Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 299 sampled Steam reviews (244 positive / 55 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
- Story & writing20% mention it
- World & exploration9% mention it
- Visuals & art6% mention it
What negative reviews complain about
- Story & writing31% mention it
- Bugs & crashes15% mention it
- Grind & repetition9% mention it
- Controls & UI9% mention it
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
74%
128 reviews
5-15h
87%
112 reviews
15-40h
89%
46 reviews
40-100h
85%
13 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 | 92% | 86 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 80 | 27 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 89% | 83 | 66 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 189 reviews sampled · 166 total reviews in window · weighted 108.6 up / 13.1 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (40)
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.
- 70
“Beholder doesn't hold your hand, because the things you're doing could be considered heinous, or even uplifting; it's entirely up to you. This level of freedom is often teased, but not met. While there are issues that drag the game backwards, players should seek to overcome them, because this is a truly bleak world, and it has no problem letting you know it.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Beholder is a moral dilemma, an investigative adventure game, a strategic management simulator and an utterly gripping dystopian thriller all at once. In spite of its difficulty, it will simply not allow you to quit before reaching one of it’s multiple, bleak, heart-breaking endings. The atmosphere of oppression and state-run terror is palpable. A game for our times. ”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Every choice you make has a consequence and every consequence takes you to one of many conclusions. Great stuff!”
read full review ↗ - 80
“While Beholder isn’t exactly a title that’s set to shake up the indie scene, the intriguing premise and solid execution makes it well worth seeking out all the same.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“There were great levels of morality explored here and it's quite dark when the totalitarian government comes knocking.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Beholder feels like it isn't saying much politically, while still shouting at the top of its lungs about what is and what could be. It's an interactive moral dilemma that will force players to rethink everything they thought they knew about themselves.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Beholder is an interesting and quite original title, even if it doesn't offer anything extraordinary in terms of gameplay. Strengths of the game lie within the peculiar theme and the need to make hard decisions.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“Beholder is based on a strong concept, and it has moments that land well, but it’s also held back by repetition and an unexciting script.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“With great cartoon graphics, brilliant game design, and an amazing soundtrack, Beholder is a gem that should be experienced by everyone at least once. An oppressive, depressing, and sad gem, but a gem nonetheless.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Beholder is a deeply terrifying look at the concept of an Orwellian nightmare through the lens of a video game.”
read full review ↗ - 89
“ Beholder 2 is an immersive dystopia RPG with a desperate story, interesting gameplay, and hard choices. ”
read full review ↗ - 75
“Beholder is a game where the simple mechanics are just the tip of the iceberg. The game bombards the player with hard moral choices in a world where every decision may have dire consequences.”
read full review ↗
Cubed3
Life is Xbox
ZTGD
Gamerheadquarters
The Escapist
Eurogamer
GameSpot
GameGrin
GameSkinny
Gamersky
TechRaptor…and 28 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Beholder series sale, Beholder 3 major update, and Steam Deck supportMay 27, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- Beholder UpdateSep 6, 2019