Don't Starve

 PC
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1134 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 869 out of 1134
  2. Mixed: 203 out of 1134
  3. Negative: 62 out of 1134

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  1. TechJet
    Aug 8, 2015
    6
    Its an ok Survival Rouge like. Its more of a waste of potential then a bad game. Starts off great, but just gets repetitive after a while. The terrain also doesn't look different enough, so it feels your doing the same thing over and over again. While I do enjoy the sanity meter (Which is the only reason I sometimes come back to this game) its been done so much better and feels sortaIts an ok Survival Rouge like. Its more of a waste of potential then a bad game. Starts off great, but just gets repetitive after a while. The terrain also doesn't look different enough, so it feels your doing the same thing over and over again. While I do enjoy the sanity meter (Which is the only reason I sometimes come back to this game) its been done so much better and feels sorta lackluster. If your playing this game for the Sanity bar, then just plug in your GameCube and play the forgotten gem Eternal Darkness.… Expand
  2. Phaldyn
    Oct 1, 2015
    10
    For reference, games in my Best Ever list include Planescape: Torment, Zork, Portal, the original arcade Tron, Megamania, Super Mario Brothers 2, The Secret of Monkey Island and Final Fantasy VIII. That's really just a sample. I also loved World of Goo, Fez, Starcraft, the original X-Wing, Super Mario Galaxy, Bioshock, the DS Professor Layton series, and American McGee's Alice. OtherFor reference, games in my Best Ever list include Planescape: Torment, Zork, Portal, the original arcade Tron, Megamania, Super Mario Brothers 2, The Secret of Monkey Island and Final Fantasy VIII. That's really just a sample. I also loved World of Goo, Fez, Starcraft, the original X-Wing, Super Mario Galaxy, Bioshock, the DS Professor Layton series, and American McGee's Alice. Other classics, Doom, Baldur's Gate I & II, Q-bert. Things I am not into: realistic warfare shooters; turn based strategy,

    Recently have been updating my collection via Gog.com and Steam (am a parent now and cannot budget all I'd like to on games and systems so we're usually at least a generation behind times), and waited forever for Don't Starve to come on sale. I don't think I even ever watched a gameplay trailer or anything - just based on the profile at Gog and the icon featuring Wilson's wild hair, I knew this was a game I wanted to try.

    As you can see from the list above, color, story, and music are elements that make a game memorable and significant for me. My philosophy is that building skill in a game must feel meaningful, that the story should be somehow moving, and that the graphic presentation ought to leave you elated - even if there is violence. Realism is not required or even really desired: I want to go somewhere else when I'm playing, experience a different world. Games are one of the highest artforms humanity has attained.

    Now that you know where I'm coming from, I must say that Don't Starve has not disappointed me. It feels weird at first, not knowing what the hell you're doing or why you're there (a beautiful sensation) and the more you figure out what you can do, what you can make, you get a distinct feeling of the game controls and idiosyncrasies growing on you.

    1. It's absolutely beautiful.
    2. The music is there, if brief.
    3. Levels of ability are distinct, internally.
    4. There is a story, but you'd be better off finishing Adventure Mode before you know what it is (and you won't find it in-game).
    5. There ends up being a philosophical meaning to the thing, even if it's not so easy to see.
    6. Gameplay is highly satisfying.
    7. There is a giant wiki dedicated to teaching players how to survive (a thousand times better than any "manual" could be)
    8. On the PC, there are ways to get around the permanent death issue.

    This review is deliberately vague and roundabout so as not to ruin any of the impact of playing the game from scratch nor to give too much interpretation of the "meaning" of the game... but I hope it helps someone out there decide to take the plunge and try it out.    … Expand
  3. Bellring
    Jul 31, 2016
    9
    I was torn up between giving this game a rating of 9 or 10. In the end though, the game has enough minor issues for it to miss out on a perfect score. This game does everything right, the characters are varied and interesting, the art style is unique, and there is enough to do in the game to easily keep a new player entertained for weeks. The only thing I did not like about this game isI was torn up between giving this game a rating of 9 or 10. In the end though, the game has enough minor issues for it to miss out on a perfect score. This game does everything right, the characters are varied and interesting, the art style is unique, and there is enough to do in the game to easily keep a new player entertained for weeks. The only thing I did not like about this game is that the worlds are random, for better or for worse. Sometimes, the world generation can be extremely weird or bad, and finding certain places in the world can be more time consuming due to the randomness. There are also a few glitches, albeit minor, that occur from time to time. Overall, I highly reccomend this game if you are a fan of roguelike or survival games.… Expand
  4. RoboElle
    Jun 23, 2016
    8
    This is a hard game, but I ain't complainin'. RTS is not my strongest suit, either, I really didn't expect to get as into this as I did, albeit I did play this pretty casually. How could I resist? It's charmingly dark. All the creatures and characters were distinct and did their own little thing not to mention, and the unfolding story featuring Maxwell in Reign Of Giants was engrossing.This is a hard game, but I ain't complainin'. RTS is not my strongest suit, either, I really didn't expect to get as into this as I did, albeit I did play this pretty casually. How could I resist? It's charmingly dark. All the creatures and characters were distinct and did their own little thing not to mention, and the unfolding story featuring Maxwell in Reign Of Giants was engrossing. All the little mysteries are TOO COMPELLING. A game not to be missed!… Expand
  5. Dco326
    Jan 2, 2020
    8
    Igrica je top po meni, nije igrica kakve ja volim ali je stvarno top topova za ljude koje vole ovaj tip grajndi survivial igrica, ja gotivim survivial ali mi je ova igra ipak previse grindi ali da nije tako ova igrica bi mi bila top topova.
  6. Gustavodol
    Jul 24, 2016
    7
    O Jogo é Ótimo e vai te fazer gastar horas tentando desbloquear e descobrir tudo que há no jogo, porém, como nada é perfeito, o jogo possui seus males, como as caríssimas DLCs e o Multiplayer, como eu me senti esfaqueado quando descobri que o multiplayer do jogo é um jogo diferente, mas mesmo assim, 10 para a história, 9 para os gráficos, 4 para o preço e 8 para a jogabilidade, o que daO Jogo é Ótimo e vai te fazer gastar horas tentando desbloquear e descobrir tudo que há no jogo, porém, como nada é perfeito, o jogo possui seus males, como as caríssimas DLCs e o Multiplayer, como eu me senti esfaqueado quando descobri que o multiplayer do jogo é um jogo diferente, mas mesmo assim, 10 para a história, 9 para os gráficos, 4 para o preço e 8 para a jogabilidade, o que da uma média de 7/10… Expand
  7. Nolan141
    Jan 23, 2017
    10
    This game is fun! Try this out if you enjoy challenging games! The gameplay will have you always thinking about what challenges may be upcoming and what gear you may need to collect and make to help you survive. You will need to explore to find rare materials to help you craft the gear that may help you delve deep into the ruins or to survive for a longer period of time on the surface.This game is fun! Try this out if you enjoy challenging games! The gameplay will have you always thinking about what challenges may be upcoming and what gear you may need to collect and make to help you survive. You will need to explore to find rare materials to help you craft the gear that may help you delve deep into the ruins or to survive for a longer period of time on the surface. Often deaths are learning experiences that will make your next run go smoother, mastery of this game will take some time. Replayability is quite high due to the challenging ruins and mastery of the caves.

    Art is great, Chester, spiders, enemies, it all looks v good. The sound effects are good, the music mehhh - I must admit I find the music pretty annoying when you're chopping trees and it switches to that tune it does but you can always turn music volume low and keep SFX up while you play your own music.

    Also, the DLC for this game is great! Shipwrecked will leave you solving problems for quite some time before you master it, probably the most challenging Don't Starve content to date.    … Expand
  8. EvanKillme
    Dec 14, 2016
    9
    Don’t Starve is a harsh yet enjoyable game for anyone without a short temper. The game is on PC and has a hunger, health, and sanity measurer. You have to gather materials, food spoils, tools have a set durability, and there is a day/night cycle where if you don’t have light at night you die instantly. The many characters, each with their own perks and personalities, and changeable worldDon’t Starve is a harsh yet enjoyable game for anyone without a short temper. The game is on PC and has a hunger, health, and sanity measurer. You have to gather materials, food spoils, tools have a set durability, and there is a day/night cycle where if you don’t have light at night you die instantly. The many characters, each with their own perks and personalities, and changeable world type makes every game new and even more dangerous. With a multiplayer expansion and many buyable DLC added onto the base game, gameplay is always being renewed. The community has a large modding focus to add anything to make things easier or to add in characters from other different games. Compared to any other survival game it is a decent choice because of it’s great value from the replayability and nice change from realistic graphics to the a cartoon style. The game is for anyone who enjoys a cartoon art style and can stand the unrelentless harshness the game has as well as the irritation of keeping all of your characters stats full while still progressing the game. Don’t Starve is a great game overall but needs polishing and is a 8.5 out of 10.… Expand
  9. Rhazer
    Dec 27, 2016
    10
    Absolutely brilliant game for survival lovers. And all that think about survival based on logic are overthinking things.
    *The game isn't in real time. One day in Don't Starve is appx. 3 Days. There is NO way a normal being starves in a few days or grows a beard in a whole week. Just not possible. I couldn't get stubble until 3 days.*
    The GOOD: - Very expansive and large territory to    Absolutely brilliant game for survival lovers. And all that think about survival based on logic are overthinking things.
    *The game isn't in real time. One day in Don't Starve is appx. 3 Days. There is NO way a normal being starves in a few days or grows a beard in a whole week. Just not possible. I couldn't get stubble until 3 days.*

    The GOOD:
    - Very expansive and large territory to explore, craft and thrive.
    - Good learning curve and knowledge curve. Like to survive the longest you will need to die over and over again and learn the mechanics. Because even the fighting and combat has advanced strategies for each monster. Spiders can be trapped, you can kite most melee monsters, etc
    - Unique characters and abilities. Of course you got Wilson, and the best part about him, is that you can revive with him. In the end, you will survive the longest with Wilson. As his beard hair is essential for effigies which are used as revive points

    The BAD:
    - BRUTAL. UNFORGIVING. This is a world for the truly crazy. There is no room for error, and you need to know what you are doing. Once you hit winter, you will be owned hard unless you are experienced enough to know what to do at each point in the game and even then there are random storms and random chances to encounter boss monsters. And until you know what you are doing, you will die harshly.
    - Very very steep learning curve. It is going to take either hundreds of deaths to figure out what you are doing or several hours if not days worth of research on the Wiki to figure it out. But it is well worth it when you can call yourself the king of survival.    … Expand
  10. Marked_One
    Mar 29, 2017
    7
    A nice survival game. The character variety is nice, each one with it's perks and minuses, the gameplay is really good too and it has a good concept. However, the gameplay becomes quickly repetitive (gather food> gather basic resources> build some things> make a fire for the night). A decent game, plagued by repetitiveness.
  11. bdurmaz
    May 4, 2017
    7
    A really well-designed game. It really gets you in that survival mindset with every detail in it.

    It did, however, lose its effect on me fairly quickly. A few playthroughs and I wasn't eager to start again because of the repetitiveness of its nature.
  12. chris2017
    May 24, 2017
    9
    Pros: A game that is fun to revisit over and over again, even after you've mastered the basics. High learning curve but the wiki is pretty thorough.

    Cons: You've seen everything once you can make it past day 80 or so. After that the game is more about base aesthetics than survival.
  13. tsampson25
    Aug 6, 2017
    8
    For sure takes some practice to get the hold of the game, but if you play long enough you are really able to fully enjoy the game in all its glory. There is a lot of things to do and many ways to die, but also many ways to NOT die. There's tons of exploration to do, monsters to fight, animals to eat, items to collect, and a large amount of fun!
  14. LesPaul
    Jun 1, 2019
    5
    A little too simplistic for my taste. Didn't enjoy the art style either, which didn't help matters. But I can understand that others might enjoy this offering.
  15. Kaszmiro
    Nov 1, 2017
    9
    The best survival game with elements of Minecraft and Terraria
    Pros
    + Diversive characters
    + Addictive gameplay
    + Advanced crafting system
    + A lot of content to discover
    + RoG is an amazing DLC
    Cons
    - Combat system can be sometimes wanky
    - Shipwreck dlc could be much better
  16. Gaming_Bear
    Dec 27, 2022
    8
    Fun survival game. Neat art style. Cool music. Cute dialog. Felt a little grindy and a little like it dragged on. Worth a play though if you like survival games.
  17. The_Moon
    Mar 18, 2018
    7
    Soundtrack: 7/10
    Graphics: 10/10
    Story: 5/10 Gameplay: 7/10 The soundtrack gives a nice background to the game but was nothing too special. The graphics were very good, nice hand drawn art style. The story is okay, but it is really hard to get that far because this game has permadeath. It has some crafing and base building gameplay, nothing too unexpected but it is fun. Note, this    Soundtrack: 7/10
    Graphics: 10/10
    Story: 5/10
    Gameplay: 7/10

    The soundtrack gives a nice background to the game but was nothing too special. The graphics were very good, nice hand drawn art style. The story is okay, but it is really hard to get that far because this game has permadeath. It has some crafing and base building gameplay, nothing too unexpected but it is fun. Note, this game is very hard, and to get better you may need to use the wiki for it. This makes me feel that its not worth it to get better and use the wiki, because the game doesn't have much to offer that is very unique, in terms of story or gameplay. I feel like this is just another crafting game that is good, but not great.

    Overall: 7/10    … Expand
  18. rezo_21
    Sep 18, 2021
    7
    ====================IIIIIIIIII GAME RANK : 65 IIIIIIIIII====================
  19. Wrathzo
    Mar 22, 2022
    7
    Don't Starve is a survival video game developed by Klei Entertainment. The game follows a scientist named Wilson who finds himself in a dark, dreary parallel world known as the Constant and must survive as long as possible. To this end, the player must keep Wilson alive, fed, and mentally stable as he avoids a variety of surreal and supernatural enemies that will try to kill and devourDon't Starve is a survival video game developed by Klei Entertainment. The game follows a scientist named Wilson who finds himself in a dark, dreary parallel world known as the Constant and must survive as long as possible. To this end, the player must keep Wilson alive, fed, and mentally stable as he avoids a variety of surreal and supernatural enemies that will try to kill and devour him. The game's Adventure mode adds depth to the sparse plot and pits Wilson against the game's supposed antagonist, Maxwell.… Expand
  20. metesuzuk
    Jan 11, 2022
    9
    The art design is AWESOME. It's a lot of fun with its survival mechanics and variety of characters.
  21. apokalipto
    Aug 11, 2023
    9
    Very good game. I enjoyed playing this game a lot. I strongly recommend this.
  22. Michiviher
    Apr 17, 2021
    10
    Don Starve Это хардкорнешая игра!!!!! Которая заставит по нервничать собирая ресурсы выживая!!!!!
  23. TiredAlfred
    Dec 29, 2021
    7
    Assume the role of Wilson, an intrepid Gentleman Scientist who has been trapped by a demon and transported to a mysterious wilderness world. Wilson must learn to utilize his environment and its inhabi
  24. Tromble
    Jun 28, 2021
    7
    Don't Starve's greatest strengths are its greatest weaknesses.

    One of the most fun games I have ever played. One of the most frustrating games I have ever played. One of the most flawed games I have ever played.

    I would highly recommend Don't Starve.
  25. F3T1W
    Aug 27, 2021
    5
    Not a bad survivor for a couple of nights, the night in this game really makes you tense
  26. kleberson777
    May 27, 2023
    10
    This game is still the best survival builder for me. The diifculty may turn off for some people but that is one of the reason I love it. It make the survival aspect more intense
  27. Animus_V0x
    Jun 23, 2022
    4
    Well this game is for sure not for me, tried solo, hated it, had no fun. Better with friends but quickly runs out of it's entertainment after 10 games.
  28. SauceBox6
    Nov 26, 2022
    8
    10 - Masterpiece
    9 - Amazing
    8 - Great
    7 - Good
    6 - Okay
    5 - Mediocre
    4 - Bad
    3 - Awful
    2 - Painful
    1 - Unbearable
  29. LambdaLocator
    Jul 21, 2023
    9
    The game itself isn't very interesting or content rich, but the DLCs make this game a must play, they revamp the game and change a lot of the main mechanics!
  30. Zebstan17
    Apr 1, 2023
    10
    Amazing survival game 1 of the best on steam.
    I recommend it for everyone!
  31. Bigwillyhaver69
    Jul 21, 2023
    8
    A very good survival game.Played it for days non stop and did not get bored, in this game you have so much to do.
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Awards & Rankings

72
#72 Best PC Game of 2013
40
#40 Most Discussed PC Game of 2013
22
#22 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 33 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 33
  3. Negative: 0 out of 33
  1. Gamer.nl
    Jul 19, 2013
    80
    Don’t Starve is a game for those who persevere. The infinitely playable survival RPG with an artsy appearance tests your endurance, but rewards players with a surprisingly unique experience.
    Read full review
  2. games(TM)
    Jun 28, 2013
    80
    It's a game that just keeps giving, even as it tears your life from you. [Issue#136, p.110]
    Read full review
  3. Polygon
    Jun 26, 2013
    85
    A refreshingly upfront experience, right down to the title. A game that shoves players into a complex, harsh world with little explanation, it can be tough to parse at first. But little by little, Don't Starve reveals itself via deep mechanics and an ever-evolving world. It started strong and got better.
    Read full review
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