Generation Zero® | VGC Score 70

Screenshots & trailers

What players say

Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 299 sampled Steam reviews (218 positive / 81 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.

What positive reviews talk about

Story & writing16% mention it
World & exploration10% mention it
Bugs & crashes9% mention it
Visuals & art8% mention it
Multiplayer & servers7% mention it

What negative reviews complain about

Story & writing23% mention it
Bugs & crashes22% mention it
Combat14% mention it
Multiplayer & servers12% mention it
Progression & loot12% mention it

Satisfaction by hours played

Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.

Under 5h

56%

55 reviews

5-15h

69%

75 reviews

15-40h

76%

83 reviews

40-100h

77%

47 reviews

100h+

92%

39 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)	–	49	29
All-time Steam reviews	72%	68	1000
Metacritic user ratings	–	60	23
Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted)	76%	71	2327
Calibration prior (typical game)	–	72	50

Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Jan 16, 2025) · 300 reviews sampled · 2327 total reviews in window · weighted 168.2 up / 51.3 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →

Press & Creators reviews (81)

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.

60
GameMAG
trust 78Apr 6, 2019
“Generation Zero lacks an interesting plot, high-quality production and unique locations. Nevertheless, you can give this project a chance thanks to co-op mode, well-developed battles and atmospheric presentation. But it's better to wait until the end of the year, while Avalanche Studios updates the existing content and adds more to the game.”
read full review ↗
30
3DNews
trust 78Apr 6, 2019
“Pointless, shallow and boring. It's really hard to point out what's good in with game.”
read full review ↗
40
VGChartz
trust 71Apr 7, 2019
“Avalanche's successes in world-building and player freedom are significant, but insufficient to turn this love song to 1980s Sweden into a hit.”
read full review ↗
50
Wolf's Gaming Blog
trust 70Apr 11, 2019
“I love the ideas that Avalanche brought to the table and there are moments where Generation Zero gets it right. The emptiness of the large world might annoy me because it feels superfluous, but it does create a sense of isolation which mixes nicely with the roaming bands of robots to create a tense atmosphere, at least for the first hour or two. I also enjoyed the more careful approach to combat, the fantastic robot designs and teaming up with friends or even random players. Sadly, though, the core mechanics of stealth, shooting and looting didn’t click with me. Yet, I’d still like to see a sequel because there’s some great potential on show in Generation Zero.”
read full review ↗
30
Push Square
trust 69Mar 27, 2019
“Even if you're in love with its concept, Generation Zero is an experience you should avoid at all costs. Thanks to archaic co-operative design, an open world that feels sparse at even the best of times, and an inventory system that routinely works against you, disappointment takes centre stage here. You may catch one or two beautiful vistas along the way, but as the framerate drops into the single digits, you'll wish you never bothered.”
read full review ↗
40
Capsule Computers
trust 69Apr 13, 2019
“A great premise that was terribly executed. Generation Zero is painfully boring and repetitive.”
read full review ↗
50
GameWatcher
trust 69Mar 25, 2019
“Promising concept, lacklustre execution”
read full review ↗
40
ZTGD
trust 68Apr 10, 2019
“This game has so much potential, but it is so barren I can’t recommend it. ”
read full review ↗
50
Merlin'in Kazanı
trust 68Mar 25, 2019
“Genertation Zero has potential but no purpose. Big map, good shooting mechanics, but game is not entertaining”
read full review ↗
30
Gamerheadquarters
trust 67Aug 2, 2019
“Generation Zero is an empty, meandering and completely boring experience.”
read full review ↗
40
FingerGuns
trust 66Apr 3, 2019
“It’s pretty to look at, but is such a jumbled mess and we couldn’t get our heads around it…a bit like their furniture, then.”
read full review ↗
75
Eurogamer
trust 66Mar 25, 2019
“A moody shooter undermined by a lack of polish and purpose.”
read full review ↗

…and 69 more tracked reviews.

Patch history

Showdown Update - Hotfix
Jan 16, 2025significant · resets scoring window
Showdown Update - Out Now!
Dec 12, 2024
Showdown Update - Patch Notes
Dec 11, 2024significant · resets scoring window
Showdown Update Announcement Trailer
Nov 26, 2024
The Final Showdown - An Update On Generation Zero
Nov 5, 2024significant · resets scoring window
Resistance Report - 2024-08-30
Aug 30, 2024significant · resets scoring window
August 2024 Update - Hotfix
Aug 27, 2024
August 2024 Update - Patch Notes
Aug 20, 2024significant · resets scoring window
Skyfire Update - Hotfix 2
Jul 11, 2024
Skyfire Update - Hotfix
Jul 3, 2024
Skyfire Update - Patch Notes
Jun 25, 2024significant · resets scoring window
Skyfire Update Announcement Trailer
Jun 11, 2024
Community Requests Update - Patch Notes
Mar 27, 2024significant · resets scoring window
5th Anniversary Dev Letter
Mar 26, 2024significant · resets scoring window
Resistance Report - 2024-03-15
Mar 15, 2024significant · resets scoring window
Hotfix³ now live
Feb 5, 2024
Hotfix - Patch Notes
Jan 23, 2024
Crash-Reducing Hotfix - Patch Notes
Jan 16, 2024
Three-Wheeled Update - Patch Notes
Dec 12, 2023significant · resets scoring window
Resistance Report - 2023-11-24
Nov 24, 2023significant · resets scoring window
Resistance Report - 2023-11-10
Nov 10, 2023significant · resets scoring window
Guerrilla Research Update - Patch Notes
Nov 7, 2023significant · resets scoring window
September 2023 Update - Patch Notes
Sep 5, 2023significant · resets scoring window
Hotfix - Companion Looting crash
Aug 2, 2023
[HOTFIX] Companion Update Multiplayer Crashes
Jul 24, 2023
Companion Update - Patch Notes
Jul 18, 2023significant · resets scoring window
Tactical Response Update - A look back
Jun 23, 2023significant · resets scoring window
Tactical Response Update - Patch Notes
May 25, 2023significant · resets scoring window
Tactical Response Update - Coming May 25th
May 17, 2023significant · resets scoring window
Letter from the Devs - April 21st
Apr 21, 2023
February 2023 Update
Feb 21, 2023significant · resets scoring window
Dangerous Experiments Update - Hotfix
Jan 5, 2023
Dangerous Experiments - Patch Notes
Dec 12, 2022significant · resets scoring window
Dark Skies Update - Patch Notes
Oct 25, 2022
The Recon Update - Hotfix
Sep 15, 2022
Letter from the Devs - August 26th
Aug 26, 2022
The Recon Update - Patch Notes
Aug 23, 2022significant · resets scoring window
New Dawn Update - Patch Notes
Jun 23, 2022significant · resets scoring window
Base Assault Update - Hotfix
May 2, 2022
Base Assault Update - Patch Notes
Apr 7, 2022significant · resets scoring window

…and 4 earlier patch announcements.