Permafrost Review Roundup: What Players Say
Updated:
Quick answer: as of October 13, 2026, Permafrost holds a "Mostly Positive" rating on Steam — 71% of 1,039 user reviews. No Metacritic score exists yet. The shape of the feedback: strong atmosphere and survival hook, Early Access roughness on top.
This page aggregates published player sentiment with dates and sources. We do not present it as our own playtest verdict, and we update the numbers as manual snapshots — not live data.
The numbers
| Source | Score | Snapshot date |
|---|---|---|
| Steam user reviews (all) | Mostly Positive — 71% of 1,039 | October 13, 2026 |
| Metacritic | no score listed | October 13, 2026 |
What players praise
- The cold as a real antagonist — warmth management, blizzards and cold zones create genuine tension instead of another hunger bar.
- Atmosphere and world — the shattered-moon setting, abandoned towns and a quieter, more grounded survival tone.
- The dog companion — frequently singled out as the emotional hook.
- Co-op — surviving the freeze with friends is the mode many reviews recommend.
What players criticize
- Launch crashes, especially the GPU crash dumps on RTX cards (two launch-day hotfixes addressed parts of this).
- Co-op friction — server browser and invite issues, mostly patched on October 10–11.
- Early Access scope — the playable map is currently the starting region only, and some quests are buggy.
- AI jank — enemy pathing and the dog's occasional weirdness.
Our read of the trend
Reviews written after the October 10–11 patches read noticeably better than launch-day ones, which is the usual Early Access story: the developers are shipping fixes fast, and the sentiment curve follows. If you want a polished, complete game, waiting for 1.0 is reasonable; if you enjoy surviving jank with friends, the current verdict trends positive.
Related: Price & where to buy · Gameplay overview · Release & Early Access plans
Related guides
- Permafrost Release Date, Platforms and Early AccessPermafrost launched in Early Access on October 9, 2026, Windows-only on Steam. At least 12 months of EA are planned; no console dates announced.
- Permafrost Price and Where to Buy (Is It Free?)Not free: $24.99 on Steam with a 20% launch discount as of Oct 13, 2026. Buy on Steam or authorized stores; the Official Companion is a $7.99 DLC.
- Permafrost Gameplay: What You Actually DoA grounded look at the loop: survive the cold, loot ruins, craft up the tool tiers, rebuild shelters, follow the story — solo or in 4-player co-op.