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) | – | 89 | 79 |
| Creator reviews (4 tracked) | – | 92 | 3 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 96% | 90 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 85 | 296 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 92% | 86 | 2781 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Nov 29, 2024) · 300 reviews sampled · 2781 total reviews in window · weighted 233.8 up / 18.3 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (179)
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
- 90
“Psychonauts 2 is a true sequel, that evolves a lot of ideas from original game, while still stays true to the style the fans love. If you're looking for something special, then this title is fore you. Whimsical and fun Psychonauts 2 is one of the best games we played this year.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Psychonauts 2 is visually stunning, and surprises player with each mind world. But its gameplay mechanics are pretty much mediocre.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Psychonauts 2 in particular is a game of surprising psychological insight, full of rich, flawed characters at the end of their ropes. If so much of this game is a reiteration of what worked about its predecessor, it functions as a reminder for just how much of the medium is still catching up to Psychonauts.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Psychonauts 2 is a great sequel which lives up to the lofty ambitions that the original struggled to execute. There's a lot of brains - but more importantly a lot of heart.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“It's been a polished experience otherwise, yet again proving that games are better delayed than rushed. Psychonauts 2 has faced a long uphill battle, but its release is proof that some battles are worth the slog.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“Psychonauts 2 is a masterpiece, and it is everything I ever hoped it would be.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“If gameplay that's unremarkable at best doesn't distract you from a very original artistic & design direction that's painfully necessary in the video games business. And that makes Psychonauts 2 praiseworthy!”
read full review ↗ - 95
“With Psychonauts 2, Double Fine has firmly planted down a pedestal of their own, creating one of the best platformers of all-time.”
read full review ↗ - 95
“Too many of these games fall into that witless trap of thinking something "serious" and "important" must also be humorless and dark, unrelentingly grim and fatalistic. Psychonauts 2 reveals that for the nonsense that it is, showing that you can more powerfully and realistically depict emotion when you use warmth, humor, humanity-the whole scope of emotions that make us who we are. Psychonauts 2 asks "how does it feel to feel?", and then shows the answer to us-and the games industry at large-in brilliant colors.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Long story short, this is the sequel Psychonaut fans deserve.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Psychonauts 2 is a difficult game to describe. At times, its refusal to step out of the past can be extremely frustrating, but not often enough to dampen the good times. It’s absolutely greater than the sum of its parts, and when taken as a whole, once the credits have rolled, it easily possesses the strongest narrative of any game this year. Above all else, Psychonauts 2 is unapologetically Double Fine. It’s sweet, funny and has a deep reverence for the games that came before it. The graphics and art direction are some of the prettiest I’ve ever seen, a shining example of the value that a strong visual style can have over mere graphical prowess. Psychonauts 2 is the result of a studio operating at the absolute top of its game. It’s an absolute must-play for anyone looking for a great story, deep characters and jaw-dropping visuals.”
read full review ↗
Stryftek
GameMAG
3DNews
Slant Magazine
Jump Dash Roll
Gadgets 360
eXputer
GRYOnline.pl
Seasoned Gaming
Paste Magazine
Kakuchopurei
Gfinity…and 167 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Double Fine PsychOdyssey DLC and the best sale yet!Nov 29, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Latest Update Released for WindowsAug 17, 2022
- Latest Update ReleasedMay 24, 2022significant · resets scoring window
- Update 1089619 ReleasedNov 22, 2021
- Update 1088619 ReleasedNov 2, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- Update 1087126 ReleasedSep 10, 2021
- Version 1087071 ReleasedSep 3, 2021