    Having more tutorials would be fantastic, as it would prevent players from wasting more time than necessary during the early stages of the game; some builds are blatantly superior to others, and consequently, some evolutions prove significantly more useful than others. The fact that we are sometimes dealt options that serve little purpose can make certain playthroughs feel repetitive or frustrating, leaving us with the sense that, no matter how hard we try, the odds are stacked against us. Yet, setting this aside, and without dwelling on the hype the game has generated within the indie gaming community, this entertaining adventure guarantees hours of fun, provided we know exactly what to expect and do not anticipate a reinvention of a genre that continues to demonstrate its boundless potential.

    read full review ↗

Patch history

  1. August 20th 1.2.1 Hotfix 🦀
    Aug 20, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  2. Everything is Crab has evolved to 1.2! Full Patch Notes 🦀
    Aug 13, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  3. Everything is Crab evolves to 1.2 on August 13th! 🦀
    Aug 10, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  4. Everything is Crab has evolved to 1.1! Full Patch Notes 🦀
    Jun 25, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  5. Next Evolution Coming June 25th! Upcoming Content Details
    Jun 22, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  6. 1.0.1 Hotfix Patch Notes
    May 15, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  7. Roadmap is Crab | What to expect in the future
    May 5, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  8. The Demo is evolving for Steam Next Fest! Patch Notes
    Feb 23, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  9. Playtest 2 Update! Bug Fixes and Countdown Clock 🦀
    Jan 6, 2026significant · resets scoring window