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.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 58 | 5 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 78% | 73 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 87% | 81 | 1 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 2 reviews sampled · 2 total reviews in window · weighted 1 up / 0.1 down · computed 4h 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.
- 65
“At $24.99, I think Staxel's priced a bit high, and I'd wait for a sale. But multiplayer can be lots of fun, playing with friends both locally and online. If you find the premise and presentation appealing, Staxel's a cute, chill, but familiar title. It's a game that can bore or relax depending on your thoughts about Minecraft and farming/new-guy-in-town simulators like Harvest Moon.”
read full review ↗ - 62
“Playing Staxel you can see the thought process that produced it all around...”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Staxel is a game with potential and there’s a lot that I liked about it. Ultimately, it gets in its own way by trying to spread itself too thin and leaving too many elements of the game feeling tacked on. Having so many quests going at once with materials not being available ends up feeling more frustrating than anything and while graphically the game looks good and stands out from the field, this only gets you so far. Admittedly, the creative mode would alleviate some of my issues but that would essentially make this a sandbox game. Unfortunately, Staxel winds up as an ambitious project that couldn’t keep up with its own potential.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Staxel provides a fun, zen farming and life simulator that replicates the visuals of Minecraft, and the premise of Stardew Valley. There is much to uncover and it could be everyone’s new favourite farm to milk cows, grow crops and build abodes, whilst making friends along the way.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Staxel is a delightfully chilled crafting adventure. If you are looking for a relaxing game to sink hours into then Staxel is worth adding to your gaming library. A good entry point for gamers new to this genre but I’m not sure it’s enough to pull gamers away whose hearts are fully invested in other competitors. What Staxel does, it does with sunshine and smiles which is something many of us sure need these days.”
read full review ↗ - 55
“Staxel has some solid fundamental systems, but it doesn't feel like a fleshed out, finished game.”
read full review ↗ - 69
“Create your own farm with Staxel. What I liked a lot about the game is the huge amount of creativity, which makes it possible to design the little town and your farm to your own likings. Unfortunately the construction of the buildings and some quests turn out quite laborious. Even if in my opinion the simulation doesn't quite reach Harvest Moon or Stardew Valley, farming-fans should have fun while creating their own world alone or together with friends.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Staxel is a farming simulation title that focuses on both community-building and crafting. It incorporates elements from Minecraft with its art style and block system as well as Animal Crossing with the emphasis on collectables and creating a marketplace for fish and bugs. Does the title provide the getaway I wanted? Find out in this Rapid Review.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“Staxel exemplifies the old saying, “jack of all trades, master of none.” With the stellar competition on offer, a game really needs to excel these days to make an impact in what is becoming a very crowded genre. Unfortunately, Staxel, with its frustrating systems and the uninteresting cast, makes it hard to want to stick around and enjoy the variety of gameplay loops on offer here, and it’s difficult to see anybody but the most dedicated fans of the genre feeling any different.”
read full review ↗ - 55
“If you are looking for a charming farming sim, you would probably be better looking down yonder Stardew Valley.”
read full review ↗ - 58
“Staxel delivers a mediocre mix of block-building, farming, and foraging without providing any substantial drive or reward for your efforts. In other words, you'll be better off picking up one of the many games that Staxel was inspired by instead.”
read full review ↗
Pure Nintendo
Nindie Spotlight
Last Word on Gaming
FingerGuns
LadiesGamers.com
TechRaptor
Mighty Games Mag
Rapid Reviews UK
Hey Poor Player
God is a Geek
Video ChumsPatch history
- Changelog for Staxel CE s2.226Oct 4, 2021
- Changelog for Staxel CE s2.225Sep 30, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- Updates for Staxel (1.5.63) and Staxel CE (s2.222)Sep 28, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- Patch notes for Staxel 1.5.62Sep 23, 2021
- Staxel 1.5 Hideaway Hollow is OUT NOW!Oct 20, 2020
- Patch Staxel 1.4.43 (200410b)Apr 10, 2020
- Patch Staxel 1.4.41 (191124a)Nov 24, 2019significant · resets scoring window
- Patch Staxel 1.4.39 (191005a)Oct 5, 2019
- Patch Staxel 1.4.37 (190807a)Aug 7, 2019significant · resets scoring window
- Patch Staxel 1.4.36 (190723a)Jul 23, 2019significant · resets scoring window
- Patch Staxel 1.4.35 (190613a)Jun 13, 2019significant · resets scoring window
- Patch Staxel 1.4.34 (190603a)Jun 3, 2019significant · resets scoring window
- Patch Staxel 1.4.33 (190521a)May 21, 2019
- Staxel 1.4.31 (190506a)May 6, 2019significant · resets scoring window
- Staxel 1.4.30Apr 26, 2019
- Arcade UpdateApr 22, 2019
- Patch Staxel 1.4.29 (190422a)Apr 22, 2019significant · resets scoring window
- Eggcellent UpdateApr 18, 2019
- Staxel 1.4.28 (190418a)Apr 18, 2019significant · resets scoring window
- Staxel 1.4.26 (190415e)Apr 15, 2019significant · resets scoring window
- Patch 1.4.25 (190414c)Apr 14, 2019significant · resets scoring window
- IT’S LAUNCH DAY!Apr 11, 2019significant · resets scoring window
- Magic update - feature previewJan 10, 2019
- Halloween Update & GOGOct 21, 2018
- Staxel 1.3 Friendship Update is OUT NOW!Jul 20, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- We're getting close to 1.3Jun 21, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- 1.3 UpdateApr 9, 2018
- 1.3 UpdateApr 9, 2018
- Patch Notes for Sapling 1.2.21 (180406a)Apr 6, 2018
- Patch Notes for Sapling 1.2.21 (180406a)Apr 6, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- Patch Note Compilation (02/03/2018 to 20/03/2018)Mar 21, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- Introducing Staxel 1.2!Mar 1, 2018
- Introducing Staxel 1.2!Mar 1, 2018
- Patch Note CompilationFeb 20, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- Patch Note CompilationFeb 20, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- Staxel is now 64bit :) (Sapling 1.1.51)Feb 16, 2018
- Staxel is now 64bit :) (Sapling 1.1.51)Feb 16, 2018
- Patch notes for Sapling 1.1.35 (180126a):Jan 26, 2018
…and 1 earlier patch announcements.