Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 300 sampled Steam reviews (284 positive / 16 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
- Story & writing23% mention it
- World & exploration12% mention it
- Music & audio9% mention it
- Visuals & art4% mention it
What negative reviews complain about
- World & exploration25% mention it
- Bugs & crashes25% mention it
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
84%
57 reviews
5-15h
98%
164 reviews
15-40h
97%
58 reviews
40-100h
94%
18 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 (Metacritic) | – | 85 | 6 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 95% | 89 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 90 | 24 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 98% | 94 | 58 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Acclaim gate: the raw blend lands at 88.5, but scores above 88 must be earned in front of a mass audience; this verdict rests on 37,546 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) · 165 reviews sampled · 132 total reviews in window · weighted 108.1 up / 2.3 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (43)
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.
- 90
“If you're the kind of person who enjoys the rush of simulated terror, follow the developer's advice: wait until sundown, put on some headphones, and start up Amnesia: The Dark Descent”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Amnesia's macabre sensibilities and slow pacing may not be for everyone, but horror fans looking for a truly frightening experience should turn off the lights, plug in some headphones and settle in.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“In any case, Amnesia: The Dark Descent is an unforgettable survival/horror experience, one that should not be missed.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“This isn't a game, it's a trip into the human psyche's darker spaces. Not for the faint of heart, but horror junkies will lap it up. [Issue#246, p.107]”
- 90
“It's a welcome, cold splash of terror that anyone with a pulse should try out.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“It's a brave experiment in the genre, a more solid package than the Penumbra games and stops at nothing to make you truly, deeply uncomfortable.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Amnesia just might drive you insane, but in a very good way since this is one of the scariest horror games you're ever going to play.”
read full review ↗ - 88
“A solid experience for both the horror and adventure genres, but worth taking for a spin no matter what type of gamer you are.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“The best horror game of this generation and one of the few courageous enough to try new ideas and make the player a victim, not a saviour.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“The most terrifying survival horror game released in years. Buy it. What's the matter, too scared? [Dec 2010, p.58]”
- 93
“Frictional made an interactive adventure that always pushes you to descend deeper and deeper towards the heart of evil, balancing the exploration of your own mind towards the point of maximum dementia with the exploration of a castle perhaps older than we are initially led to believe...”
read full review ↗ - 88
“Rich in atmosphere and big on scares, Amnesia: The Dark Descent goes where survival-horror fears to tread.”
read full review ↗
Worth Playing
Eurogamer
GameSpot
Metro GameCentral
PC Gamer…and 31 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Total Conversion supportOct 25, 2023
- Amnesia Re-Collection updateJul 3, 2023
- Update notes for June 2Jun 2, 2023
- Smallish update - Total conversion mods fixOct 15, 2016
- Smallish update - Total conversion mods fixOct 15, 2016