User Score
4.2

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 107 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 107
  2. Negative: 56 out of 107

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  1. May 5, 2020
    10
    Definitely not perfect, but close enough. For a cheap price this little gem holds a whole lot of hours of gameplay. I got a motorboat, a gyrocopter, and all the food and water I could wish for. The people rating this low, did not spend enough time getting to know the game mechanics. I'm fighting sharks, catching lionfishs, living the life! 30 in-game days in, and still got PLENTY of hoursDefinitely not perfect, but close enough. For a cheap price this little gem holds a whole lot of hours of gameplay. I got a motorboat, a gyrocopter, and all the food and water I could wish for. The people rating this low, did not spend enough time getting to know the game mechanics. I'm fighting sharks, catching lionfishs, living the life! 30 in-game days in, and still got PLENTY of hours to explore this game. Huge fan, thx!!! Expand
  2. Jan 4, 2023
    10
    Man i can play any horror game with ease but if you throw me into stranded deep i’m screaming like a japanese school girl
  3. May 18, 2021
    9
    One of the most unique gaming experiences I’ve had in a while. Takes me back to the days of my Amiga when I’d get a genuine feeling of excitement from something that felt truly original. This game won’t suit everyone I’m certain but I found it a refreshing play.
  4. Apr 23, 2020
    8
    sadly... this feels like budgeted game, but the price is fair. there are much richer and more AAA quality of survival games. Its pitty, I was quite looking forward to it and buy it day one. I will give it another chance today again, but I think my game is over with this game.. its lower standard than I expected. edit after more hrs in. raising from 5/10 to 6/10 .. there is some joy andsadly... this feels like budgeted game, but the price is fair. there are much richer and more AAA quality of survival games. Its pitty, I was quite looking forward to it and buy it day one. I will give it another chance today again, but I think my game is over with this game.. its lower standard than I expected. edit after more hrs in. raising from 5/10 to 6/10 .. there is some joy and somehow I am comming back even if it is far from perfect. Still worth a try I think. Edit - after another days and app + 15hrs in .... 8.5/10 - it actually has depth, I am comming back to this game and really starts to enjoy it. I am changing my mind, the game is somehow unique and although its not perfect (more tutorial will be fine, or at least more description) it really offers new experience you can not have from NO other survival game. I liked that if I was frustrated, it was because of my mistakes, not the game one. I did not have single bug, created structures are doing exactly what they should (I just did not understand how things works firsts and blame the game that water catcher is not working (it was haha) - creating water is easy once doing right things :) Now I have enough water (how much i want without some effort) and some lower quality of food for every day and doing expeditions to other islands. Oh boy, it actally is GOOD, relaxin, fun , mysterious...! For 20eur definately recommended, experimenting is part of the experience. I am really happy that I did not stop to play early in game, this game offers quite a lot. I am enjoying sunny days in my new safe house and conquering at least for now small creatures and westher. There is a looot in front of me and I can not wait to play again. The game never crashed, never, so its quite done executed. Fps is sometimes and some situatiins lower and stutter here and there for one second and this could be improved, but its not distracting It IS unique, buy it. 8.5/10 It already gives ma back more hours of fun, than several full priced AAA games. Expand
  5. Apr 23, 2020
    8
    Game is fun. Could be better w graphics and controls. A little to easy. Could use multiplayer or stranded w friend n coop. Would be nice.
  6. Oct 12, 2020
    8
    i left a very negative review of this game on release which was based on around 10 minutes' gameplay and never leaving the starting island. Having given this game a second chance recently I now feel my initial reaction was completely unfair and I've been completely hooked since picking it up again. This game is uniquely challenging and rewarding and gives you a real sense of accomplishmenti left a very negative review of this game on release which was based on around 10 minutes' gameplay and never leaving the starting island. Having given this game a second chance recently I now feel my initial reaction was completely unfair and I've been completely hooked since picking it up again. This game is uniquely challenging and rewarding and gives you a real sense of accomplishment when you finally go from just trying not to die from dehydration and starvation to being properly self sufficient and able to begin exploring the surrounding islands. I expect to sink many more hours into this... Expand
  7. Jul 7, 2020
    8
    This game surprised me. It has good graphics, the gameplay is good (engine can be improved) and in general it can be much more improved. I hope the developers continue with this game.
  8. Jun 4, 2023
    8
    This game is great! Very enjoyable gameplay mechanics, fun exploration, base-building, and even boss fights. Definitely more of an indie title with a bit of jank, but still a great game and often on sale.
  9. May 20, 2020
    7
    This survival game could do with a little polish and there's the occasional glitch (spastic boars anyone?), but it's nowhere near as disastrous as some reviewers here would like us to believe.
    Metacritic is just full of frustrated people who refuse to take the time to stick with a game to see what it has to offer, but instead exaggerate what is wrong with it and slap a zero on it after
    This survival game could do with a little polish and there's the occasional glitch (spastic boars anyone?), but it's nowhere near as disastrous as some reviewers here would like us to believe.
    Metacritic is just full of frustrated people who refuse to take the time to stick with a game to see what it has to offer, but instead exaggerate what is wrong with it and slap a zero on it after only a few hours of play.
    In my opinion, Stranded Deep is an enjoyable and relaxing title that is certainly worth a try if you're into this kind of game.
    When the game begins, you are guided by a tutorial to get you going. After that you rely on your crafting menu to give you your sense of direction. For instance, crafting a water still will be one of the first things you'll be wanting to do, as you cannot rely on coconuts too much, not for drinking nor for eating. I read comments on how people say the water still does not produce water, but it needs fibrous leaves or palm fronds to work. The former is the better choice as these leaves reproduce after a day or two. For food you can catch fish, crabs, birds, you can kill boars, snakes etc.
    Around every island you can spot sunken wrecks where you can dive to and collect different materials. Beware though of sharks that can appear at any time.
    When you've built a raft you can go and explore the other islands. The map is a 5x5 grid with 21 islands, 3 boss areas and one area where you need to go for the ending part.
    A tip for when using the raft: make sure to attach an anchor to it so that you can lower it just off the beach in the shallow parts instead of sailing onto the beach itself. The raft will stay in place in the water and you can easily take off again. Otherwise you always have to drag it back into the water and position the nose away from the land, which can be a hassle. Also there are big rocks in the shallows where your raft can get stuck on and that's even more annoying. Just use your anchor not too far out when approaching an island and you'll be good.
    If you want to go faster than the speed the sail has to offer, you can also craft a boat engine or even a gyrocopter, but I find the fuel consumption to be rather high, so I personally stick to using a sail.
    I also recommend saving regularly. You can get poisoned if you're not careful and having to then go look for the cure on other islands when you have none in stock can be a nuisance. A quick reload can remedy that. Also the game can crash now and then, even when trying to save, bringing you back to the Playstation menu.
    In the main menu of the game you can go to cartographer where you have the option to create new islands and replace them with islands already on your map. The advantage is that when you create these islands you can put everything you might be looking for on them. Just create an island with what you need and place it next to your home island, sail over there and collect! Afterwards you can easily replace it with another island with other stuff if you want.
    All in all I find Stranded Deep to be a worthwile survival game which could have gotten a point more if not for some flaws. If you're not a Metacritic crybaby, give this game a chance!
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  10. Jun 29, 2021
    7
    Ladders do t work properly, i get stuck on stuff a lot, this game still needs lots of work.
  11. May 6, 2020
    7
    If you liked the Forest, this is a decently similar kind of game.

    Of the positives, the game presents a decent survival challenge- you really have to stay on top of food and water acquisition, and there are limited medical resources if you are, say, bitten by a snake. You also have a number of islands to visit for different resources, and start off with a raft you can use to get from
    If you liked the Forest, this is a decently similar kind of game.

    Of the positives, the game presents a decent survival challenge- you really have to stay on top of food and water acquisition, and there are limited medical resources if you are, say, bitten by a snake. You also have a number of islands to visit for different resources, and start off with a raft you can use to get from place to place.

    Some of the other reviews I've seen here criticizing the game have said things that are simply untrue: You can absolutely change the sensitivity of the camera movement, you can get water from a few different sources (it's tricky, though- again, the game is presenting a challenge, and maintaining a source of water and food is part of that challenge), and you CAN sleep for (most) of the nigh.

    Other things, however, are true: The game is glitchy in some places (twice now I've had a boar I was hunting just totally, graphically freak out and bounce all over the place). Hunting land-game in general is a bit clunky, although you don't really have to since crabs and fish are easily acquired. And it is true that sharks can throw you out of a boat.

    I agree the game requires more development, but a lot of the negative reviews I'm seeing here primarily seem to be complaining about the difficulty of the game and the lack of resources- and while difficulty is a legitimate reason to dislike a game, I'm pretty sure that's what the devs were going for in this case.
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  12. May 29, 2021
    7
    I got this game on PSplus and i only have one huge problem about this game.
    and that is the magnets trophy.
    While you cannot use a compass, and there is a compass on the helicopter you can build and even though i saved BEFORE entering the helicopter and closed the game and loaded the file before i entered the game had already registered that i had been using that compass for some
    I got this game on PSplus and i only have one huge problem about this game.
    and that is the magnets trophy.
    While you cannot use a compass, and there is a compass on the helicopter you can build and even though i saved BEFORE entering the helicopter and closed the game and loaded the file before i entered the game had already registered that i had been using that compass for some reason.
    and the game does not tell you in any way that there is a compass on that helicopter.
    soo you mess up an entire run of the game if you want too get the platinum
    soo i had too start a new game just for that trophy alone.
    Normally i hate survival games like this.
    and i think propably this game had alot more problems at launch.
    But i had alot of fun with it.
    i was stressed out, when taking the bosses.
    i would have wished that the entire survival aspect of the game was deeper then what it was.
    you where grinding the same thing over and over.
    and gathering materials too build stuff was simply not fun.
    overall if they made surviving in the area more "fun" wich in reality it should not be. but this is a game we should have fun. it would have been better.
    cheats would have been SUPERFUN in a console edition and would have made people play this game ALOT more.
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  13. Apr 27, 2020
    7
    Update: They added invert Y axis with a new patch, praise be ❤️❤️

    Unfortunately was unable to play much as the game offers no option to invert Y axis on the right stick, and this is not something that can be done with the PS4 accessibility options. I really hope the developer continues to support this game, and hope more they will add some control options. Otherwise I've wasted $30. 4/10
    Update: They added invert Y axis with a new patch, praise be ❤️❤️

    Unfortunately was unable to play much as the game offers no option to invert Y axis on the right stick, and this is not something that can be done with the PS4 accessibility options. I really hope the developer continues to support this game, and hope more they will add some control options. Otherwise I've wasted $30. 4/10 trailer looked cool
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  14. Jan 22, 2021
    7
    Not the greatest game in history or anything but very fun if you are into survival sims. I would note that if you need games to hold your hand through every aspect of gameplay, you may find this is too difficult for you. The initial tutorial is a bit spartan but I feel adds to the immersion (unless you are Bear Grylls crashing on an island you wont know much more than how to lash a rock toNot the greatest game in history or anything but very fun if you are into survival sims. I would note that if you need games to hold your hand through every aspect of gameplay, you may find this is too difficult for you. The initial tutorial is a bit spartan but I feel adds to the immersion (unless you are Bear Grylls crashing on an island you wont know much more than how to lash a rock to a stick and maybe lay some leaves across a shelter frame), and the investigation angle is a nice display of trial and error learning (again unless you expect everything to be laid bare so you don't have to experiment and learn). There are certainly some bugs that thankfully the devs appear to have been working on and look to be continuing that trend of live improvement. It isn't difficult to see why some simply wouldn't enjoy this game as it is not the most polished thing out there and the learning curve is steep, but I would submit that as it was made by 2 people it really isn't as bad as Ive seen some claim (my opinion anyway). In summary this is a passable survival game that doesn't have a problem letting you figure out how to manage resources properly or die and does a decent job of simulating the loneliness and material hardship of being stranded in a Pacific archipelago, which I believe to have been the goal. Expand
  15. Jan 29, 2021
    7
    An enjoyable survival experience. Not as good (and no way as sinister) as The Forest, but by no means a bad game. Passive mode (whilst not being 100% passive, lion fish) was preferable as the hidden snakes and sharks could be irritating. Not without fault, but fond memories and recommended.
  16. May 6, 2021
    7
    No lo jugué mucho pero por lo que jugue esta bastante bueno,se los recomiendo bastante.
    Saludos
  17. Jan 8, 2022
    7
    This game is exciting, I hope it will be regularly updated by the developers. There is some pretty lousy picture quality, however, as the game hasn't received a PS5 update. When I compare my image to those which play on PC, there is a difference.
  18. Oct 29, 2020
    6
    Great concept, gorgeous palette marred by poor gameplay, UI and lack of polish.

    I first started playing this game back on April 21st when it first came to PS4. Back then my first impressions were that this was a very promising way of scratching the whole survival-construction itch I've been having lately without having to switch to my PC or play The Forest again. My first impressions
    Great concept, gorgeous palette marred by poor gameplay, UI and lack of polish.

    I first started playing this game back on April 21st when it first came to PS4. Back then my first impressions were that this was a very promising way of scratching the whole survival-construction itch I've been having lately without having to switch to my PC or play The Forest again.

    My first impressions were that the menu and UI interaction was rather poorly made, using the square button to toggle options and the X button to apply changes. This led to me loading up my game without changing some options. This menu system does not seem to have improved or changed during my most recent return to the game.

    Graphically, the game uses a gorgeous palette, and truly sets the mood of the game. However, there are several things which stand out. For example, the yucca plants are sometimes bugged out and spawn intersecting with other objects such as rocks and shrubs, thus making it difficult to harvest fibrous leaves which are used in the production of essentials in game. Also, when viewed at certain angles, plants and foliage can appear with unfinished textures.

    One of my faultless praises with the game are the water effects. It is next to Subnautica with the textures and I feel genuinely terrified when venturing between islands. Especially if my raft capsizes and I observe as my wooden box which I loaded onto it falls to the dark depths beneath me!

    This game has so much potential, and I feel like it would benefit if it introduced a multiplayer mode to allow you to work with friends to survive and build a sustainable home. The UI definitely requires an overhaul first though, and more controller tweaks and polish. After that, this game could be something much more.
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  19. May 14, 2020
    6
    I think it is fun, but I wish it had multiplayer. It can get a little bit boring at times, especially if you’re low on health.
  20. Apr 29, 2021
    6
    its ok but this game need more patches. The see looks pretty good but the islands are lame.
  21. Mar 23, 2022
    6
    Não é um jogo nota 10 mas traz desafios legais, a física do jogo tem coisas questionáveis, sem falar de um bug que aconteceu comigo onde salvei numa ilha com uma jangada e ao retornar as ilhas trocaram de posição e perdi a jangada com todos os itens que estavam nela.
  22. May 6, 2020
    5
    I changed my review to a slightly higher one after learning this game was literally made by two people. This is a terrible, buggy port. Prepare to struggle against the controls for most of the game and when your not doing that you will be trying to find a work around for the numerous bugs that will make an already bad experience much worse.

    The tutorial is too short and gives you some
    I changed my review to a slightly higher one after learning this game was literally made by two people. This is a terrible, buggy port. Prepare to struggle against the controls for most of the game and when your not doing that you will be trying to find a work around for the numerous bugs that will make an already bad experience much worse.

    The tutorial is too short and gives you some basics but doesn't tell you key things that you need to survive right from the beginning. Then there are the sharks. Oh my god the sharks. In a game where resources are limited and few and far between you should not be punished with the extremely aggressive sharks that send you flying out of your raft every few minutes early game.

    If you are a masochist this game is for you.
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  23. Nov 18, 2021
    5
    Симулятор выживания на минималках или просто более аркадная, графика не понравилась, геймплей тоже уныл как и атмосфера игры. Вообщем 5/10 на пару вечеров
  24. Aug 18, 2020
    5
    Great fun game for the first 10hrs but once you prepared everything to travel to next island with your raft you'll never touch a island due to constantly crashing when nearing a island. A unplayable game for ps4. Not worth the money.
  25. Dec 29, 2020
    5
    Stranded Deep is a mediocre survival game. It feels like an unfinished game. Graphics are much worse than a modern game and gameplay lacks of some creative stuff. Grinding the base materials are also a pain in the back. Basic coop mechanics are just split screen and there is a lot of stuff that needs to be developed about it. Also control scheme is so bad and there isn't any differentStranded Deep is a mediocre survival game. It feels like an unfinished game. Graphics are much worse than a modern game and gameplay lacks of some creative stuff. Grinding the base materials are also a pain in the back. Basic coop mechanics are just split screen and there is a lot of stuff that needs to be developed about it. Also control scheme is so bad and there isn't any different preset about it or anything that allows you change the buttons. And an addition to these music is real crap. Buggy, dull and boring. Expand
  26. May 5, 2021
    5
    Um jogo com uma ideia bacana de sobrevivência. Porém... extremamente horrível no quesito jogabilidade, FPS, entre outros fatores. Joguei o game no PS5... parecia que estava rodando a 10 FPS. Decepcionado demais, pelo menos ganhei ele na PLUS. Com toda a certeza eu pediria reembolso se tivesse comprado. Tomara que lancem atualizações pra melhorar o desempenho e até mesmo a jogabilidadeUm jogo com uma ideia bacana de sobrevivência. Porém... extremamente horrível no quesito jogabilidade, FPS, entre outros fatores. Joguei o game no PS5... parecia que estava rodando a 10 FPS. Decepcionado demais, pelo menos ganhei ele na PLUS. Com toda a certeza eu pediria reembolso se tivesse comprado. Tomara que lancem atualizações pra melhorar o desempenho e até mesmo a jogabilidade travada. Expand
  27. Apr 24, 2020
    4
    This game is clunky. Movement feels stiff and their isn't any way to change sensitivity. At times it doesn't feel responsive. Sometimes the character gets stuck walking over rocks and the screen moves backwards and forwards. The graphics are nothing exciting. The weather effects are dull. You have rain with wind sounds but the trees and your stuff don't react to the wind. The wavesThis game is clunky. Movement feels stiff and their isn't any way to change sensitivity. At times it doesn't feel responsive. Sometimes the character gets stuck walking over rocks and the screen moves backwards and forwards. The graphics are nothing exciting. The weather effects are dull. You have rain with wind sounds but the trees and your stuff don't react to the wind. The waves look cool. Your campfire won't go out in the middle of a rainstorm. Swimming is fine except when you can't swim out of a window inside a sunken ship and end up drowning. You'll make mistakes and fail based on poor game design. It doesn't feel like a survival game. There is no real danger of not having enough resources and dying of dehydration. The game pushes you to move to island to island otherwise you run out of resources. You start off with some rations, you have coconuts, lots of trees, you can build a water mill and feed it palm leaves or whatever. Their is one resource used to make rope which takes forever to respawn. You need a lot of rope. You need it to make tools and to build your raft with the sails and the steering thing. You'll find yourself waiting it out until the plant re-spawns so you can collect the leaves to make the rope. You won't die of hunger because you can just go fishing with a stick.

    After many retries I finally set sail on my raft without a steering thing because I didn't want to wait out 3 in game days for the plant for the rope to re-spawn. So I jumped into the water to then dragged and moved the raft back into the direction of the island I wanted to get to. Getting back onto the raft isn't perfect to the point it's annoying. I got attacked by a shark and gave up.

    It's an interesting game because it has some bosses to fight and an endgame. You have to get to a ship or something and rebuild it to sail away to civilisation. Or theirs a plane, I don't remember. The maps are procedurally generated which is neat. But the game ends up getting boring very quickly. It loses momentum when you have to wait around for the plant for the rope to regrow.

    Who knows if this game is going to get patched. But right now, it's feels like a beta test. In one of my games I had the sound of underwater swimming playing all the time. Even when I was walking around on the beach. But it's clunky. When I set sail the movement while on the ship was jagged. The screen would move back and forth every so often. It's not a smooth experience gameplay wise. The inventory system is also unintuitive. It's annoying.

    This game is annoying.
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  28. Apr 22, 2020
    4
    Really poorly optimised, Runs choppy and controls terrible. I would recommend sticking to the pc version.
  29. Apr 21, 2020
    4
    Finally another survival game for PS4. Could not resist buying it. But after 6 hours of gamplay I can not recommend it. Feels like a beta, had a lot of issues / bugs with game mechanics like water collectors that don't do anything, no matter if it rains or not...so what do you do the whole time? Looking for Coco Nuts and drinking it in order not to die on thirst. The whole days!!! DontFinally another survival game for PS4. Could not resist buying it. But after 6 hours of gamplay I can not recommend it. Feels like a beta, had a lot of issues / bugs with game mechanics like water collectors that don't do anything, no matter if it rains or not...so what do you do the whole time? Looking for Coco Nuts and drinking it in order not to die on thirst. The whole days!!! Dont get me wrong. Of course its a survival game, but since you acutally got no chance to explore other island or surroundings, because you are just dealing with hunger and thirst at a very low level without a chance to improve your stuff because the game mechanics dont work properly, I did not feel encouranged to continue. At one point little plants (that I needed to produce ropes) totally dissapeard for days. Its just freaking boring or frustrating and it feels like it still has some very deep balancing issues. Framerate issues as well and lots of graphic bugs. Its an Indie so I dont care for graphics too much. But I really expected a nice Survival Experience like a Long Dark in Paradies. Well... What came to my mind is, that Stranded Deep would probably work way better with Multiplayer - but there is no!!! To me, I'm done with the game, as long as it stays in this Status because I really did not had any fun with it at all. Expand
  30. May 14, 2020
    4
    Bad performance on PS4 Pro and the graphics, meh. I dont know how the game is on PC but on PS4 it definitifly needs a lot of work to be really playable. The concept is nice and the things you COULD do if they would work are well thought. I wish this game will reach a playable state soon.
Metascore
65

Mixed or average reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 7
  2. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. May 26, 2021
    65
    Stranded Deep is a naked and raw survival, more suitable for big fans of the genre than for newbies.
  2. May 9, 2021
    68
    Stranded Deep does not have content and variety comparable to the most famous survival and overall each of its mechanics is quite derivative.
  3. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Jun 4, 2020
    60
    It’s rarely original, occasionally frustrating, and often clumsy in execution, but when it clicks there’s a meditative vein to Stranded Deep’s grind that will make time spent indoors sunnier. [Issue#176, p.74]