Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 333 sampled Steam reviews (323 positive / 10 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
- Story & writing9% mention it
- Grind & repetition6% mention it
- World & exploration4% mention it
What negative reviews complain about
- Grind & repetition40% mention it
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
95%
59 reviews
5-15h
98%
107 reviews
15-40h
98%
104 reviews
40-100h
93%
42 reviews
100h+
100%
21 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) | – | 76 | 8 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 98% | 94 | 1195 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 85 | 43 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 98% | 94 | 387 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 300 reviews sampled · 1105 total reviews in window · weighted 239.3 up / 1.2 down · computed 1h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (30)
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
“Slime Rancher: Plortable Edition is a title that doesn't do the game justice. This isn't a stripped-back Nokia N-Gage version of a grand game, this is the real deal, and it's blinkin' marvellous. Farming Slimes, exploring the world, getting frustrated at the price of Crystal Plorts never going up, it's a dense and wondrous experience. Having to travel so much on foot stops it from achieving extreme greatness, but it's not enough to stop us giving this a hearty recommendation.”
read full review ↗ - 84
“The graphics are so sweet and cute, with bright and lively colors that hide a much more complicated strategy game than it seems. In addition, the manufacturer continues to release updates that make the game almost endless… but for some it might just be very repetitive.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Overall, Slime Rancher gets an 8/10, it has improved on its design from the early access version and being ported to PS4 allows many more people to play this lovely little simulation game. It can feel quite grindy at times, with most of the story told through text rather than events or voices. The lack of NPCs or people to interact with besides mail can feel a bit lonely, though being surrounded by slimes adds to the immersion of being on the ranch.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“A rather fun filled with farming and exploration and very cute slimes, but there’s not much to do after you’ve seen all the zones.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“A charming world that's worth getting lost in, Slime Rancher places you in a brightly coloured sandbox and gives you the freedom to make your own way. There are many plates to spin and no real motivation to progress beyond your own curiosity, but this is a journey well worth exploring.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“Slime Rancher: Plortable Edition is a perfect combination of adventure, management, and cuteness that is addicting in the way all the best management sims are, but still brings a lot of originality to the genre. It’s relaxing and a must-play on Switch for any wholesome gamers.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Slime Rancher is once again, adorable and so much fun to play as you just waste hours away tending to the slimes.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“With simple and soothing gameplay and well-planned mechanics that correlate really well, the only thing you'll lose playing Slime Rancher is a lot of time, but it's worth it to get to see cute smiley gel balls.”
read full review ↗ - 65
“A slight and repetitive but cute farming game, Slime Rancher doesn't quite reach the heights of its sub-genre.”
read full review ↗ - 86
“Slime Rancher offers a fun and relaxing experience with its simple yet satisfying gameplay loop. You’ll explore the vibrant Far, Far Range, capturing slimes, and managing your ranch. The game’s colourful world, charming slimes, and soothing soundtrack create an immersive and enjoyable atmosphere. While there are challenges in managing your ranch, the game’s relaxed pacing allows for a stress-free, exploratory adventure. Slime Rancher is perfect if you are looking for a light, and creative experience to escape into.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“There is an obvious passion, a lack of nonsense, and an awareness that a game should be one thing at its core: Fun. These traits have resulted in not only the perfect game for a small group of people, but a truly lovely game that many will play and enjoy.”
read full review ↗ - 78
“Slime Rancher is an special life simulation - survival game with lovely art style, beautiful music and various types of slimes. but beside this good aspects, the game has issues like shallow gameplay elements that make you feel like gameplay has no purpose sometimes. with all of these good and negative aspects, In the end, i must say that Slime Rancher is a beautiful game that can entertain you and make you some fun hours in "Far Far Range" planet.”
read full review ↗
Nintendo Life
SpaceNerd.it
Invision Community
Kinglink Reviews
Push Square
Nintendojo
Gamerheadquarters
The Game is a Lie
PC Gamer
Cloud Dosage
Fextralife
Gamefa…and 18 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Patch Notes for Slime Rancher version 1.4.4Dec 10, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- Pool Party UpdateMay 26, 2020significant · resets scoring window
- Community & Dev UpdateMar 31, 2020significant · resets scoring window
- Welcome to Wiggly Wonderland!Dec 16, 2019significant · resets scoring window
- Wiggly Wonderland 2019 - Coming Soon!Dec 3, 2019
- Viktor’s Experimental Update is HERE!Jun 18, 2019significant · resets scoring window
- Viktor’s Experimental Update Coming June 18!May 30, 2019
- Community UpdateFeb 28, 2019
- Free Galactic Bundle DLC is Now AvailableDec 4, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- The Optimized Update is Here!Oct 23, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- The Automatic Update is Now Available!Jul 17, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- Update Preview - Drones!Jun 21, 2018
- Let's Get This Party Started!May 22, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- The Little Big Storage Update is Here!Apr 3, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- The Little Big Storage Update is Here!Apr 3, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- Mochi's Megabucks Update is Now Available!Mar 13, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- Mochi's Megabucks Update is Now Available!Mar 13, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- Mochi's Megabucks Update Coming March 13th!Mar 3, 2018
- Mochi's Megabucks Update Coming March 13th!Mar 3, 2018
- Mochi's Megabucks Update PreviewJan 31, 2018
- Mochi's Megabucks Update PreviewJan 31, 2018
- Welcome to Wiggly WonderlandDec 19, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Getting Ready For v1.1.2Dec 11, 2017
- Getting Ready For v1.1.2Dec 11, 2017
- Slime Rancher v1.1.1 is Now Available!Nov 28, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Slime Rancher v1.1.1 is Now Available!Nov 28, 2017
- Ogden's Wild Update is Now Available!Oct 17, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Ogden's Wild Update is Now Available!Oct 17, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Ogden's Wild Update Preview!Sep 15, 2017
- Ogden's Wild Update Preview!Sep 15, 2017
- Slime Rancher v1.0.1 Now Available!Aug 7, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Slime Rancher v1.0.1 Now Available!Aug 7, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Slime Rancher Officially Launches with v1.0.0!Aug 1, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Slime Rancher Officially Launches with v1.0.0!Aug 1, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Slime Rancher v0.6.0 Now Available!Jun 12, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Slime Rancher v0.6.0 Now Available!Jun 12, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Glass Desert Preview (Update v0.6.0)May 24, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Glass Desert Preview (Update v0.6.0)May 24, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Slime Rancher v0.5.1: Better Homes & Gordos Update!Apr 18, 2017significant · resets scoring window
…and 11 earlier patch announcements.