Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 301 sampled Steam reviews (214 positive / 87 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
- World & exploration7% mention it
- Bugs & crashes6% mention it
- Grind & repetition6% mention it
- Combat5% mention it
What negative reviews complain about
- Controls & UI29% mention it
- Bugs & crashes24% mention it
- Grind & repetition16% mention it
- Multiplayer & servers16% mention it
- Combat15% mention it
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
30%
44 reviews
5-15h
58%
38 reviews
15-40h
81%
53 reviews
40-100h
81%
48 reviews
100h+
82%
118 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) | – | 79 | 21 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 77% | 72 | 1031 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 71 | 68 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 73% | 69 | 788 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Jul 9, 2026) · 300 reviews sampled · 788 total reviews in window · weighted 168.7 up / 62.1 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (91)
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
“On a technical level, it nearly pulls off the impossible task of dazzling on par with its predecessor.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“With a fantastic sense of scale, attention to detail, great combat, and an ambitious vision of a shared universe make Elite: Dangerous well worth checking out. But its let down by punishing opening hours and tedious pacing. If you can stomach these, you'll find an entire cosmos begging to be explored.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Elite: Dangerous deserves the highest praise for its potential. But you still have to look at a real product available today, and that's not as stellar. After a few months many of the problems will be forgotten, but right now Elite: Dangerous is a very young, a bit prematurely issued game full of imperfect features. And at the same time it shines and pulls you in with a unique type of experience.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Elite: Dangerous feels a bit like a lifestyle choice, honestly. Getting good at piloting and traversing this universe takes almost as long as a full length game in and of itself. For those who endure, there's some exciting things happening in space, but for the rest, the price might be too high. This is clearly an example of a niche game, a remarkably thorough space sim that requires patience and tenacity to unearth its many secrets.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“A "launch" build with some features still in infancy, Elite: Dangerous nonetheless offers terrific space flight ambiance and trading progression befitting of the once-revolutionary series. In a few months time, this title could be outstanding.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“With a legacy stretching way back in gaming history, the Elite series has always asked a lot of its commanders and Elite Dangerous is no different. With so many game systems packed into this gigantic space-sim, it's unsurprising that for new players the first small step can feel more like a giant leap. Even after getting over any initial frustrations, the frequently vexing mechanics will test your patience time and time again, but despite these issues there's a magic to Elite Dangerous that will keep you playing. Whether it's a close encounter with a white dwarf, an intense dogfight, or a just cruising between star systems, the freedom and opportunity laid across its billions of stars means that Elite Dangerous offers spectacular space-tourism all from the comfort of your sofa.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Everyone who played the original game back in the 80's, should be right at home. It's the 21st Century version of "Elite." But newer, uninitiated players may find it strangely desolate and repetitive. A grand space simulation, aimed at the series' hardcore fans. ”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Elite: Dangerous is a massive game. I can't even begin to talk about how many star systems there are in the game, and you can go to them all if you choose to do so. That statement is both what defines this game as well as holds it back, but it only does that for the first few hours. The lack of direction is its biggest gift and its biggest curse. It is up to the player and player-base to make the fun for themselves. This is one of the best space sim games I have ever played. It can be a scary game, but if you let yourself get into it and really dig in deep, you will begin to see just how brilliant this game can be, just like I did.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Elite: Dangerous is a fascinating exploration of space that will endlessly appeal to some players and thoroughly bore others.”
read full review ↗ - 93
“It is no secret that I love Elite: Dangerous; I have covered it quite extensively since we first got our hands on the preview in 2014 and ever since I have been utterly hooked. Now, after what seems to me is a lifetime of waiting (it wasn't), Elite: Dangerous is now available on the PlayStation 4 and it is every bit as glorious as the other platforms and in regard to the consoles, it is far, far superior than its Xbox counterpart. With HOTAS peripheral support on the PlayStation 4, Elite: Dangerous is absolutely the game to show that space sims not only work on console, but they excel there.”
read full review ↗ - 82
“For all of its polish in some areas, it has obviously unrefined aspects in others. For all the aspects that let you tell a story about the game, there's little to allow you to create in a story within it. ”
read full review ↗ - 80
“For all its frustrations, you'll spend much longer in the sweet spot than you spend getting there. Elite: Dangerous demands much, but repays your devotion many times over.”
read full review ↗
Slant Magazine
Gadgets 360
GRYOnline.pl
Cubed3
PC Invasion
Push Square
ZTGD
PCMag
Chalgyr's Game Room
Worth Playing
Eurogamer…and 79 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Elite Dangerous | Operations Update | Update 3Jul 9, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Elite Dangerous | Operations UpdateJul 1, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Elite Dangerous | Lynx Highliner Update NotesApr 28, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Elite Dangerous | An Update on OperationsApr 22, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Elite Dangerous | Kestrel Mk. II UpdateFeb 24, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Elite Dangerous: Caspian Explorer | Update 1Dec 11, 2025
- Elite Dangerous | Caspian Explorer UpdateDec 2, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Dodec Update | Patch 1Nov 13, 2025
- Elite Dangerous | Dodec UpdateNov 11, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Dodec UpdateNov 6, 2025
- Type-11 Prospector Update 2Oct 16, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Elite Dangerous: Type-11 Prospector UpdateSep 29, 2025
- Elite Dangerous: Vanguards Patch 3Sep 11, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Elite Dangerous: Vanguards | Patch 2Sep 1, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Elite Dangerous: Vanguards Patch 1Aug 22, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Elite Dangerous | VanguardsAug 19, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Panther Clipper MK II | Available NowJul 22, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Trailblazers | Update 3.4Jul 3, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Elite Dangerous | Trailblazers | Update 3.1May 7, 2025
- Elite Dangerous | Trailblazers | Update 3Apr 25, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Elite Dangerous | Corsair UpdateApr 8, 2025
- Elite Dangerous | Trailblazers Update 2 - Wednesday March 19Mar 18, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Elite Dangerous | Trailblazers Update 1Mar 5, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Elite Dangerous | Trailblazers out now!Feb 26, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Elite Dangerous | Ascendancy Update 1 - 21st NovemberNov 20, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Elite Dangerous: Ascendancy | Available Now!Oct 31, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Ascendancy & Mandalay release date updateOct 18, 2024
- Elite Dangerous - Update 18.09 | 19 SeptemberSep 18, 2024
- Elite Dangerous | Type-8 Update (18.08) | Wednesday 7th August 2024Aug 6, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Update 18.07 | Friday 5th July 2024Jul 4, 2024
- Update 18.06 and Titan War ChangesMay 28, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Update 18.04 | Python MK IIMay 7, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Titan Oya Rewards & Update 18.03 | 18 April 2024Apr 17, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Update 18.02 | Wednesday 10th April 2024Apr 9, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Update 18.01Mar 6, 2024
…and 21 earlier patch announcements.