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) | – | 81 | 20 |
| Creator reviews (3 tracked) | – | 82 | 1 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 61% | 60 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 57 | 45 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 74% | 69 | 12 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 33 reviews sampled · 24 total reviews in window · weighted 20.8 up / 7.5 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (102)
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.
- 85
“Civilization: Beyond Earth doesn't offer a staggering amount of changes but that doesn't affect the gameplay in a negative way. Beyond Earth is a classy stand alone game. Basic rules from Civ V guarantee great fun and on top of that you get a new world and some aliens which make you think of new strategies. There's no revolution but a well executed evolution, and that's more than enough.”
read full review ↗ - 60
- 80
“Civilization: Beyond Earth is a good game in the context of the Civilization franchise.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“I'm sure Firaxis will eventually make a great game out of Beyond Earth. They're a smart development team that knows how to improve and iterate on a solid core product, which Beyond Earth certainly is. Right now, though, I can't help but feel slightly disappointed by the state of the game. It's perfectly enjoyable, but for every smart innovation it seems to have lost a portion of both complexity and character. There's potential here, but we'll have to wait for a couple of meaty expansions to see Beyond Earth's promise fully realised.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Civilization: Beyond Earth takes empire building to the stars with a number of compelling, but familiar, results.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Passive AI and lackluster online support from the community isn't enough to make Civilization: Beyond Earth a total wash. If you've enjoyed the series over the years, you'll likely spend many hours with this entry as well. It deviates just enough from the excellent Civilization V to be a worthwhile experience, and it offers a different pace than its predecessor, so even though it's not a significant upgrade, it's still pretty remarkable.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“An overall solid turn-based strategy game that suffers from information overload resulting in analysis paralysis for the player, Beyond Earth has a few really interesting systems but ultimately doesn't transcend those mechanics into something unique or awe-inspiring.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Civilization has always had something to say about this stuff (and civilisation has always had something to say about this stuff) but Beyond Earth goes further than ever, suggesting that even if we do eventually live on Pluto, the distractions will have joined us there, and will probably have multiplied. When we get into space, the real danger - and the real wonder - will be the fact that we have brought ourselves along.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Civilization: Beyond Earth's brave new world feels pretty familiar, but that's okay.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“It's funny, there's a lot about Beyond Earth that I'm not too sure about and a fair number of mechanics that could be better. Yet it's incredibly playable and just as addictive as every other Civilization game. It's incredibly easy to lose a lot of time while playing, which is a testament to how the game can really get the player involved. It's ever-present that the game has a tendency to force the player down a certain path, lacking the overall freedom of something like Europa Universalis IV. Yet when the path is as beautiful, thoughtful and fun as Beyond Earth, it's not exactly a challenge to walk that path over and over again. It does indeed feel like a reskin of Civilization V, but it's a skin that the game wears quite well.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Civilization: Beyond Earth is my game of the year for 2014”
read full review ↗ - 86
“Civilization: Beyond Earth may be a spin-off but one that can stand on its own. Things are more unpredictable but the gameplay is still very familiar. More important: Beyond Earth is more than just Civilization V in space. ”
read full review ↗
GRYOnline.pl
The Angry Joe Show
GameWatcher
PCMag
Worth Playing
The Escapist
Eurogamer
GameSpot
GameGrin
GameSkinny
Power Unlimited…and 90 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Winter 2015 Update hotfix now availableMar 30, 2015
- Winter 2015 Update hotfix now availableMar 30, 2015
- Winter 2015 Update is now liveMar 11, 2015
- Winter 2015 Update is now liveMar 11, 2015
- Information on the Winter 2015 update for Beyond EarthFeb 20, 2015significant · resets scoring window
- Information on the Winter 2015 update for Beyond EarthFeb 20, 2015significant · resets scoring window
- Nvidia hotfix now liveJan 9, 2015
- Nvidia hotfix now liveJan 9, 2015
- Civilization: Beyond Earth Fall Update Now LiveDec 8, 2014significant · resets scoring window
- Beyond Earth's upcoming patch is almost readyNov 26, 2014significant · resets scoring window
- Beyond Earth's upcoming patch is almost readyNov 26, 2014significant · resets scoring window
- An update from Firaxis Games regarding Beyond Earth feedbackOct 30, 2014significant · resets scoring window
- An update from Firaxis Games regarding Beyond Earth feedbackOct 30, 2014significant · resets scoring window