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 (OpenCritic) | – | 85 | 20 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 81% | 75 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 74% | 70 | 110 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Aug 28, 2026) · 14 reviews sampled · 110 total reviews in window · weighted 9 up / 2.1 down · computed 1h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (18)
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
“You won't win your first campaign, and you might not even win your fifth. But Xenonauts 2 makes failure fun by gradually revealing enormous depth and rewarding the long game.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“Xenonauts 2 is an enjoyable strategy game that offers fast-paced turn-based combat. The need to build a base, track UFO sightings on the global map, and shoot down flying saucers in a minigame format is quite engaging. The missions, in which you command your troops, are constantly evolving and force you to think on your feet and adjust your tactics with every turn. The game is mainly let down by minor bugs and crashes in certain situations. At the same time, it presents a challenge that will appeal to fans of the genre.”
read full review ↗ - 88
“Xenonauts 2 is one of the most interesting and successful attempts to breathe new life into the spirit of the classic UFO/X-COM in a contemporary form. There are games that strive at all costs to be modern. And there are games that simply aim to be really, really good. Xenonauts 2 clearly falls into the latter category.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Modernizes the original X-COM's challenging tactical battles with a varied campaign and more charm than screenshots will let you know.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“As a spiritual successor to the original UFO games, it's excellent; as a full-fledged sequel to Xenonauts 1, however, it's rather disappointing. While it still plays well and offers exploration, combat, construction and management, after 10 years of development, we certainly expected more.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“A slow-burning, but extremely rewarding experience that doesn’t hold back. Xenonauts 2 knows exactly what it wants to be and does it well.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Xenonauts 2 is a fun and challenging game that works well on PC. There is a massive library of lore to read and research, as well as challenging gameplay.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“A loving homage to the original X-COM, that’s far more interested in turning up the difficulty than coming up with any new ideas.”
read full review ↗ - 91
“While the learning curve might be steep at first, Xenonauts 2 offers incredibly rewarding tactical action for those willing to ascend it.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Though I personally found the combat slow, punishing for the wrong reasons, and the customization a bit shallower than I would have liked, I can certainly see the appeal in Xenonauts 2, particularly for those wanting a tactically demanding, strategy-heavy game reminiscent of classic XCOM with some great lore.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“It has a structure that takes you back to the classic XCOM days, and they've tried to offer an experience as close to its source of inspiration as possible. However, Xenonauts 2 is a game that hasn't fully realized its potential due to some fundamental issues that are still unresolved. Nevertheless, it's worth noting that it's one of the games that fans of the genre should check out.”
read full review ↗ - 88
“Xenonauts 2 is one of the most interesting and successful attempts to breathe new life into the spirit of the classic UFO/X-COM in a contemporary form. There are games that strive at all costs to be modern. And there are games that simply aim to be really, really good. Xenonauts 2 clearly falls into the latter category.”
read full review ↗
Gaming Professors
Eurogamer
SECTOR.sk
MonsterVine
Explosion Network
Metro GameCentral
PC Gamer
Try Hard Guides
Uagna…and 6 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Xenonauts 2 News Roundup at the Hooded Horse August Publisher SaleAug 28, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Full Release 7.27.6 Released! (Experimental)Aug 24, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Full Release 7.27.5 Released! (Experimental)Aug 19, 2026
- Full Release 7.27.3 STABLE Released!Aug 6, 2026
- Full Release 7.27.3 Released! (Experimental)Aug 3, 2026
- Full Release 7.27.2 Released! (Experimental)Jul 24, 2026
- Full Release 7.27.1 Released! (Experimental)Jul 21, 2026
- Full Release 7.27.0 Released! (Experimental)Jul 17, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Full Release 7.26.1 STABLE Released!Jul 9, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Full Release 7.26.1 Released! (Experimental)Jul 3, 2026
- Xenonauts 2 News Roundup at the Hooded Horse Summer SaleJul 3, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Full Release 7.26.0 Released! (Experimental)Jul 1, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Full Release 7.25.2 STABLE Released!Jun 29, 2026
- Full Release 7.25.2 Released! (Experimental)Jun 17, 2026
- Full Release 7.25.0 Released! (Experimental)Jun 11, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Full Release 7.24.2 STABLE Released!Jun 9, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Full Release 7.24.2 Released! (Experimental)Jun 5, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Full Release 7.23.4 STABLE Released!Jun 2, 2026
- Full Release 7.24.1 Released! (Experimental)May 31, 2026
- Full Release 7.24.0 Released! (Experimental)May 28, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Full Release 7.23.0 Released! (Experimental)May 20, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Update #7 - New Stable Release & DLC PlansMay 18, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Full Release 7.22.3 Released! (Experimental)May 13, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Full Release 7.22.2 Released! (Experimental)May 6, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Full Release 7.21.6 STABLE Released!May 2, 2026
- Full Release 7.21.5 STABLE Released!May 1, 2026
- Hotfix #5 - Bugfixes & Steam Cloud ImprovementsApr 23, 2026
- Full Release 7.20.3 Released! (Experimental)Apr 22, 2026
- Full Release 7.20.2 Released! (Experimental)Apr 15, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Full Release 7.19.2 STABLE Released!Apr 14, 2026
- Full Release 7.19.2 Released! (Experimental)Apr 12, 2026
- Hotfix #4 - Bugfixes & Localisation Fixes!Apr 11, 2026
- Full Release 7.18.7 STABLE Released!Apr 7, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Full Release 7.19.0 Released! (Experimental)Apr 7, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Full Release 7.18.7 Released! (Experimental)Apr 7, 2026
- Full Release 7.18.6 Released! (Experimental)Apr 6, 2026
- Hotfix #2 - More Mod Fixes!Apr 5, 2026
…and 50 earlier patch announcements.