Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 302 sampled Steam reviews (263 positive / 39 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
- Story & writing33% mention it
- World & exploration15% mention it
- Visuals & art11% mention it
- Progression & loot9% mention it
- Combat8% mention it
What negative reviews complain about
- Story & writing46% mention it
- World & exploration26% mention it
- Visuals & art18% mention it
- Combat18% mention it
- Performance13% mention it
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
71%
35 reviews
5-15h
86%
87 reviews
15-40h
90%
157 reviews
40-100h
88%
17 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) | – | 80 | 32 |
| Creator reviews (4 tracked) | – | 88 | 1 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 92% | 86 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 89% | 83 | 67 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 190 reviews sampled · 156 total reviews in window · weighted 134 up / 17 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (155)
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
“The Evil Within 2 is one of the most great and emotional adventures of this year. Developers, sadly, did not have enough time for polishing of the game and expanding open areas, but we hope that all the problems will be solved in the third game, if it, of course, will be released.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“The Evil Within 2 is not a step forward. On the contrary, if it were not for an open world and a prettier picture, it would be a step backwards. Nevertheless, that core basis, which was in the first game, is still working, and it's because of it you will not drop a sequel halfway.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“There's no mystery to Union, which is grounded in exactly the way that the Beacon Mental Hospital was not.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“The Evil Within 2 is not only a worthy sequel to the first game, but in many respects a better game than its predecessor. It may lack some of the raw brutality and shocking unpredictability of the first instalment, but it makes up for this with a more polished design, a stronger atmosphere and a far more complex gaming experience. For fans of horror games, it is one of the best modern survival horror titles of recent years, and it continues to hold its own within the genre.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“While the main narrative can feel off at times, a move to more open-ended areas and sidequests makes sure that The Evil Within 2 remains a chilling, but rewarding experience.”
read full review ↗ - 67
“One thing that The Evil Within has done right so far? Improved with its second game. Let's hope that's one element of the formula that repeats with the inevitable third installment.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Overall, The Evil Within 2 is a huge turn around from its original outing and for some, they will love all the changes, and for some, they will hate it, for me though it was a great outing in a horrific world, that I certainly would not like to visit anytime soon.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“The real issue with The Evil Within 2 is that it has tried to marry too many foreign gameplay elements to the genre, whilst not addressing a lot of technical annoyances that, if remedied, would have provided enough refreshment to the third-person horror experience alone. Whereas Resident Evil 7 shifted the perspective into first-person, and re-discovered its core emphasis - much to its advantage - The Evil Within 2 has expanded mechanically without really acting on the criticism of the first game. The controls are sluggish, the camera doesn't react fast enough, and it has the habit of limiting player perspective in an obnoxious way. Even though this experience is quite different to the original, and far more compelling and successful, it's disappointing that the abstract mind games it pulls couldn't be left to speak for themselves. All the same, this is a solid survival horror title, although in the end it borrows just a bit too much from Resident Evil 4.”
read full review ↗ - 78
“The Evil Within 2 will probably please horror gaming enthusiasts hoping for a refreshing new, more freeform approach to survival horror, but fans of Shinji Mikami’s first triumphant game might leave underwhelmed.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Mixing open-world and linear survival horror is a brave experiment that largely pays off for this enjoyable, schlocky stealth-action horror title.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“The main problem of The Evil Within 2 is that as a horror game, it is not scary enough. but The game tells a great story and its gameplay, music, characterization and other features are good enough to make it an enjoyable game”
read full review ↗ - 70
“The Evil Within 2 has fine-tuned its solid mechanical base and visuals, and even crafted some big improvements to areas such as exploration and character direction. Yet it lacks creativity and diversity with its level design and bosses. The game may be more presentable and refined than its predecessor, but it's also lost some substance in the process.”
read full review ↗
GameMAG
3DNews
Slant Magazine
Gaming Professors
Hu3br
Paste Magazine
Invision Community
Cubed3
Nexus Hub
PC Invasion
Zoomg
Push Square…and 143 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- The Evil Within 2 | Update v1.03 - Patch NotesNov 6, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- The Evil Within 2 | Update v1.03 - Patch NotesNov 6, 2017significant · resets scoring window