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Left 4 Dead

Left 4 Dead

Valve · released Nov 16, 2008

ActionPCXbox 360

From Valve (the creators of Counter-Strike, Half-Life and more) comes Left 4 Dead, a co-op action horror game for the PC and Xbox 360 that casts up to four players in an epic struggle for survival against swarming zombie hordes and terrifying mutant monsters.

Steam page ↗Metacritic 89 · users 7.9 ↗
90
VGC Score
■Stablehigh confidence
n/a
At launch
96%
Steam all-time
89%
Press
80%
Player sentiment
96%
Recent sentiment

PC 90 · Xbox 73

Screenshots & trailers

What players say

Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 299 sampled Steam reviews (283 positive / 16 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.

What positive reviews talk about

  • Multiplayer & servers6% mention it
  • Story & writing5% mention it
  • Visuals & art5% mention it

What negative reviews complain about

  • Story & writing19% mention it

Satisfaction by hours played

Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.

Under 5h

93%

107 reviews

5-15h

95%

106 reviews

15-40h

96%

51 reviews

40-100h

100%

20 reviews

100h+

93%

15 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.

ComponentPositiveQuality (0-100)Weight (pseudo-reviews)
Press reviews (Metacritic)–896
Creator reviews (1 tracked)–860
All-time Steam reviews96%921000
Metacritic user ratings–839
Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted)96%90145
Calibration prior (typical game)–7250

Acclaim gate: the raw blend lands at 90.5, but scores above 88 must be earned in front of a mass audience; this verdict rests on 68,889 player reviews, a largely self-selected fanbase. As more players weigh in, the ceiling rises (full scale unlocks at 100,000 reviews).

Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 300 reviews sampled · 414 total reviews in window · weighted 193.7 up / 8.9 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →

Press & Creators reviews (66)

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.

  • 91
    TeamXbox
    trust 74–

    “It’s so immersive and satisfying to sling lead at an infinite number of creepy, crawly zombies! It’s not particularly deep, but there are far more moments that’ll make you grin goofily and move tensely to the edge of your seat.”

    read full review ↗
  • 91
    The A.V. ClubThe A.V. Club
    trust 71–

    “A redefining moment for the survival-horror genre.”

    read full review ↗
  • 100
    MS Xbox World
    trust 71–

    “Left 4 Dead is THE best game I've played in years, and offers one of the best new multiplayer experiences available on the market.”

    read full review ↗
  • 85
    Kombo
    trust 71–

    “Left 4 Dead is one of the most unique titles to release in quite some time.”

    read full review ↗
  • 95
    GamingExcellence
    trust 68–

    “Left 4 Dead is a fantastic experience so long as you can get yourself into games with good players.”

    read full review ↗
  • 96
    ZTGDZTGD
    trust 68–

    “One of the most visceral and enjoyable experiences you will find on Xbox 360 this holiday season. If you love classic zombie movies and/or love the idea of co-op shooter there simply is no better game.”

    read full review ↗
  • 83
    GameShark
    trust 67–

    “The online-focus and lack of plot are sure to rub some people the wrong way, but FPS-fans and zombie aficionados have never played anything quite like Left 4 Dead. It is a near-perfect mixture of decayed ambiance and relentless pacing that pushes the boundaries of sanity to the breaking point.”

    read full review ↗
  • 90
    Worth PlayingWorth Playing
    trust 67–

    “All in all, Left 4 Dead is an amazing game, and I highly recommend it, but only if you are able to play online.”

    read full review ↗
  • 95
    Official Xbox Magazine
    trust 66–

    “Left 4 Dead's simplicity offers purity of gameplay - the same reason that gamers keep returning to classic arcade games. Come to think of it, with a handful of levels and unpredictable events happening within them, Left 4 Dead has more in common with "Ms. Pac-Man" than just the eating. It's the same thing over and over - but when simple ingredients are perfectly prepared, what could be a mere snack becomes a feast. This one just happens to be on human flesh. [Holiday 2008, p.32]”

    read full review ↗
  • 85
    GameSpotGameSpot
    trust 66–

    “Between the tense campaign and the frenetic Versus mode, Left 4 Dead offers two distinct flavors of multiplayer action that are equally delicious when enjoyed with friends. The single-player experience (and the marginally better but somewhat sluggish split-screen mode) isn't as tasty, simply because the friendly AI can't compare to a human teammate.”

    read full review ↗
  • 93
    MEGamers
    trust 65–

    “The single player part of the game will barely take 4 hours to complete, so you are better off getting a game like Fallout 3 or Call of Duty. For your online needs however, look no further than L4D. As of now, it’s the best online coop game we have played on the Xbox 360, or any other system for that matter.”

    read full review ↗
  • 92
    GameFocus
    trust 64–

    “Even though you can finish all four chapters in just over four hours, the amount of replay value is immense. Weapon and ammo stations change, zombies will pour out of one area the first time through and another the next time and if you stay still you will get swarmed by a ton of zombies. This is a must buy for any action fan.”

    read full review ↗

…and 54 more tracked reviews.

Patch history

  1. Left 4 Dead - Update
    Jun 29, 2026
  2. Left 4 Dead - Update
    Jun 26, 2026
  3. Left 4 Dead - Update
    Aug 22, 2025
  4. Left 4 Dead Update
    Jan 17, 2025
  5. Left 4 Dead - Update
    Dec 2, 2024
  6. Left 4 Dead - Update
    Oct 25, 2024
  7. Left 4 Dead - Update
    Jun 12, 2024
  8. Left 4 Dead - Update
    May 1, 2024
  9. Left 4 Dead - Update
    Jan 19, 2024
  10. Left 4 Dead - Update
    Jan 31, 2022
  11. Left 4 Dead - Update
    Aug 10, 2021
  12. Left 4 Dead - Update
    Aug 9, 2021
  13. July 1 Update
    Jul 1, 2011
  14. July 1 Update
    Jul 1, 2011
  15. January 18th - Left 4 Dead Xbox 360 Update
    Jan 18, 2011
  16. January 18th - Left 4 Dead Xbox 360 Update
    Jan 18, 2011
  17. November 19th Update
    Nov 19, 2010
  18. November 19th Update
    Nov 19, 2010
  19. November 5th Update
    Nov 5, 2010
  20. November 5th Update
    Nov 5, 2010
  21. October 29th Update
    Oct 29, 2010
  22. October 29th Update
    Oct 29, 2010
  23. October 22nd Update
    Oct 22, 2010
  24. October 22nd Update
    Oct 22, 2010