Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 300 sampled Steam reviews (246 positive / 54 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
- Story & writing13% mention it
- World & exploration7% mention it
- Bugs & crashes6% mention it
- Visuals & art6% mention it
- Grind & repetition4% mention it
What negative reviews complain about
- Bugs & crashes44% mention it
- Story & writing20% mention it
- Grind & repetition17% mention it
- Controls & UI15% mention it
- Progression & loot9% mention it
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
79%
81 reviews
5-15h
73%
77 reviews
15-40h
86%
74 reviews
40-100h
90%
51 reviews
100h+
94%
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 (Metacritic) | – | 81 | 6 |
| Creator reviews (1 tracked) | – | 80 | 0 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 91% | 85 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 80 | 6 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 80% | 74 | 39 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 111 reviews sampled · 101 total reviews in window · weighted 68.3 up / 17.2 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (73)
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.
- 90
“Avalanche has created a title that takes sandbox play back to its roots -- the idea that sandbox should mean just that, a sandbox for players to do anything they want, to create their own goals and to essentially create a game within a game by creating and then achieving player driven goals.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“For all its slight foibles, Just Cause 2 is hugely entertaining, and despite the creeping feeling of repetition beginning to set in as you destroy your 500th fuel tank or collect your 1000th item, there's more than enough freedom to pull off ludicrous stunts and experiment with your weapons, vehicles, parachute and grappling hook to make you want to extend your stay in Panau's sandbox paradise indefinitely.”
read full review ↗ - 79
“If it weren’t for the bloated playtime and weak set of characters, JC2 would have reached its full potential and become a true franchise title.”
read full review ↗ - 98
“The Terminator 2 of videogames. A sequel that contained all that made the original so good, without all the boring and unrefined portions...This is by far the most fun I have ever had with an open-world game.”
read full review ↗ - 87
“Big, bigger, Just Cause 2. The Game takes it serious with the open-world theme, you can explore countless villages. But on the other hand the story isn't really a burner. Nonetheless we will spend our next holidays in Panau.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Just Cause 2 is the sort of game where you're willing to put up with a lot just because it's so darn enjoyable. Any time you get annoyed by something, you can take comfort in knowing that there's something to blow up just over the next hill, and sending a tower of flames into the sky will make it all better.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“It completely nails what a sequel should be: it expands on everything its predecessor did best without sacrificing what we loved most about it in the first place. [May 2010, p.74]”
- 60
“Open letter to the designers of Just Cause 2: Thank you for making me drive 2 kilometers each time I die. It really makes me appreciate your big open world.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Crazy stunts, a huge gameworld, and a playful attitude make Just Cause 2 a lot of fun despite its annoyances.”
read full review ↗ - 86
“It might get repetitive and a bit boring over time, but in general its simply a blast to drive, run and grapple'n'parachute across Panau, simply in order to cause mayhem and chaos.”
read full review ↗ - 82
“While it turns out more silly than satirical, the beauty of the game is Panau itself. An island nation that is interesting to explore and despicably fun to demolish.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“An improvement on the first game but despite the joyful carnage this is still a pretty shallow sandbox.”
read full review ↗
GameWatcher
ZTGD
Worth Playing
The Escapist
GameSpot
Metro GameCentral…and 61 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
No patch announcements found on Steam yet.