Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is astounding, and the way it tells a compelling story and connects you to the characters is really impressive. It’s impossible not to recommend this masterpiece of a game.

82%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

grinding, stability

85% User Score Based on 3,850 reviews

Critic Score 78%Based on 66 reviews

Platforms

Buy Nowfrom $0

Buy NowGet on Steam €49.99 Buy NowGet on Xbox Games Store Buy NowGet on PS Store $0

About

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is a single player role playing game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by DON'T NOD and was released on November 7, 2023. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

Discover Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden on the official PlayStation website - trailers, screenshots, editions, story details, DLC and more

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden screenshot

Skip User Reviews

85%

Audience ScoreBased on 3,850 reviews

story2.1k positive mentions

grinding160 negative mentions

The story and character writing are exceptional, offering emotional depth, meaningful moral choices, and a compelling, intertwined narrative.
Strong atmosphere and world-building with beautiful, immersive visuals and well-crafted environments.
Excellent voice acting and soundtrack that enhance the emotional weight and immersion of the game.

Combat is generally repetitive with limited enemy variety and can become tedious over time.
Exploration and map design are hindered by excessive backtracking, restrictive fast travel, and tedious traversal mechanics (e.g., climbing, squeezing through gaps).
Some gameplay elements and leveling/progression systems lack impact or depth, and occasional performance issues and bugs detract from the experience.

story
4,402 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
50%
3%
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is widely praised for its compelling, emotionally rich story centered on love, loss, and moral complexity, with strong character development and impactful choices that shape both main and side quests. While the narrative and voice acting receive high acclaim and keep players engaged, the gameplay—particularly combat and exploration—is often seen as repetitive and clunky, leading many to recommend playing primarily for the story on easier difficulties. Players who value storytelling, atmosphere, and deep character interactions will find this game rewarding, despite its pacing issues and occasional technical frustrations.
- “Banishers: ghosts of new eden is an emotional, semi open-world game with a heavy focus on story-telling. Exceptional storytelling and voice acting, but the pacing and level design could use work. The story is gripping and so well done; the graphics and acting are both top notch. The main and side quests are really well written, with the side quests offering meaningful choices that resonate long after completion. The story, the lore, and the core concept are honestly amazing. The side quests often feature intriguing and compelling narratives that are sometimes better than the main story. The haunting cases missions add significant depth with well-written short stories and difficult choices. If you enjoy story-rich games with meaningful choices, strong character development, and a touch of the supernatural, this is a must-play. The game’s strongest asset is its story, which is beautifully woven with compelling characters and layered narratives. The story has great potential, is emotionally powerful, and keeps players engaged throughout. The storytelling is expertly crafted, and the interplay between the two protagonists keeps you invested in their journey, full of twists, mysteries, and emotional depth. The writing and voice acting is phenomenal, and the side quests provide engaging narrative content that elevates the gameplay experience. A beautifully written dialogue, an empathetic story, and memorable moments make this game a great way to start 2024. The main campaign features a dozen missions spanning different environments that change and evolve throughout the story, with player choices impacting the narrative in meaningful ways. The game shines in atmosphere, storytelling, and character work, with memorable side quests intertwined with the main plot and socio-political undertones. The story’s pacing is well-handled and the narrative draws you in with emotional stakes and moral dilemmas. The love story between the protagonists is exceptionally well done and deeply touching, serving as the beating heart of the game. The haunting cases are masterfully written and provide a level of narrative depth rarely seen in side quests. Overall, an emotionally gripping and thoughtfully crafted story driven by complex characters, difficult choices, and an intriguing setting.”
- “The main story is bland and the haunting cases stories are all predictable and samey.”
- “Each of these quests feels like the outline of a ghost story instead of a real story in its own right.”
- “Most side quests feel like a waste of time, making it difficult to recommend doing anything beyond the main story.”
gameplay
1,164 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
56%
10%
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden offers a compelling narrative supported by gameplay reminiscent of God of War with character-switching mechanics and investigative elements, delivering a solid but somewhat repetitive combat experience. While the mechanics are generally functional and add strategic depth, many players find the gameplay loop becomes tedious due to limited enemy variety, backtracking, and pacing issues. Overall, the gameplay complements the rich story and atmosphere but falls short of innovation and polish, making it more appealing to those prioritizing narrative over complex or highly dynamic mechanics.
- “8/10: for good gameplay, meaningful upgrades/progression, good voice acting and story; beautiful and competent level design.”
- “The gameplay is solid, with seamless transitions between the characters, each with their own unique abilities and perspectives, making for a rewarding experience.”
- “Banishers: ghosts of new eden blends together captivating storytelling and compelling gameplay mechanics into one heck of an enjoyable experience, with the pacing of the adventure balancing out its combat, explorative, and investigative elements perfectly.”
- “The story was pretty good up to the point I stopped playing because of the repetitive gameplay, boring combat, and stupid running around collecting the same clues over and over.”
- “A potentially good game heavily let down by tedious, repetitive combat, tedious, repetitive 'exploration' (of the same environment with the same mediocre rewards), and tedious, repetitive gameplay elements (the tedious, repetitive gameplay loop does not change even within main plot quests).”
- “The combat mechanics are really simple and flat; there are only like a handful of enemy types in the whole game which repeat themselves very fast. After fighting the same enemies over and over again, it gets boring. Sometimes I found the fights even annoying.”
graphics
658 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
35%
2%
The game's graphics are widely praised for their impressive, beautiful, and atmospheric visuals that effectively capture the late 17th-century setting with detailed environments and character models. While not reaching AAA-level photorealism, the art direction and world-building create a haunting, immersive atmosphere complemented by strong lighting and textures. Some critiques mention occasional graphical glitches, inconsistent facial animations, and middling optimization, but overall the visuals substantially enhance the storytelling experience and are considered a major highlight of the game.
- “Absolutely gorgeous visuals, with vast spanning landscapes and intricately designed worlds.”
- “The graphics are phenomenal, bringing the haunting world of New Eden to life with breathtaking detail.”
- “The visuals are stunning, with some truly beautiful and haunting scenery.”
- “Awful looking animations, bad combat, graphics looking okay not good, cutscenes are okay.”
- “Although the graphics look pretty, there is no notion of historical accuracy - weapons, guns, costumes, everything is a haphazard mix of historical, fantasy and anachronistic elements, slapped together without a sense of taste or style.”
- “Not well optimized either, as the game makes my graphics card freak out even in medium graphic settings.”
atmosphere
304 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
40%
1%
The atmosphere in "Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden" is widely praised for its richly crafted, immersive, and haunting tone that captures the eerie, melancholic feel of 17th-century New England. Strong voice acting, detailed environments, and fitting music all contribute to a deeply engaging and somber mood that enhances the narrative and character-driven storytelling. While some note repetitive gameplay and minor pacing issues, the game’s atmosphere remains its standout feature, resonating especially with players who value story and mood over action mechanics.
- “Lighting and atmosphere carry much of the visual appeal, giving each area a somber, melancholic tone that reinforces the narrative themes.”
- “The ghostly atmosphere, from the graphic artistry to the sound design, pulls you in, envelopes you, and lifts the intensity of every journey and subsequent battle.”
- “The world and atmosphere are extraordinarily well-crafted, with a rich, eerie, dark mood that masterfully blends myths, legends, and nightmares with personal stories and fears about the new world.”
- “From start on, the whole atmosphere is boring and disgusting.”
- “The atmosphere is decent but could have been a bit better.”
- “Because of that, all the potential - the world, the atmosphere, the story setup - just kind of collapsed for me.”
emotional
301 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden delivers a deeply emotional and compelling narrative centered on the poignant relationship between its two protagonists, with strong voice acting and heartfelt writing that evoke genuine emotional investment and tear-jerking moments. Players praise its mature exploration of love, loss, and difficult moral choices, which are well-integrated into the story, though some feel the emotional impact is occasionally undercut by gameplay flaws and pacing issues. Overall, it stands out as a rare, touching experience that resonates strongly with those seeking a narrative-driven, emotionally rich game.
- “It presents some very good story and character moments with a lot of emotional weight and thought-provoking themes.”
- “The voice acting is strong, and the relationship between the protagonists carries a lot of the emotional weight of the game.”
- “Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden heavily leans into challenging decisions with dramatic consequences, and manages to pull off an emotional and haunting love story where those choices feel like they truly matter.”
optimization
227 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
45%
12%
Optimization for the game is generally stable and solid on mid- to high-end PCs, with many praising its smooth performance and lack of serious stuttering—an uncommon achievement for an Unreal Engine 5 title. However, some users report occasional frame drops, micro-stutters especially in larger or new areas, and inconsistent performance even on powerful GPUs, with isolated bottlenecks in certain zones. Despite these issues, the optimization is considered good overall, enabling strong visuals and fluid gameplay without major technical setbacks.
- “Despite its detailed environments, performance is generally stable and accessible across mid-range systems.”
- “No real performance issues on my 4060ti and it looks great.”
- “The game is well optimized and stable.”
- “At least in the very first area I had constant stuttering and various FPS drops.”
- “Really bad optimization but phenomenal game.”
- “One of the most poorly optimized games I have ever seen.”
music
217 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
52%
3%
The game's music is generally atmospheric, fitting the somber, eerie tone and enhancing immersion with subtle orchestral and ambient elements, often praised alongside excellent voice acting. However, many users find the soundtrack forgettable, lacking memorable melodies and variety, with some noting issues like abrupt cuts and repetitive tracks that detract from the experience. Overall, while the music effectively supports the mood, it rarely stands out as a memorable or standout feature.
- “The soundtrack hits all the correct tones when it needs to; it’s melancholic at times and fierce when needed, evoking many feelings and complementing the well-written story and lore of this world perfectly.”
- “The music is often nuanced, but there are moments when it takes over and accentuates the atmosphere—be it creepy, mysterious, sad, or dark; in those moments, the game is at its best.”
- “The musical score complements the somber tone without overwhelming the experience, blending melancholic, eerie, and mysterious notes that fit perfectly with the game's scenery and tone.”
- “The soundtrack is also quite forgettable.”
- “Honestly, the music was kind of lackluster and forgettable and sometimes the sound mixing was horribly rendered as well.”
- “Music/soundtracks - oh god... the music... let's forget about the combat for a sec... this game is seriously lacking in soundtracks and music.”
grinding
166 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
2%
96%
Grinding in the game is widely regarded as tedious due to repetitive combat with low enemy variety, excessive backtracking, and slow traversal through large, often empty environments. Puzzles and side quests tend to feel like chores rather than engaging content, and resource farming for upgrades can become a frustrating time sink. While the story and character development are praised, many players find the gameplay loop bogged down by monotonous grinding that hampers overall pacing and enjoyment.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Very good story, graphics, characters, music, quests and no grinding, although there is a bit of running around like every game of the genre.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Grinding for upgrade materials is beyond tedious and with all the backtracking you'll do once you unlock new abilities the combat really begins to drag.”
- “A potentially good game heavily let down by tedious, repetitive combat, tedious, repetitive "exploration" (of the same environment with the same mediocre rewards), and tedious, repetitive gameplay elements (the tedious, repetitive gameplay loop does not change even within main plot quests).”
- “The enemies keep repeating, and being constantly forced into exactly the same looking fights makes the gameplay feel tedious and exhausting.”
replayability
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
71%
8%
The game offers moderate replayability primarily through multiple endings and story choices that lead to different outcomes, encouraging at least a few playthroughs to explore alternate paths. While some find it engaging due to varied decisions and additional quests, others note that once the main narrative and endings are completed, replay value diminishes significantly. Overall, replayability is appreciated but limited by linear gameplay and lack of new game plus or deeper gameplay variations.
- “That gives it so much replay value, because you’re never just repeating the same story - you’re discovering new paths, outcomes, and consequences every time.”
- “With the game having 4 different endings, it offers plenty of replayability.”
- “It’s quite a lengthy story, moreso if you are going for 100% exploration and replay value is definitely strong considering many different decisions you'll be making.”
- “No replay value.”
- “I would recommend this but be prepared to feel slightly compromised with no replay value.”
- “But after you completed the game for the endings, the replay value dies.”
stability
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
11%
64%
Stability for the game is mixed, with many users reporting a generally smooth and bug-free experience on powerful systems, while others encounter occasional graphical glitches, freezes, crashes, and bugs that can disrupt immersion. Some praise its solid performance even on mid-tier hardware and the Steam Deck, but others find the game buggy and poorly optimized, especially in later stages. Overall, while not universally stable, the game tends to run well for many players with occasional technical issues.
- “Battle is well paced, no glitches, stuttering, or waiting until an animation finishes to act.”
- “It's rare to see a good bug-free single player game these days.”
- “The game looks great and runs great on a 3080, 12900k, and has been very stable.”
- “There's a bug where if you have a framerate higher than 60fps and turn off motion blur, severe graphical glitches happen during combat.”
- “During my next 30 hours of playing after initial review I started encountering some serious bugs, glitches and poor performance.”
- “I experienced several game freezes and crashes.”
character development
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
57%
10%
Character development in the game is generally praised for its strong, emotional writing, realistic and well-crafted characters, and meaningful progress that deepens player engagement. However, some critics note pacing issues due to excessive filler content and lack of development during quieter moments, which impacts connection with certain characters. Overall, character design and voice acting complement the development well, contributing to an immersive and engaging narrative experience.
- “If you enjoy story-rich games with meaningful choices, strong character development, and a touch of the supernatural, this is a must-play.”
- “The character development is top-notch, making you care about their fate.”
- “So much work and love has gone into the character development and the stories exploring human relationships, both romantic and platonic.”
- “I feel like there could've been so much character development in downtimes between running from place to place, but it was just dead silence instead.”
- “I can't recommend this game, this game is so extremely boring, invisible walls everywhere, additionally it forces you to constantly go back to already visited locations because something is unlocked there, totally frustrating character development system, boring and slow.”
- “Character development isn't great: hard to relate to characters where there is a lack of backstory, some lines seem random or contradictory to the character.”
humor
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
95%
5%
The game's humor is a mix of dark, quirky, and occasionally witty narrative moments that often provide a welcome break in tone without trying too hard. While some dialogue and character exchanges are genuinely funny and emotionally engaging, the humor can also feel unintentionally laughable or ironic due to plot and pacing issues. Overall, the humor is hit-or-miss, with some players appreciating its dark and subtle quips, while others find it repetitive or unintentionally silly.
- “Every now and then, there is that intelligently placed, funny narrative line where it breaks the ice.”
- “All this small talk between missions, as you explore, offers a lot of emotional moments and some nice dark humor.”
- “It's dark, but it has plenty of quip humor, without trying too hard to be funny.”
monetization
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
64%
27%
The game is praised for having no microtransactions or manipulative monetization practices, offering a quality experience without cash grab mechanics. Its affordable price and absence of ads or multiplayer pay elements contribute to positive reception regarding monetization.
- “Great price tag, no microtransactions, no Denuvo... what else?”
- “No microtransaction nonsense and cash grab mechanics.”
- “Great action game with an intriguing narrative and no manipulative microtransactions or sacrificing of quality for profit.”
- “There are no microtransactions.”

Skip Critic Reviews

78%Critics’ scoreBased on 65 critic reviews

Skip Game Offers

Buy Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden

30h Median play time

31h Average play time

12-53h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 50 analyzed playthroughs

Skip Videos

Videos

Skip Games Like Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden

87%2.7kreviews

Hell is Us

2025

Role Playing

78%10.9kreviews

Vampyr

2018

Open World Role Playing

+11

84%4.8kreviews

Drova: Forsaken Kin

2024

Open World Role Playing

+15

69%11.4kreviews

Biomutant

2021

Open World Role Playing

62%2kreviews

The Technomancer

2016

Open World Role Playing

More games like Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden

Skip Game News

The Crew Motorfest, Banishers: Ghost of New Eden, and More Headline Game Pass Wave 2 for November

November 18 on gamingbolt.com

Skip FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is a role playing game with fantasy theme.

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is available on Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5, Windows and others.

On average players spend around 31 hours playing Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden.

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden was released on November 7, 2023.

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden was developed by DON'T NOD.

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is a single player game.

Similar games include Hell is Us, Vampyr, Drova: Forsaken Kin, Biomutant, The Technomancer and others.

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden

Platforms