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Hearth and Hamlet

Hearth and Hamlet

Phorust Studios · released Aug 18, 2026

CasualSimulationStrategyPC

Start with a campfire. Build a kingdom. Hearth and Hamlet is a medieval citybuilder clicker that blends resource management, in-depth upgrade trees and relaxing idle gameplay. Build your empire by researching new technologies, passing new laws, trading with far-off lands, and more.

74
VGC Score
·No trend datahigh confidence

anchored at patch: “Steam Next Fest - Patch Notes [DEMO v1.0.46]” (2mo ago)

74%
At launch
79%
Steam all-time
n/a
Press
80%
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)0
All-time Steam reviews79%74879
Metacritic user ratings0
Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted)80%741717
Calibration prior (typical game)7250

Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Jun 15, 2026) · 306 reviews sampled · 1717 total reviews in window · weighted 216.4 up / 45.6 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →

Press & Creators reviews (1)

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.

  • 82
    trust 60Aug 19, 2026

    This will be well-loved amongst incremental, citybuilder and clicker game fans alike. There is a satisfying gameplay loop, and whether you invest your full attention or have it play in the background, the audio and visuals will entertain. The developers put a considerable amount of time towards QOL features, such as fast travel between resource establishments, varied difficulty, and clear and concise UI to help you keep track. Hearth and Hamlet is a clicker game that makes your time feel worth the investment.

    read full review ↗

Patch history

  1. Patch 1.0.06
    Aug 29, 2026
  2. Patch 1.0.05
    Aug 27, 2026
  3. Patch 1.0.04
    Aug 24, 2026
  4. Patch 1.0.03
    Aug 22, 2026
  5. Patch 1.0.02
    Aug 22, 2026
  6. Patch 1.0.01
    Aug 21, 2026
  7. Steam Next Fest - Patch Notes [DEMO v1.0.46]
    Jun 15, 2026significant · resets scoring window