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) | – | 79 | 21 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 87% | 80 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 86% | 80 | 4 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 12 reviews sampled · 12 total reviews in window · weighted 8.9 up / 1.5 down · computed 3h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (24)
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
“Airborne Kingdom is a charming journey and moderate town-building simulator.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Airborne Kingdom is a perfectly fine city builder that puts a nice spin on the genre by focusing on weight and balance to ensure the survival of your community. The act of gathering resources and building structures feels easy, although some may wish for a bit more depth in the overall management of the city's population. A few gameplay quirks might also frustrate, with a camera that feels way too slow and a UI that's just a tad confusing at times. If you're after a city builder that feels a bit different, though, then this might just be the one for you.”
read full review ↗ - 63
“The number of city-building sims on the Switch is admittedly quite thin, so when a new one comes along, particularly one with a unique hook, it's sure to raise eyebrows...”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Melding the city-building and exploration genre together shouldn't work this well. Airborne Kingdom does a fantastic job of continuously throwing new challenges at the player, while simultaneously devouring countless hours in the process. For a mere $24.99, this is a title that will absolutely give you plenty of bang for your buck.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“A lovely, mildly experimental city sim with some sinister undertones it never tries to explore.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“Airborne Kingdom is a very enjoyable strategy game. It can be slow going at times, especially if your ship is slow-moving due to the way you have built your city. I love the uniqueness of the airship and the added addition of propulsion and lift that you do have to pay attention to. The maps are quite big and there are lots of places and Wonders to discover. With sandbox mode and the Game+ mode, there are endless play options to build the airship of your dreams.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“A smart, hypnotic city builder that won't leave you tearing out your hair.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Airborne Kingdom is a cozy, comfortable delight that mixes management and exploration flawlessly; the focus is not on keeping your citizens alive while crossing the open world, but keeping them fulfilled and thriving.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“If you are tired of the usual City Building games and you are looking for a game that has a very different look and a few new mechanisms, Airborne Kingdom is recommended.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Airborne Kingdom’s unique nomadic city-builder premise is held up by brilliant multi-layered strategic decisions that not only make it intriguing to strategy veterans but very approachable to newcomers through its organic tutorials.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Ultimately, Airborne Kingdom will keep you engrossed for a few hours, but it runs out of steam before it can reach the lofty heights it aspires to.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Overall, Airborne Kingdom tries to add some tight resource elements into the city management genre, and while it works in the early game, the late game gets bogged down by needing to constantly hunt down resources while trying to remain afloat. While the story is rudimentary at best, the art style and music are outstanding.”
read full review ↗
3DNews
Nintendo Life
Nindie Spotlight
PC Invasion
Eurogamer
LadiesGamers.com
PC Gamer
TechRaptor
Pixel Arts
The Game Crater
GameSpew
Nintendo Link…and 12 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Airborne Empire 1.0 is out Now!Apr 17, 2026
- Patch Notes v1.10.3 (fix)Jun 19, 2023
- Patch Notes v1.10.3Jun 17, 2023
- Patch Notes v1.10.2Jun 10, 2023
- Patch Notes v1.10.1Dec 31, 2022
- Patch Notes v1.9.2Nov 30, 2022
- Patch Notes v1.9.1Nov 28, 2022
- Patch Notes v1.8.3Sep 26, 2022
- Patch Notes v1.8.2Sep 22, 2022
- Patch notes v1.8.1Sep 20, 2022
- Patch notes v1.7.4Jul 26, 2022
- Patch notes v1.7.3Jul 22, 2022
- Patch notes v1.7.2Jul 20, 2022
- Patch Notes v1.7.1Jun 30, 2022
- Airborne SummerJun 23, 2022
- Patch Notes v1.6.1Apr 25, 2022
- Performance UpdateApr 14, 2022significant · resets scoring window
- Patch Notes 1.5.9Apr 9, 2022
- Patch Notes v1.5.8Apr 8, 2022
- Patch Notes v1.5.7Apr 7, 2022
- Patch Notes v1.5.6Mar 16, 2022
- Patch Notes v1.5.5Mar 15, 2022
- Patch Notes v1.5.4Mar 12, 2022
- Handle Steamworks exceptions + UI Loc FixesMar 12, 2022
- Patch Notes v1.5.2Mar 9, 2022
- Patch notes v1.5.1Mar 8, 2022