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) | – | 74 | 9 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 86% | 79 | 621 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 87% | 81 | 61 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Dec 1, 2025) · 61 reviews sampled · 43 total reviews in window · weighted 38.6 up / 5.7 down · computed 1h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (21)
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.
- 70
“The Colonists is a solid game with a less-than-solid feeling port. However, it still is good fun on Switch.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Strategy titles come in all sorts of varieties, and while the genre's representation on the Switch isn't quite as strong as I'd prefer there's at least some diversity to be found...”
read full review ↗ - 70
“At least in terms of content, The Colonists has plenty for you to do. There's a campaign made up 14 missions, essentially tasking you with colonising different locations. Meanwhile, sandbox mode lets you choose a map, tweak various gameplay settings, and play however you like. We especially enjoyed messing around in the latter once the campaign had shown us the ropes, and taking things at our own pace.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“The game is very easy to get sucked into but it lacks a lot of depth after a few hours of play. In my opinion, it is better to play the campaign than the sandbox mode because there are no objectives to complete in it.”
read full review ↗ - 78
“The Colonists is a fun colonization game with an endearing and cheerful graphic look, with immersive gameplay, although it can be too simple for more advanced players.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“The Colonists might not be the deepest of settlement games but it’s an engrossing one with a focus on productivity. It’s simplistic enough to act as an excellent introduction to the genre while having enough depth to please veterans looking for a challenge. What’s more, it hasn’t lost anything in the jump from PC to PS4.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“Robotic colonists are so cute and as funny as the first games in The Settlers series.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“If you play society building games and find yourself perfecting your city, you will likely enjoy The Colonist and appreciate ability to track every element of productivity. However, the game could have a greater potential on a mobile device, and as a player, I would have been more invested if there were a bit more customization options or stakes to my success.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“I think The Colonists could have done a little more as far as a tutorial was concerned. The game teaches you the basics and then just leaves you to figure out the rest on your own. That may be fine for veterans of the strategy building genre, but newcomers to the genre will need a little more help. The cute robots may make The Colonists look like a very simplistic game, but beneath the surface lies an in-depth strategy game that is a blast to play!”
read full review ↗ - 95
“The Colonists is a genuinely brilliant game that has nuzzled its way nicely onto the Switch. It is a game filled to the brim with brilliant ideas and an abundance of complexity. Yet its streamlined controls and delightfully helpful tutorial supplies you with enough basics that even casual players will be able to understand.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“The Colonists is a game whose main gameplay loop makes up for how underwhelming its controls and excess of busy work can be at times. Not exactly the most creative of city builders in the market, but just like most of its peers, once you figure out how to properly make your city grow in a sustainable way, you won’t be able to stop playing it.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“The Colonists may look, at first look, like so many other city building and management simulators, which is not a complete mistake. However, with a different monetization system, comfortable mechanics and all the friendliness of the protagonists, it should please fans of the genre and even first-time novices.”
read full review ↗
Pure Nintendo
Nindie Spotlight
Push Square
Chalgyr's Game Room
SomosXbox
FingerGuns
SECTOR.sk
GameSkinny
LadiesGamers.com
The Game Crater
WayTooManyGames
PSX Brasil…and 9 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- V1.9.26 - June FrontierJun 3, 2026
- V1.9.25 - May FrontierMay 3, 2026
- V1.9.24 - April FrontierApr 3, 2026
- V1.9.23 - March FrontierMar 2, 2026
- V1.9.22 - February FrontierFeb 2, 2026
- V1.9.21.4 - BugfixJan 12, 2026
- V1.9.21.2 - January FrontierJan 1, 2026
- V1.9.20.1Dec 1, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- V1.9.9 - Happy New Year!Jan 1, 2025
- V1.9 - Multiplayer Co-op & PvPMay 21, 2024
- V1.8.0.19 & Multiplayer NewsMay 9, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- V1.8.0.12 PatchApr 14, 2024
- V1.6.9 - October Frontier & Sneak PeekOct 4, 2023
- V1.6.7 - Multiplayer Beta & August FrontierAug 7, 2023
- V1.6.6 - July FrontierJul 1, 2023
- V1.6.5 - June FrontierJun 1, 2023
- V1.6.4.3 HotfixMay 8, 2023
- V1.6.4.1 - May FrontierMay 2, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- V1.6.3.1Apr 2, 2023
- V1.6.1.8Jan 29, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- January FrontierJan 3, 2023
- V1.6.0.4Dec 27, 2022
- V1.6 - Mod Support!Dec 24, 2022
- V1.5.20.3Nov 10, 2022
- V1.5.20.2Nov 5, 2022significant · resets scoring window
- V1.5.19Sep 1, 2022
- V1.5.18May 31, 2022
- V1.5.17.2May 1, 2022
- Update V1.5.17Mar 3, 2022significant · resets scoring window
- 🎄 V1.5.16 Update 🎄Dec 18, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- V1.5.15.1 PatchOct 26, 2021
- 🎃 V1.5.15 - Custom Views and Pumpkin Harvest! 🎃Oct 18, 2021
- V1.5.14 - September Frontier, Boats Panel, ImprovementsSep 2, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- V1.5.12 - June Frontier, Balancing, Bug FixesJun 1, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- V1.5.11 - April Frontier, Clearance ModeApr 4, 2021
- V1.5.10 - March Frontier!Mar 1, 2021
- Release Notes for 1.5.9.3Feb 19, 2021
- Release Notes for 1.5.9.2Feb 11, 2021
…and 35 earlier patch announcements.