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Turmoil

Turmoil

Gamious · released Jun 2, 2016

IndieSimulationStrategy

Drill for oil like it's 1899! Turmoil offers players a visually charming, tongue-in-cheek take on the simulation genre inspired by the 19th century oil rush in North America.

Steam page ↗OpenCritic ↗
87
VGC Score
■Stablehigh confidence
82%
At launch
93%
Steam all-time
72%
Press
98%
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 (OpenCritic)–723
All-time Steam reviews93%871000
Metacritic user ratings––0
Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted)98%9419
Calibration prior (typical game)–7250

Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 55 reviews sampled · 46 total reviews in window · weighted 38.9 up / 0.7 down · computed 9h 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.

  • 60
    Gaming ProfessorsGaming Professors
    trust 76May 15, 2021

    “Turmoil is a very good economic and strategy game with simple 2D graphics. You move in a western business world and fight to become the capo of a newly founded city.”

    read full review ↗
  • 75
    Nindie SpotlightNindie Spotlight
    trust 70May 28, 2020

    “Games that were made for the mobile/tablet space coming over to Switch can often be a dicey proposition...”

    read full review ↗
  • 65
    NintendoWorldReportNintendoWorldReport
    trust 69Jun 10, 2020

    “undefined.Turmoil is a satisfying experience, much like getting your house cleaned up feels good at the end of the day. Being able to discover all of the oil, drill for it, and then sell it feels great, but unless you're good with basically doing just that for a while, the tedious loop and lack of interesting upgrades will keep you from feeling like this was anything but an okay experience, even if you're really into management sims.”

    read full review ↗
  • 70
    MinimapMinimap
    trust 68Feb 12, 2025

    “The game offers a great concept with several fun aspects, including a peek into the early days of oil drilling with horse and buggy, which I found quite cool. However, the slower pace and repetitive nature, combined with the monotonous music, made it challenging for me to stay fully engaged.”

    read full review ↗
  • 65
    Nintendo TimesNintendo Times
    trust 64May 29, 2020

    “WORTH CONSIDERING - Turmoil is in fact a quite charming game, with a soothing soundtrack and a really clean 2d art style. The gameplay is casual, but addictive and at no time did I ever feel overwhelmed by any of the sim management aspects. It was a fun time for me hopping into the year 1899 and drilling for black gold.”

    read full review ↗
  • 91
    GamePittGamePitt
    trust 59Apr 22, 2018

    “Turmoil is the kind of game I can put on when I have some free time and then realise I have just spent the last two-three hours playing and it only seemed like a few minutes. It's very addictive and all the mechanics work perfectly in tandem with each other to deliver a very enjoyable and satisfying management sim. The base game itself offers a lot of challenge, many hours of fun, and it also requires a strategic mind in order to take full advantage of everything it has on offer and emerge the victor. The game also does something which a lot of management sims don't do, it made a mundane task entertaining, fun, and a joy to play.”

    read full review ↗
  • 60
    Hey Poor PlayerHey Poor Player
    trust 56May 27, 2020

    “As far as an audience goes, Turmoil is pretty niche. That in itself isn’t a bad thing, there are plenty of cool niche games out there, but I’m at a bit of a loss as to who this game’s target demographic is. It’s kind of fun, yeah, and it kept me entertained for a while, but it’s too long for its own good, and, much like most flash games, I eventually found my mind wandering to what other games I’d rather be playing”

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    Nintendo BlastNintendo Blast
    trust 55Sep 13, 2020

    “Turmoil is very agile and fun, with mechanics that are simple and challenging at the same time. Contrasting steps that combine long-term planning and quick decision making, the title is recommended for players who prefer that dose of action during the strategy.”

    read full review ↗
  • 68
    Everyeye.itEveryeye.it
    trust 53Jun 4, 2016

    “Turmoil is an extremely simple game, and this is why it can keep the players tied to the screen for hours. On the other hand, repetitiveness is around the corner and despite the variety of situations faced in each level, you won't probably start a new campaign after finishing your first playthrough.”

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    Hardcore GamerHardcore Gamer
    trust 53Jun 4, 2016

    “Even with the upgrades and competition, Turmoil is the epitome of simplicity. It is more about betting against oneself when drilling, playing an extremely simple market, and exploiting upgrades for the most gain. There is some tough competition to out-earn and that’s fun. Still, it’s more of an amusing diversion to relax with. It’s not tense nor particularly challenging, but it doesn’t have to be. I haven’t yet felt like declaring I’m finished with Turmoil.”

    read full review ↗
  • 73
    GameCrateGameCrate
    trust 47Sep 9, 2016

    “Turmoil plays like a casual game, but as you go along you quickly see that a lot of thought was put into it by people who really like to make games. I found it exciting and fun and just hard enough to keep me interested. If you like games that force you to put some effort in to them, I highly recommend getting it off Steam.”

    read full review ↗

Patch history

  1. Deeper Underground update
    Oct 31, 2024
  2. A few DLC bug fixes
    Sep 23, 2024
  3. V 3.1.3 - Single game mode for Multiplayer
    Feb 21, 2023
  4. V 3.1.2 - Fixing some small issues
    Jan 10, 2023
  5. V 3.1.1 - Getting more players to participate in Multiplayer matches
    Dec 16, 2022
  6. Multiplayer now available!
    Dec 14, 2022significant · resets scoring window
  7. 3.0.70 - Save backups and lots of bug fixes
    Jul 7, 2022
  8. Multiplayer part 1: an introduction
    Nov 26, 2021significant · resets scoring window
  9. 3.0.39 - Getting your campaign saves unstuck
    Nov 25, 2021
  10. 3.0.38a - AI hotfix and a shortcut key for purchasing town upgrades
    Nov 18, 2021
  11. Patch notes for v3.0.38
    Nov 17, 2021
  12. Hotfix v3.0.35e
    Oct 22, 2021
  13. Hotfix v3.0.35d
    Oct 16, 2021
  14. Patch notes for v3.0.35
    Oct 15, 2021significant · resets scoring window
  15. Turmoil 3.0 - Level Replays and in-game Challenge Leaderboard
    Oct 12, 2021significant · resets scoring window
  16. Turmoil 2.0.12 - Minor patch
    May 23, 2020
  17. Update #45 - Big Things on the Horizon
    Nov 13, 2018significant · resets scoring window
  18. Update #44 - Little Things
    May 30, 2018
  19. Update #43 Bugfixes & Balance
    Apr 20, 2018significant · resets scoring window
  20. Update #42 Gas improvements
    Apr 5, 2018significant · resets scoring window
  21. Update #42 Gas improvements
    Apr 5, 2018significant · resets scoring window
  22. Update #41 - The Heat Is On!
    Mar 21, 2018significant · resets scoring window
  23. Update #41 - The Heat Is On!
    Mar 21, 2018significant · resets scoring window
  24. Update #40 - Better Performance and... DLC release date!
    Mar 5, 2018
  25. Update #40 - Better Performance and... DLC release date!
    Mar 5, 2018
  26. Update #39 - Bigger Mouse Cursor!
    Nov 28, 2017
  27. Update #39 - Bigger Mouse Cursor!
    Nov 28, 2017
  28. Update #38 - Audio Fix!
    Sep 13, 2017
  29. Update #38 - Audio Fix!
    Sep 13, 2017
  30. TRL out today!
    Aug 11, 2017
  31. Update #37 - Audio Bully
    May 12, 2017
  32. Update #37 - Audio Bully
    May 12, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  33. Update #36 - Weekly Challenge
    Mar 23, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  34. Update #36 - Weekly Challenge
    Mar 23, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  35. Update #35 - Language Update 2
    Feb 23, 2017
  36. Update #35 - Language Update 2
    Feb 23, 2017
  37. Update #34 - Replay Bonus Island
    Dec 16, 2016
  38. Update #34 - Replay Bonus Island
    Dec 16, 2016significant · resets scoring window
  39. Update #33 - Wheels in Motion
    Nov 11, 2016
  40. Update #33 - Wheels in Motion
    Nov 11, 2016significant · resets scoring window

…and 22 earlier patch announcements.