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METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN

analyzed 2026-10-13 · sample of 550 English reviews across the whole review history

Across 550 sampled reviews, gameplay is the most consistently praised aspect: 84 of the 94 reviews mentioning it are positive, with players citing "the sheer variety of ways you can complete any mission" and calling the mechanics "extremely fun". Graphics draw 42 positive mentions from 44, and combat, build variety, and addictiveness are similarly lopsided in their favor. The open world and the freedom it allows recur as highlights. The story is the clearest fault line. Of 114 reviews mentioning it, 49 are negative against 39 positive, with complaints that it is "a narrative that falls short compared to other Metal Gear games". Pacing is more one-sided: 27 of 30 mentions are negative. Quest design, level design, and developer conduct also skew negative, and multiplayer draws criticism for being "quite dead now". Grind comes up as a recurring theme. Opinion splits elsewhere. Content amount, characters, and the world draw both praise and criticism, while performance, controls, and replayability lean positive. The picture is a game whose moment-to-moment play is widely admired and whose story and late-game structure are not.

numbers checked against this report's stored data · quotes copied verbatim from reviews · plain text is the language model's own wording

Aspects

share of sample, axis to 30% · ± is the sampling uncertainty around each share

  • positive
  • mixed / neutral
  • negative
  • story

    39 positive · 49 negative · 23 mixed · 3 neutral

    • Nine years ago I was disappointed with the story.
      negative · Mar 31, 2022 · review 113136845
    • Despite having a narrative that falls short compared to other Metal Gear games as well as being generally unfinished due to tensions between Kojima and Konami, MGS V is the pinnacle of the stealth genre that its predecessors popularized twenty years ago.
      negative · May 31, 2022 · review 116306868
    • Kojima's weakest story but easily his best game mechanics.
      negative · Jul 31, 2022 · review 119833761
  • gameplay

    84 positive · 4 negative · 6 mixed · 0 neutral

    • The mechanics, unique ideas like raiding other players bases, the sheer variety of ways you can complete any mission, this is Hideo Kojima's game design at it's best.
      positive · Mar 31, 2022 · review 113136845
    • the gameplay is extremely fun.
      positive · Apr 30, 2022 · review 114743083
    • The MGS games are famously known for compelling storylines and ridiculously long cutscenes, however MGS V: The Phantom Pain throws those aspects out of the window in exchange for an open-ended stealth sandbox, in a similar vein to the immersive sim genre.
      positive · May 31, 2022 · review 116306868
  • graphics

    42 positive · 1 negative · 1 mixed · 0 neutral

    • Overall, the graphics are as good as games from 2022, not to mention the animations and in-game single shot cutscenes.
      positive · Jun 30, 2022 · review 117953415
    • ☑ Beautiful
      positive · Dec 31, 2022 · review 129798242
    • It was a mechanical and technical masterpiece back in 2015 and is still light years beyond the competition.
      positive · Jan 31, 2023 · review 131957413
  • quest design

    8 positive · 24 negative · 3 mixed · 1 neutral

    • Had the revelation halfway through chapter 2 that they just recycled the missions from the first chapter, figured the development of the game got abandoned at this point so I called it quits.
      negative · Aug 31, 2022 · review 121547312
    • The game play was very fresh for it´s time, no doubt, but everything is so repetitive, you just feel like the environment and the missions doesn´t really change much, nothing keeps you wanting for more.
      negative · Nov 30, 2023 · review 152610185
    • Chapter 2 in fact is almost full of recycled missions just with a difficulty tweak on them, when you replay the same mission but with an handicap (full stealth/weapons only found on mission site).
      negative · Jan 31, 2024 · review 157284514
  • characters

    19 positive · 12 negative · 2 mixed · 0 neutral

    • The main characters are very well developed, they look realistic.
      positive · Jun 30, 2022 · review 117953415
    • The game play loop is fun the missions are great the characters are amazing and the story is fun.
      positive · Nov 30, 2022 · review 127651089
    • The character development is exceptional, with a cast of memorable and multifaceted individuals who add depth to the already engrossing storyline.
      positive · Jun 30, 2023 · review 141000417
  • combat

    25 positive · 6 negative · 2 mixed · 0 neutral

    • Easily some of the best stealth mechanics in gaming.
      positive · Oct 31, 2021 · review 101965858
    • ROCKET PUUUUUNCH! is viable for stealth.
      positive · Sep 30, 2022 · review 123084748
    • The "mark and execute" style of stealth gameplay is delightful once you get used to it.
      positive · Feb 28, 2023 · review 133831690
  • pacing

    2 positive · 27 negative · 0 mixed · 1 neutral

    • After I beat the Metal Gear I just lose interest.
      negative · Sep 30, 2021 · review 100253824
    • Somewhat to many cutscenes, would be nice to see a remake for that part so when there is 2 or more in a row just one instead.
      negative · Jan 31, 2022 · review 109204186
    • The MGS games are famously known for compelling storylines and ridiculously long cutscenes, however MGS V: The Phantom Pain throws those aspects out of the window in exchange for an open-ended stealth sandbox, in a similar vein to the immersive sim genre.
      negative · May 31, 2022 · review 116306868
  • content amount

    16 positive · 10 negative · 2 mixed · 0 neutral

    • There is a lot of content here so use that steam refund policy to give this game a try if it suits your fancy but you won't be disappointed.
      positive · Mar 31, 2023 · review 135835797
    • Top 10 favorite game and MGS game at that and I still haven't even finished the story line because I have too much fun doing everything else.
      positive · Apr 30, 2023 · review 137573266
    • amazing sandbox, butt loads of content, multiplayer had a lot of potential but fell short due to developers apathy, p2p, and hackers.
      positive · Aug 31, 2023 · review 145392733
  • multiplayer

    6 positive · 11 negative · 4 mixed · 4 neutral

    • Amazing single player, terrible multiplayer forcing its way into single player story ruins the game.
      negative · Sep 30, 2021 · review 100262223
    • I wanted to play the online because i did back around 2015 but it seems the be quite dead now but what can i expect from a 10 year old game.
      negative · Nov 30, 2022 · review 127651089
    • *Hate the multiplayer aspect
      negative · Apr 30, 2023 · review 137573266
  • developer conduct

    0 positive · 24 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • Everything about this game confirms that Kojima is the most pretentious/overrated game designer out there.
      negative · Nov 30, 2022 · review 127641672
    • amazing sandbox, butt loads of content, multiplayer had a lot of potential but fell short due to developers apathy, p2p, and hackers.
      negative · Aug 31, 2023 · review 145392733
    • unfortunately this leads all to what this game could have been in the end, if only Konami gave more time to Kojima to finish the game on his terms.
      negative · Jan 31, 2024 · review 157284514
see more
  • world

    13 positive · 9 negative · 2 mixed · 0 neutral

    • EXCELLENT GAME <3<3 Love the semi-open world feel!
      positive · Feb 28, 2022 · review 111265783
    • Exploring the vast open-world environments of Afghanistan and Africa is a treat, with each location offering a distinct atmosphere and numerous opportunities for tactical decision-making.
      positive · Jun 30, 2023 · review 141000417
    • Very cool open world
      positive · Oct 31, 2024 · review 178121059
  • progression

    16 positive · 4 negative · 2 mixed · 0 neutral

    • The gameplay elements from Peace Walker/Portable Ops (Recruting soldiers, building your base, developing weapons)
      positive · Sep 30, 2022 · review 123103394
    • ☑ Isnt necessary to progress
      positive · Dec 31, 2022 · review 129798242
    • … over every step, for those who like to complete additional missions that do not affect the plot of the game, you can coolly upgrade your base, weapons, vehicles, equip units of your "army", you can score on all modifications, and destroy enemies left and right, there are cool references, for …
      positive · May 31, 2023 · review 139344058
  • performance

    17 positive · 1 negative · 1 mixed · 2 neutral

    • The graphics and sound design are great, running well on my limited hardware.
      positive · Dec 31, 2023 · review 154935232
    • I have not seen my frames drop under 60, ever, which is great but it means there's more horsepower to be used and it's a shame that they didn't turn the dial to "oh mah gawd.
      positive · Sep 30, 2015 · review 18258445
    • PC version runs fantastic even on an older machine and I remember Duke Nukem Forever.
      positive · Sep 30, 2015 · review 18259335
  • price value

    11 positive · 2 negative · 5 mixed · 1 neutral

    • ☑ Worth the price
      positive · Dec 31, 2022 · review 129798242
    • "game's very hard but worth the money and time, 10/10"
      positive · Nov 30, 2023 · review 152579179
    • Bottom line: It's a good time and well worth $60, but it's not Metal Gear.
      positive · Sep 30, 2015 · review 18259319
  • controls

    12 positive · 5 negative · 1 mixed · 0 neutral

    • The game's controls are incredibly responsive and intuitive, making it easy to execute complex maneuvers and engage in intense firefights.
      positive · Jun 30, 2023 · review 141000417
    • Character movement feels crisp, guns have the correct properties, physics are used well here and there.
      positive · Sep 30, 2015 · review 18258445
    • +Great controlls
      positive · Sep 30, 2015 · review 18266126
  • learning curve

    5 positive · 8 negative · 2 mixed · 2 neutral

    • After a 2 hr intro with nothing but crawling and being confused, Soviet occupied Afghanistan opens up to you.
      negative · Feb 28, 2023 · review 133831690
    • The tutorial sequence is far too long and when the game finally starts, you're already fully equipped and stealth doesn't really count for much.
      negative · Sep 30, 2015 · review 18259319
    • not saying its not good, i still enjoyed as I am a metal gear fan, i've played every single game in the series, but for new comers to MGS the story might not be that appealing and confusing.
      negative · Dec 31, 2016 · review 28877161
  • replayability

    13 positive · 3 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • I always discover a new strategy for every run through.
      positive · Oct 31, 2021 · review 101975793
    • Between my almost 400 hours on Steam and close to that on the PS3 version I had on release, MGSV has been one of the most satisfying and memorable gaming experiences of my life.
      positive · Mar 31, 2022 · review 113136845
    • Genuinely addicting and one of the top ten games I've ever played and keep coming back to.
      positive · Nov 30, 2022 · review 127651089
  • ai behavior

    13 positive · 1 negative · 0 mixed · 1 neutral

    • The enemies adapt to the players tactics making sure that players have to stay on their toes when approaching any situation.
      positive · Apr 30, 2023 · review 137584675
    • AI works amazingly and the quality is insane!
      positive · Jun 30, 2024 · review 168636065
    • The AI intelligence was increased quite a bit compared to the other games, as well as when they looked around their point of view seemed accurate, they didn't seem as stiff and faceless anymore either.
      positive · Sep 30, 2015 · review 18258161
  • build variety

    14 positive · 0 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • The mechanics, unique ideas like raiding other players bases, the sheer variety of ways you can complete any mission, this is Hideo Kojima's game design at it's best.
      positive · Mar 31, 2022 · review 113136845
    • Think outside the box. Experiment. That's the real way to enjoy this game. You'll never get bored.
      positive · Jul 31, 2022 · review 119833761
    • There are tons of weapons, armors, and equipment to compliment any play style.
      positive · Apr 30, 2023 · review 137584675
  • level design

    5 positive · 8 negative · 1 mixed · 0 neutral

    • I also found the helicopter entry's to be boring AF and navigating from point A to point B a chore, while the two maps were uninteresting.
      negative · Aug 31, 2022 · review 121547312
    • Worst last missions design possible for a Legendary game!
      negative · Oct 31, 2024 · review 178114363
    • Too open, there's a lot of empty space that just is that, empty, it's like a line graph where each dot would be a base camp.
      negative · Sep 30, 2015 · review 18258161
  • addictiveness

    12 positive · 0 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • Genuinely addicting and one of the top ten games I've ever played and keep coming back to.
      positive · Nov 30, 2022 · review 127651089
    • 220 hours in and no sign of stopping
      positive · Mar 31, 2023 · review 135831004
    • +General gameplay of sneaking around and shooting stuff is rather fun and addictive
      positive · Sep 30, 2015 · review 18266126
  • difficulty

    8 positive · 2 negative · 1 mixed · 1 neutral

    • "game's very hard but worth the money and time, 10/10"
      positive · Nov 30, 2023 · review 152579179
    • The choice as well as the adaptations shocked me, doing too well at the game in certain regards will result in the game getting a natural difficulty increase.
      positive · Sep 30, 2015 · review 18258161
    • Those add a nice challenge.
      positive · Sep 30, 2015 · review 18268715
  • game length

    7 positive · 1 negative · 0 mixed · 4 neutral

    • ☑ Long
      positive · Dec 31, 2022 · review 129798242
    • I'd say if you keep yourself paced about 60-80 hours of gameplay for the missions and side-quests can add far more to that.
      positive · Sep 30, 2015 · review 18268625
    • You can spend 150+ hours.
      positive · Oct 31, 2015 · review 18799658
  • voice acting

    8 positive · 4 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • The voice acting is top-notch, with convincing performances that bring the characters to life.
      positive · Jun 30, 2023 · review 141000417
    • ☑ Good (He's no Hayter, but Sutherland sounds phenomenal in his own right)
      positive · Sep 30, 2015 · review 18259435
    • As the last 4 installments of MGS, they are not only voiced VERY well but, the characters show their weaknesses like any other human would.
      positive · Sep 30, 2015 · review 18268625
  • platform access

    1 positive · 9 negative · 0 mixed · 1 neutral

    • Its more or less if you can handle that its a half crap ported game or not.
      negative · Jan 31, 2022 · review 109204186
    • - there is no reason that there should be a weird online aspect
      negative · Apr 30, 2022 · review 114743083
    • Once this gets Steam Deck compatible (or at least better on the Steam deck) what little social life I have is GONE.
      negative · Apr 30, 2023 · review 137573266
  • balance

    2 positive · 7 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • - some levels are overly difficult for no reason while every other level is easy, and can only be done with cheese
      negative · Apr 30, 2022 · review 114743083
    • cardboard box is a bit op other then that funny game
      negative · Sep 30, 2023 · review 147376157
    • This being said, when things AREN'T open, you will find that when guards see you, it can be a bit unfair, example being when you only see their hat they're already trying to shine their flashlight at you.
      negative · Sep 30, 2015 · review 18258161
  • bugs

    5 positive · 4 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • ☑ Never heard of
      positive · Dec 31, 2022 · review 129798242
    • ☑ Few Bugs
      positive · Sep 30, 2015 · review 18259435
    • MASTER PIECE OF GAME, this is the best choise for a tatical infiltration game, perfect optimization, 0% bugs.
      positive · Oct 31, 2015 · review 18804383
  • writing

    4 positive · 5 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • He's a hack writer who doesn't know how to make a video game, and this piece of garbage proves it.
      negative · Jul 31, 2022 · review 119842379
    • The scenes in which we are forcedto kill our own soldiers is supposed to hit us harder because its in real time and we get to play it - but its so contrived and limited that you just cant get invested and could have been a cutscene anyway.
      negative · Sep 30, 2015 · review 18264827
    • Big Boss has 3 minutes worth of dialogue.
      negative · Nov 30, 2020 · review 81293811
  • exploration

    6 positive · 2 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • The addition of the "buddy" system, a functioning "Mother Base" that gives access to a growing list of options and the recruitment program known as the "fulton system" turns the mission-based world of MGS into an open sandbox where you want to explore between missions.
      positive · Sep 30, 2015 · review 18259805
    • Kojima went for an open world aspect to let you, the player to move to any particular mission, side op at your desire.
      positive · Sep 30, 2015 · review 18267559
    • I have played so much of the side quests just to be ready for the main ones, not that they aren't interesting, but i just like to explore and do alot of side stuff so if you like getting s**t done before you go in guns blazing or silently killing everyone i recommend this game.
      positive · Oct 31, 2015 · review 18798954
  • player choice

    8 positive · 0 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • The gameplay is stellar, the story is great even with some loose ends, and the freedom you have to do anything you want makes owning this game a no-brainer.
      positive · Sep 30, 2015 · review 18260266
    • [*]The freedom of completing the mission in anyway you want
      positive · Sep 30, 2015 · review 18265158
    • You chose the path you want to embark with Big Boss.
      positive · Sep 30, 2015 · review 18267559
  • sound design

    8 positive · 0 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • ☑ Very good
      positive · Dec 31, 2022 · review 129798242
    • Furthermore, the attention to detail in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain extends to its sound design.
      positive · Jun 30, 2023 · review 141000417
    • The graphics and sound design are great, running well on my limited hardware.
      positive · Dec 31, 2023 · review 154935232
  • ui

    0 positive · 7 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • -Maybe the only game I've ever seen to not have some basic volume control built into the game
      negative · Nov 30, 2022 · review 127641672
    • i just cant with this game, its just way too inconvenient and user unfriendly and not good enough to justify the bother that it is to play it
      negative · Jun 30, 2026 · review 229279150
    • Unfortunately, while enemy bases can be very detailed, the layout is not very intuitive.
      negative · Apr 30, 2017 · review 31474757
  • customization

    5 positive · 1 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • Crazy cool weapon customization
      positive · Oct 31, 2024 · review 178128730
    • One of the main reasons this game is good is because of the customization to EVERYTHING. Weapons, vechcles, buddy equipment, and so much more.
      positive · Jan 31, 2016 · review 20877256
    • Parters are perfect and unique, customization is now actually customization not like in PW or MGS4.
      positive · Jun 30, 2016 · review 23968160
  • realism

    4 positive · 2 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • The main characters are very well developed, they look realistic.
      positive · Jun 30, 2022 · review 117953415
    • I have played many Assassin's Creed games over the years however, not a single game has had stealth as cool and realistic as this one.
      positive · Sep 30, 2024 · review 176118007
    • You can tell the developers spent a lot of time making this game not only believable and realistic as can be but fun as well.
      positive · Jan 31, 2016 · review 20880523
  • dlc

    2 positive · 3 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • I normally never would buy DLC but this game will get my purchase. It's just super fun to play.
      positive · Sep 30, 2015 · review 18259335
    • I honestly think there should be a DLC providing a solid, satisfactory ending, I would buy it right away to give this really slick and amazing game some closure.
      positive · May 31, 2017 · review 32095831
    • DLC is garbage though, do not buy unless you have a need to dress up as MGS3 Snake.
      negative · Jun 30, 2020 · review 71762972

Emergent themes unvalidated

topics reviewers bring up that are not on the validated list; raw counts only, no error bars

  • grind 6

Review timeline

monthly peak 7,619 reviews · all languages

review volume 2,000 4,000 6,000 0 positive review share 100% 50% 0% 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Sep 2015 · 7,619 reviews (6,832 up · 787 down) · 90% positive Oct 2015 · 1,252 reviews (1,013 up · 239 down) · 81% positive Nov 2015 · 645 reviews (524 up · 121 down) · 81% positive Dec 2015 · 703 reviews (587 up · 116 down) · 83% positive Jan 2016 · 1,068 reviews (924 up · 144 down) · 87% positive Feb 2016 · 549 reviews (478 up · 71 down) · 87% positive Mar 2016 · 364 reviews (309 up · 55 down) · 85% positive Apr 2016 · 275 reviews (238 up · 37 down) · 87% positive May 2016 · 494 reviews (437 up · 57 down) · 88% positive Jun 2016 · 569 reviews (503 up · 66 down) · 88% positive Jul 2016 · 532 reviews (463 up · 69 down) · 87% positive Aug 2016 · 401 reviews (360 up · 41 down) · 90% positive Sep 2016 · 284 reviews (257 up · 27 down) · 90% positive Oct 2016 · 238 reviews (203 up · 35 down) · 85% positive Nov 2016 · 2,067 reviews (1,992 up · 75 down) · 96% positive Dec 2016 · 472 reviews (427 up · 45 down) · 90% positive Jan 2017 · 500 reviews (424 up · 76 down) · 85% positive Feb 2017 · 302 reviews (259 up · 43 down) · 86% positive Mar 2017 · 244 reviews (215 up · 29 down) · 88% positive Apr 2017 · 206 reviews (186 up · 20 down) · 90% positive May 2017 · 196 reviews (184 up · 12 down) · 94% positive Jun 2017 · 367 reviews (328 up · 39 down) · 89% positive Jul 2017 · 396 reviews (352 up · 44 down) · 89% positive Aug 2017 · 288 reviews (251 up · 37 down) · 87% positive Sep 2017 · 225 reviews (190 up · 35 down) · 84% positive Oct 2017 · 257 reviews (221 up · 36 down) · 86% positive Nov 2017 · 1,039 reviews (986 up · 53 down) · 95% positive Dec 2017 · 304 reviews (262 up · 42 down) · 86% positive Jan 2018 · 329 reviews (286 up · 43 down) · 87% positive Feb 2018 · 264 reviews (235 up · 29 down) · 89% positive Mar 2018 · 256 reviews (203 up · 53 down) · 79% positive Apr 2018 · 167 reviews (149 up · 18 down) · 89% positive May 2018 · 139 reviews (128 up · 11 down) · 92% positive Jun 2018 · 246 reviews (209 up · 37 down) · 85% positive Jul 2018 · 313 reviews (264 up · 49 down) · 84% positive Aug 2018 · 210 reviews (183 up · 27 down) · 87% positive Sep 2018 · 178 reviews (150 up · 28 down) · 84% positive Oct 2018 · 138 reviews (121 up · 17 down) · 88% positive Nov 2018 · 696 reviews (666 up · 30 down) · 96% positive Dec 2018 · 197 reviews (171 up · 26 down) · 87% positive Jan 2019 · 161 reviews (139 up · 22 down) · 86% positive Feb 2019 · 165 reviews (144 up · 21 down) · 87% positive Mar 2019 · 121 reviews (107 up · 14 down) · 88% positive Apr 2019 · 111 reviews (94 up · 17 down) · 85% positive May 2019 · 112 reviews (96 up · 16 down) · 86% positive Jun 2019 · 757 reviews (728 up · 29 down) · 96% positive Jul 2019 · 887 reviews (844 up · 43 down) · 95% positive Aug 2019 · 133 reviews (112 up · 21 down) · 84% positive Sep 2019 · 116 reviews (99 up · 17 down) · 85% positive Oct 2019 · 170 reviews (155 up · 15 down) · 91% positive Nov 2019 · 787 reviews (759 up · 28 down) · 96% positive Dec 2019 · 805 reviews (768 up · 37 down) · 95% positive Jan 2020 · 538 reviews (502 up · 36 down) · 93% positive Feb 2020 · 345 reviews (320 up · 25 down) · 93% positive Mar 2020 · 366 reviews (333 up · 33 down) · 91% positive Apr 2020 · 431 reviews (400 up · 31 down) · 93% positive May 2020 · 1,392 reviews (1,266 up · 126 down) · 91% positive Jun 2020 · 780 reviews (713 up · 67 down) · 91% positive Jul 2020 · 1,493 reviews (1,390 up · 103 down) · 93% positive Aug 2020 · 707 reviews (641 up · 66 down) · 91% positive Sep 2020 · 612 reviews (564 up · 48 down) · 92% positive Oct 2020 · 606 reviews (562 up · 44 down) · 93% positive Nov 2020 · 722 reviews (674 up · 48 down) · 93% positive Dec 2020 · 1,016 reviews (946 up · 70 down) · 93% positive Jan 2021 · 911 reviews (855 up · 56 down) · 94% positive Feb 2021 · 654 reviews (599 up · 55 down) · 92% positive Mar 2021 · 540 reviews (501 up · 39 down) · 93% positive Apr 2021 · 488 reviews (457 up · 31 down) · 94% positive May 2021 · 1,097 reviews (1,002 up · 95 down) · 91% positive Jun 2021 · 622 reviews (566 up · 56 down) · 91% positive Jul 2021 · 858 reviews (801 up · 57 down) · 93% positive Aug 2021 · 516 reviews (478 up · 38 down) · 93% positive Sep 2021 · 507 reviews (460 up · 47 down) · 91% positive Oct 2021 · 912 reviews (843 up · 69 down) · 92% positive Nov 2021 · 746 reviews (698 up · 48 down) · 94% positive Dec 2021 · 848 reviews (791 up · 57 down) · 93% positive Jan 2022 · 839 reviews (767 up · 72 down) · 91% positive Feb 2022 · 619 reviews (568 up · 51 down) · 92% positive Mar 2022 · 486 reviews (453 up · 33 down) · 93% positive Apr 2022 · 435 reviews (392 up · 43 down) · 90% positive May 2022 · 426 reviews (393 up · 33 down) · 92% positive Jun 2022 · 948 reviews (881 up · 67 down) · 93% positive Jul 2022 · 979 reviews (900 up · 79 down) · 92% positive Aug 2022 · 583 reviews (528 up · 55 down) · 91% positive Sep 2022 · 680 reviews (619 up · 61 down) · 91% positive Oct 2022 · 445 reviews (418 up · 27 down) · 94% positive Nov 2022 · 647 reviews (608 up · 39 down) · 94% positive Dec 2022 · 775 reviews (719 up · 56 down) · 93% positive Jan 2023 · 732 reviews (678 up · 54 down) · 93% positive Feb 2023 · 440 reviews (410 up · 30 down) · 93% positive Mar 2023 · 589 reviews (543 up · 46 down) · 92% positive Apr 2023 · 529 reviews (482 up · 47 down) · 91% positive May 2023 · 725 reviews (676 up · 49 down) · 93% positive Jun 2023 · 572 reviews (530 up · 42 down) · 93% positive Jul 2023 · 577 reviews (537 up · 40 down) · 93% positive Aug 2023 · 454 reviews (421 up · 33 down) · 93% positive Sep 2023 · 370 reviews (346 up · 24 down) · 94% positive Oct 2023 · 362 reviews (338 up · 24 down) · 93% positive Nov 2023 · 545 reviews (499 up · 46 down) · 92% positive Dec 2023 · 516 reviews (481 up · 35 down) · 93% positive Jan 2024 · 549 reviews (502 up · 47 down) · 91% positive Feb 2024 · 560 reviews (525 up · 35 down) · 94% positive Mar 2024 · 559 reviews (530 up · 29 down) · 95% positive Apr 2024 · 475 reviews (444 up · 31 down) · 93% positive May 2024 · 508 reviews (473 up · 35 down) · 93% positive Jun 2024 · 414 reviews (387 up · 27 down) · 93% positive Jul 2024 · 497 reviews (463 up · 34 down) · 93% positive Aug 2024 · 536 reviews (493 up · 43 down) · 92% positive Sep 2024 · 819 reviews (767 up · 52 down) · 94% positive Oct 2024 · 805 reviews (753 up · 52 down) · 94% positive Nov 2024 · 524 reviews (490 up · 34 down) · 94% positive Dec 2024 · 634 reviews (602 up · 32 down) · 95% positive Jan 2025 · 656 reviews (621 up · 35 down) · 95% positive Feb 2025 · 602 reviews (568 up · 34 down) · 94% positive Mar 2025 · 633 reviews (589 up · 44 down) · 93% positive Apr 2025 · 447 reviews (411 up · 36 down) · 92% positive May 2025 · 466 reviews (444 up · 22 down) · 95% positive Jun 2025 · 834 reviews (770 up · 64 down) · 92% positive Jul 2025 · 721 reviews (678 up · 43 down) · 94% positive Aug 2025 · 628 reviews (581 up · 47 down) · 93% positive Sep 2025 · 815 reviews (743 up · 72 down) · 91% positive Oct 2025 · 541 reviews (511 up · 30 down) · 94% positive Nov 2025 · 415 reviews (382 up · 33 down) · 92% positive Dec 2025 · 361 reviews (345 up · 16 down) · 96% positive Jan 2026 · 419 reviews (385 up · 34 down) · 92% positive Feb 2026 · 367 reviews (339 up · 28 down) · 92% positive Mar 2026 · 379 reviews (352 up · 27 down) · 93% positive Apr 2026 · 333 reviews (310 up · 23 down) · 93% positive May 2026 · 309 reviews (289 up · 20 down) · 94% positive Jun 2026 · 346 reviews (273 up · 73 down) · 79% positive Jul 2026 · 513 reviews (466 up · 47 down) · 91% positive Aug 2026 · 411 reviews (355 up · 56 down) · 86% positive Sep 2026 · 566 reviews (509 up · 57 down) · 90% positive Oct 2026 · 214 reviews (197 up · 17 down) · 92% positive

monthly share rated positive · 50% reference · months with <5 reviews faded

the timeline as a table
Reviews per month, all languages; months with no reviews are left out.
month reviews up down positive note
Sep 2015 7,619 6,832 787 90%
Oct 2015 1,252 1,013 239 81%
Nov 2015 645 524 121 81%
Dec 2015 703 587 116 83%
Jan 2016 1,068 924 144 87%
Feb 2016 549 478 71 87%
Mar 2016 364 309 55 85%
Apr 2016 275 238 37 87%
May 2016 494 437 57 88%
Jun 2016 569 503 66 88%
Jul 2016 532 463 69 87%
Aug 2016 401 360 41 90%
Sep 2016 284 257 27 90%
Oct 2016 238 203 35 85%
Nov 2016 2,067 1,992 75 96%
Dec 2016 472 427 45 90%
Jan 2017 500 424 76 85%
Feb 2017 302 259 43 86%
Mar 2017 244 215 29 88%
Apr 2017 206 186 20 90%
May 2017 196 184 12 94%
Jun 2017 367 328 39 89%
Jul 2017 396 352 44 89%
Aug 2017 288 251 37 87%
Sep 2017 225 190 35 84%
Oct 2017 257 221 36 86%
Nov 2017 1,039 986 53 95%
Dec 2017 304 262 42 86%
Jan 2018 329 286 43 87%
Feb 2018 264 235 29 89%
Mar 2018 256 203 53 79%
Apr 2018 167 149 18 89%
May 2018 139 128 11 92%
Jun 2018 246 209 37 85%
Jul 2018 313 264 49 84%
Aug 2018 210 183 27 87%
Sep 2018 178 150 28 84%
Oct 2018 138 121 17 88%
Nov 2018 696 666 30 96%
Dec 2018 197 171 26 87%
Jan 2019 161 139 22 86%
Feb 2019 165 144 21 87%
Mar 2019 121 107 14 88%
Apr 2019 111 94 17 85%
May 2019 112 96 16 86%
Jun 2019 757 728 29 96%
Jul 2019 887 844 43 95%
Aug 2019 133 112 21 84%
Sep 2019 116 99 17 85%
Oct 2019 170 155 15 91%
Nov 2019 787 759 28 96%
Dec 2019 805 768 37 95%
Jan 2020 538 502 36 93%
Feb 2020 345 320 25 93%
Mar 2020 366 333 33 91%
Apr 2020 431 400 31 93%
May 2020 1,392 1,266 126 91%
Jun 2020 780 713 67 91%
Jul 2020 1,493 1,390 103 93%
Aug 2020 707 641 66 91%
Sep 2020 612 564 48 92%
Oct 2020 606 562 44 93%
Nov 2020 722 674 48 93%
Dec 2020 1,016 946 70 93%
Jan 2021 911 855 56 94%
Feb 2021 654 599 55 92%
Mar 2021 540 501 39 93%
Apr 2021 488 457 31 94%
May 2021 1,097 1,002 95 91%
Jun 2021 622 566 56 91%
Jul 2021 858 801 57 93%
Aug 2021 516 478 38 93%
Sep 2021 507 460 47 91%
Oct 2021 912 843 69 92%
Nov 2021 746 698 48 94%
Dec 2021 848 791 57 93%
Jan 2022 839 767 72 91%
Feb 2022 619 568 51 92%
Mar 2022 486 453 33 93%
Apr 2022 435 392 43 90%
May 2022 426 393 33 92%
Jun 2022 948 881 67 93%
Jul 2022 979 900 79 92%
Aug 2022 583 528 55 91%
Sep 2022 680 619 61 91%
Oct 2022 445 418 27 94%
Nov 2022 647 608 39 94%
Dec 2022 775 719 56 93%
Jan 2023 732 678 54 93%
Feb 2023 440 410 30 93%
Mar 2023 589 543 46 92%
Apr 2023 529 482 47 91%
May 2023 725 676 49 93%
Jun 2023 572 530 42 93%
Jul 2023 577 537 40 93%
Aug 2023 454 421 33 93%
Sep 2023 370 346 24 94%
Oct 2023 362 338 24 93%
Nov 2023 545 499 46 92%
Dec 2023 516 481 35 93%
Jan 2024 549 502 47 91%
Feb 2024 560 525 35 94%
Mar 2024 559 530 29 95%
Apr 2024 475 444 31 93%
May 2024 508 473 35 93%
Jun 2024 414 387 27 93%
Jul 2024 497 463 34 93%
Aug 2024 536 493 43 92%
Sep 2024 819 767 52 94%
Oct 2024 805 753 52 94%
Nov 2024 524 490 34 94%
Dec 2024 634 602 32 95%
Jan 2025 656 621 35 95%
Feb 2025 602 568 34 94%
Mar 2025 633 589 44 93%
Apr 2025 447 411 36 92%
May 2025 466 444 22 95%
Jun 2025 834 770 64 92%
Jul 2025 721 678 43 94%
Aug 2025 628 581 47 93%
Sep 2025 815 743 72 91%
Oct 2025 541 511 30 94%
Nov 2025 415 382 33 92%
Dec 2025 361 345 16 96%
Jan 2026 419 385 34 92%
Feb 2026 367 339 28 92%
Mar 2026 379 352 27 93%
Apr 2026 333 310 23 93%
May 2026 309 289 20 94%
Jun 2026 346 273 73 79%
Jul 2026 513 466 47 91%
Aug 2026 411 355 56 86%
Sep 2026 566 509 57 90%
Oct 2026 214 197 17 92%

How this report was made
Population
all Steam reviews of the game (every language, purchase type, and verdict), walked newest-first per window; only English-language reviews are analyzed
Sample
550 English reviews, time-proportional draw over 134 windows (newest-first within each), taken from an all-language walk and kept English-only — where English is a minority the sample runs smaller than the draw, and every margin of error is computed at 550
Aspect yield
243 of 550 analyzed reviews carry at least one aspect (44.2%); every share on this page divides by all 550
Interval regime
calm: standard margins of error for a share of a sample (Wilson interval), no widening needed
Fetch paths
134 time windows fetched directly (windowed)
Language mix
1,000 fetched: english 551 · russian 138 · brazilian 58 · 22 more
Steam-marked windows
none flagged by Steam (Valve's off-topic flagging began March 2019)
Marked share
0.0% of sample inside marked windows, under the 2% floor
Narrative
passed the grounding gate first try
Evidence floor
aspects and emergent themes appear only with 5+ supporting reviews; smaller counts sit at the classifier's false-positive floor
Instrument readings
measured once on the study corpus for this model and prompt: frozen calibration, not properties of this run
· aspect tagging vs. human labels
0.801 [0.752–0.844] (F1 against a human-labeled test set; 1.0 is best)
· quotes filed under the wrong aspect
11.6% [6.6–19.6] of quotes, measured by hand on a sample; lower is better — measured on the prior model (2026-08-05); re-measurement pending
· independent model vs. production labels
0.791 [0.772–0.810] (F1 of the production labeler against an independent judge model) — measured on the prior model (2026-07-25); re-measurement pending
Versions
deepseek-flash · prompt classify-v1 · ontology v2
Run
serve-20261013T172738Z-fb129614 · code 798e06c

full methodology in the milestone write-ups