Nearly two hundred thousand players have wrestled with its stress-inducing dungeon crawls, and over 90 percent keep coming back for more. The strategic depth and gothic atmosphere forge an addictive loop that lingers long past the opening hours. Yet the same punishing difficulty that hooks players also leaves some screaming at the screen in equal measure.
What it's about: Darkest Dungeon est un JdR rogue-like au tour par tour, gothique et sans pitié, sur le stress psychologique de partir à l'aventure. Recrute, entraîne et mène une équipe d'anti-héros au travers de forêts déformées, de tanières oubliées, de cryptes en ruines et au-delà.
In-game
« if you like stardew valley, you need to give darkest dungeon a try. they're basically the same game considering how in both stardew and DD you start the game by receiving a large plot of land as inheritance from your deceased grandfather. »👍 anonymous review · Aug 2026 · 57 h played27643« This game gave me IRL stress related sleep issues, fear of managing, schizophrenia, trauma, and depression. i have 12 hours playtime. »👍 anonymous review · Dec 2025 · 13 h played1« I hate this game with a passion, it will ruin your day, you will lose your jester due to 3 crits in a row and have the whole squad go insane. 10/10 »👍 anonymous review · Aug 2026 · 314 h played5« Game's so good, they released a sequel, realized people liked the first game a lot more, then went back and released new DLC for the first game. »👍 anonymous review · Aug 2026 · 462 h played1« Name all your heroes IRL friends. One of them dies after a 100hr run due to insane RNG. Crashes out and quits for 4 years, now I'm back at it again. 10/10 would crash out again »👍 anonymous review · Jan 2026 · 150 h played1« Amazing game, I finished it several times outside of Steam. Couldn't buy it when I first played cuz I was broke, bought later to support the creators. »👍 anonymous review · Oct 2025 · 2 h played311
« Texte obligatoire pour évaluer un jeu... »👎 anonymous review · Mar 2026 · 10 h played« le jeu est bon, mais c'est une boite d'escroc.. ou est mon jeu de plateau ?? »👎 anonymous review · Mar 2026 · 21 h played« Grimdark RNG bullsh!t simulator...with swords and sorcery! If I hadn't forgotten about it sitting in my library...I would have refunded it. »👎 anonymous review · Jul 2026 · 3 h played« Game is just a Tilting BS piece of crap, literally the whole game is about making you frustrated about missing attacks and getting crit by the enemy, ♥♥♥♥ this »👎 anonymous review · Jul 2026 · 56 h played« The visual presentation and sound design of the game are incredible. The ambiance has a lot going for it. I just couldn't get into the gameplay loop though. There are dungeon crawlers out there that do it far better. »👎 anonymous review · Jul 2026 · 5 h played« You will die, You will cry, and you will be angry. Yet that is the beauty of the game, Overconfidence is a slow insidious killer. »👍 anonymous review · Oct 2025 · 32 h played1
In players' words
« if you like stardew valley, you need to give darkest dungeon a try. they're basically the same game considering how in both stardew and DD you start the game by receiving a large plot of land as inheritance from your deceased grandfather. »👍 anonymous review · Aug 2026 · 57 h played27643« Texte obligatoire pour évaluer un jeu... »👎 anonymous review · Mar 2026 · 10 h played« This game gave me IRL stress related sleep issues, fear of managing, schizophrenia, trauma, and depression. i have 12 hours playtime. »👍 anonymous review · Dec 2025 · 13 h played1« le jeu est bon, mais c'est une boite d'escroc.. ou est mon jeu de plateau ?? »👎 anonymous review · Mar 2026 · 21 h played« I hate this game with a passion, it will ruin your day, you will lose your jester due to 3 crits in a row and have the whole squad go insane. 10/10 »👍 anonymous review · Aug 2026 · 314 h played5« Grimdark RNG bullsh!t simulator...with swords and sorcery! If I hadn't forgotten about it sitting in my library...I would have refunded it. »👎 anonymous review · Jul 2026 · 3 h played« Game's so good, they released a sequel, realized people liked the first game a lot more, then went back and released new DLC for the first game. »👍 anonymous review · Aug 2026 · 462 h played1« Game is just a Tilting BS piece of crap, literally the whole game is about making you frustrated about missing attacks and getting crit by the enemy, ♥♥♥♥ this »👎 anonymous review · Jul 2026 · 56 h played« Name all your heroes IRL friends. One of them dies after a 100hr run due to insane RNG. Crashes out and quits for 4 years, now I'm back at it again. 10/10 would crash out again »👍 anonymous review · Jan 2026 · 150 h played1« The visual presentation and sound design of the game are incredible. The ambiance has a lot going for it. I just couldn't get into the gameplay loop though. There are dungeon crawlers out there that do it far better. »👎 anonymous review · Jul 2026 · 5 h played« Amazing game, I finished it several times outside of Steam. Couldn't buy it when I first played cuz I was broke, bought later to support the creators. »👍 anonymous review · Oct 2025 · 2 h played311« You will die, You will cry, and you will be angry. Yet that is the beauty of the game, Overconfidence is a slow insidious killer. »👍 anonymous review · Oct 2025 · 32 h played1
Anonymized excerpts from public Steam reviews — picked among those most voted "helpful" by the community.
What players say, by aspect
PositiveMixedNegative
Gameplay
82 % pos · n=123
Graphics / art
97 % pos · n=29
Content / longevity
53 % pos · n=17
Audio / music
100 % pos · n=11
Story / writing
100 % pos · n=10
Value for money
80 % pos · n=5
Stability / bugs
0 % pos · n=2
Interface / UX
0 % pos · n=1
Detailed data (table)
Aspect
Mentions
Positive
Mixed
Negative
Gameplay
123
101
9
13
Graphics / art
29
28
0
1
Content / longevity
17
9
1
7
Audio / music
11
11
0
0
Story / writing
10
10
0
0
Value for money
5
4
0
1
Stability / bugs
2
0
0
2
Interface / UX
1
0
0
1
Positive reviews by playtime
🎮 Players who like it have spent 52 h on median; those who dislike it: 45 h.
<2h
83 % (n=6)
2-10h
88 % (n=76)
10-25h
93 % (n=85)
>25h
94 % (n=319)
Fixed or still broken? Sentiment over time
➡️ Stable reception over time
% of positive reviews per month (months with ≥ 15 sample reviews).
💶 Price history
Steam price tracked automatically since Feb 04, 2015 · All-time low: €1.83 (Jan 29, 2026)
100% completion difficulty ("platinum")
0,4 %Hardcore
of players have unlocked the rarest achievement — the upper bound of those who "100%'d" it. 120 achievements in total; the median achievement is unlocked by 10,5 % of players.
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Strategy and challenge form an ironclad core that players obsess over: 101 positive mentions out of 123 for gameplay, with keywords like “addictif” (14) and “stratégie” (12) dominating.
The gothic horror vibe overwhelms detractors: every audio mention is positive (11/11), and graphics praise hits 28 out of 29, cementing its eerie atmosphere.
The story escapes unscathed—literally all 10 mentions of it are glowing, a rarity in this genre.
Long-term retention speaks volumes: 94 percent positivity among players logging over 25 hours, the highest of any bracket.
Weaknesses
Frustration is baked into the experience: 7 mentions of being frustrated and 5 of “frustrant”, while players tag the game as “difficile” (12) and “stress” (8) almost as often as they call it fun.
Under the hood, bugs and UI frustrate a small but vocal slice: 2 negative mentions for bugs and 1 for UI, though these never overshadow the bigger picture.
Content diversity is the biggest sore spot: only 9 positive mentions out of 17, with 7 negative and 1 mixed, hinting at limited replayability for some.
Who is it for?
Hardcore lovers of punishing strategy RPGs who savor gothic horror, tactical depth, and a challenge that feels earned will sink their claws into this one. Casual or completionist players should proceed with caution.
Is Darkest Dungeon® worth it in 2026?
Yes — player reception is very positive: 92% of 160,534 Steam reviews are positive (player score 93/100). Most-praised strength: Strategy and challenge form an ironclad core that players obsess over. Current price: 22,99€.
Verdict
Darkest Dungeon® turns suffering into satisfaction: it batters players with stress and difficulty, yet the gothic dread, strategic mastery, and relentless pull keep them clawing back for more. With a 92 percent global approval and a legacy of late-night rage-quits and triumphant cheers, it stands as a modern gothic-RPG monument—for those willing to pay the price in mental anguish.
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