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 (Metacritic) | – | 77 | 6 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 90% | 84 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 74 | 12 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 75% | 70 | 20 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 57 reviews sampled · 47 total reviews in window · weighted 22.6 up / 7.7 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (16)
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.
- 87
“Orwell is a very well-written story about the age of surveillance. Our age. But its focus isn’t only to tell that story, it’s also is you, your ethics and your stance on the eternal question of safety vs privacy and freedom.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Orwell is a thought-provoking interactive debate about the politics of privacy and security. It's the kind of game that never actually feels like a game, and it manages to do it well.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Orwell is a fascinating game. Osmotic's title allows you to feel the impact of the stuff we leave behind in the Internet every day. It's a story about a balancing act between freedom and privacy. Orwell's engaging story will drag you in and inspire a cold shudder when you realize the consequences of our actions.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Orwell is a hard experience to pull back from, even as the dirtiness of your job sinks in. It uses simple mechanics to tell a complex and engaging story, one that feels particularly relevant right now. This is a game where your choices matter and resonate, and which will leave you with plenty to think about once it’s over.”
read full review ↗ - 95
“If you like getting an hour per monetary unit, then you definitely get that in Orwell. The campaign is as long as Titanfall 2, and it has a heck of a lot more gameplay to it than BATMAN the Telltale Series, both of which cost more and are written just as well.”
read full review ↗ - 40
“Big Brother may be watching, but if I was him I would have switched off from boredom. [Issue#257, p.65]”
- 78
“A novel perspective on totalitarian surveillance. Orwell may not make you think, but it should keep you entertained.”
read full review ↗ - 86
“With such a compelling tale and well-crafted characters, it's easy to look past the fact that gameplay solely consists of absorbing information and choosing to pass certain things on. Though there are no random puzzles to solve, the main puzzle for the player is clear: are you willing to let a government do this to its citizens? Where are the boundaries of freedom of speech and privacy in such an interconnected world? Is it more important to guarantee the safety of all by being paranoid, or to ensure that everyone has the right to be innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt? If asking difficult questions and finding a way to your own answers sounds like a good time, Orwell is the game for you. ”
read full review ↗ - 85
“If you are willing to read a lot, Orwell can send shivers down your spine when working as a profiler.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Orwell is both minimalistic and generous piece. Try out the role of an official in a state that degenerated into ‘spy-o-cracy‘. You'll see how easy it is to control a society dependent on the Internet. The idea and gameplay are perfect. ”
- 90
“Orwell grabs the problem of how we balance our own liberty and our safety and turns it into a thrilling adventure. It unfolds complex debate points into a dazzling satire, that neatly presents all the relevant arguments as a series of moral problems, dressed up in a frighteningly convincing world.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Games should always be engaging, at least for a few moments, but I did not find myself interested in what Orwell had to say about terrorism or totalitarianism. For the bold face it puts it on, Orwell is simply content to repeat what novels and films have more eloquently said about the terrifying intersection of our lives and technology. That’s a shame, because games could tackle those heavy subjects in a thought-provoking manner. Unfortunately, Orwell doesn’t.”
read full review ↗
The Escapist
Eurogamer
GameSpot
GameGrin
PC Gamer
RPG Fan
Polygon
Game Informer…and 4 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- The Localizations Update is here!Sep 30, 2019significant · resets scoring window
- Update to Version 1.2 (Changelog)Oct 6, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Update to Version 1.2 (Changelog)Oct 6, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- The Rewind Update, IGF, GDC & PAX East!Feb 21, 2017
- The Rewind Update, IGF, GDC & PAX East!Feb 21, 2017
- Orwell nominated at SXSW and update to Version 1.0.6236Jan 27, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Orwell now available on Mac and Linux!Dec 16, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- Update to Version 1.0.6180Dec 3, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- Update to Version 1.0.6180Dec 3, 2016
- Version 1.0.6174 now liveNov 26, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- Version 1.0.6174 now liveNov 26, 2016
- Episode 4 released!Nov 10, 2016
- Episode 4 released!Nov 10, 2016