videogamescritic
← all games
Garry's Mod

Garry's Mod

Facepunch Studios · released Nov 28, 2006

CasualIndieSimulationPC

Garry's Mod is a physics sandbox. There aren't any predefined aims or goals. We give you the tools and leave you to play.

90
VGC Score
Stablehigh confidence

anchored at patch: “April 2026 Update” (4mo ago)

n/a
At launch
97%
Steam all-time
n/a
Press
92%
Player sentiment
97%
Recent sentiment

Screenshots & trailers

What players say

Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 474 sampled Steam reviews (466 positive / 8 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.

What positive reviews talk about

  • Multiplayer & servers4% mention it

What negative reviews complain about

Negative reviews don't converge on specific aspects.

Satisfaction by hours played

Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.

Under 5h

99%

74 reviews

5-15h

99%

110 reviews

15-40h

99%

103 reviews

40-100h

100%

66 reviews

100h+

96%

121 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.

ComponentPositiveQuality (0-100)Weight (pseudo-reviews)
Press reviews (Metacritic)0
All-time Steam reviews97%922101
Metacritic user ratings929
Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted)97%923000
Calibration prior (typical game)7250

Acclaim gate: the raw blend lands at 92.0, but scores above 88 must be earned in front of a mass audience; this verdict rests on 1,263,364 player reviews, a largely self-selected fanbase. As more players weigh in, the ceiling rises (full scale unlocks at 100,000 reviews).

Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Apr 29, 2026) · 300 reviews sampled · 34622 total reviews in window · weighted 228.9 up / 6.9 down · computed 5h ago · full methodology →

Patch history

  1. April 2026 Update
    Apr 29, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  2. December 2025 Patch
    Dec 10, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  3. July 2025 Update
    Jul 23, 2025
  4. May 2025 Patch
    May 9, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  5. April 2025 Patch
    Apr 30, 2025
  6. March 2025 Hotfix
    Mar 28, 2025
  7. December 2024 Patch
    Dec 9, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  8. August 2024 Patch
    Aug 9, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  9. March 2024 Patch
    Mar 19, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  10. January 2024 Patch 2
    Jan 19, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  11. December 2023 Patch
    Dec 18, 2023significant · resets scoring window
  12. August 2023 Patch
    Aug 8, 2023significant · resets scoring window
  13. July 2023 Patch
    Jul 7, 2023significant · resets scoring window
  14. April 2023 Patch
    Apr 18, 2023significant · resets scoring window
  15. March 2022 Patch 2
    Mar 17, 2022
  16. March 2022 Patch
    Mar 10, 2022significant · resets scoring window
  17. February 2022 Patch
    Feb 2, 2022significant · resets scoring window
  18. July 2021 Patch 2
    Jul 12, 2021significant · resets scoring window

…and 54 earlier patch announcements.