Below, Rusted Gods

About Below, Rusted Gods

Below, Rusted Gods is a single player simulation game with horror and thriller themes. It was developed by FromSouthGames and was released on July 29, 2026. It received positive reviews from players.

Attention Operator, You have been selected to oversee a critical mission. Our team of elite soldiers is set to descend into a newly discovered abyss, believed to lead to uncharted territories beneath the earth. Your role is to monitor the soldiers' progress, ensuring their safety and collecting data. Monitor Your TerminalsAs they venture deeper, remain vigilant and provide guidance based on their …

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Reviews

90%Audience ScoreBased on 243 reviews

story28 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

Exceptional atmosphere and sound design that create a deeply unsettling and tense experience without relying heavily on cheap jump scares.
Unique gameplay perspective as an operator guiding an expedition crew remotely, adding a fresh twist to psychological and cosmic horror genres.
Multiple endings and puzzles encourage replayability, with a richly crafted story that rewards attention to detail and lore exploration.

Limited interactivity with monitoring equipment and underutilized gameplay mechanics, leading to a feeling of missed potential in the game's systems.
Linear narrative and pacing issues with some slow or repetitive segments, which may cause frustration especially without frequent save points or faster dialogue options.
Performance problems and technical issues such as occasional crashes, stuttering, and lack of effective pause/save functionality that disrupt gameplay for some players.

story
86 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33% positive mentions, 64% neutral mentions, 3% negative mentions
The story is a slow-burn, psychological horror experience with strong atmospheric and Lovecraftian influences, centered on managing a mysterious expedition through Soviet-era mission control. It features multiple branching endings driven by player choices, rich environmental storytelling, and a focus on tension and mystery over jump scares or action. While some find the narrative compelling and innovative, others note occasional pacing issues and desire deeper engagement with characters and their plight.
- “The story is crazy, the atmosphere is unmatched, and you have a bunch of different endings depending on what choices you make.”
- “The unfolding story gradually reveals fragments of the ancient civilization and terrifying forces hidden below, while the branching structure ensures that player decisions influence how events develop.”
- “Rather than relying on constant chase sequences, the slow-burn cosmic horror story lets tension build naturally, rewarded by branching paths and multiple endings based on how well you keep your team alive.”
- “However, after the halfway point, the story seemed to lose the suspense and the plot.”
- “It's disappointing because I really wanted to get invested in this story about 4 men seemingly forced by some government to sacrifice themselves to learn about some deep entity, but you barely do anything to assist them and most of the time all you will say to them is "understood," "acknowledged", and "..." -- you don't even bother to tell them about what's happening around you or what you're learning about in the b-plot.”
- “When paired with the half-baked gameplay elements, the runtime just outside of the refund window (no, you can't skip or speed up the dialogue), the flat characters and storyline, it unfortunately had me walking away feeling like I'd just experienced a cheap asset flip, which is disappointing.”
atmosphere
81 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59% positive mentions, 37% neutral mentions, 4% negative mentions
The game excels in creating a deeply unsettling, tense, and immersive atmosphere through expert use of sound design, visuals, and storytelling, favoring psychological horror over cheap jumpscares. Players consistently praise its thick, brooding ambiance that builds dread gradually, making the experience both engrossing and memorable. This rich atmosphere is widely regarded as the game's standout feature, effectively enhancing its Lovecraftian themes and overall horror impact.
- “The graphics are very well done, but what struck me playing through the game (I did four playthroughs to get all four endings) was the atmosphere; it's tense and at times suffocating, between worrying for your teammates and wondering what will happen with your own experiences in the base.”
- “Below, Rusted Gods is a short but incredibly polished horror experience that builds tension through atmosphere, sound design, and the constant fear of what your team encounters beneath the surface.”
- “The atmosphere is absolutely fantastic - everything feels mysterious, unsettling, and just the right amount of creepy.”
- “As a follower of our lord and savior, Yeshua Hamashiach, the ambience, atmosphere, and overall theme is so unsettling.”
- “My only feedback is that I wasn't fond of one of the jumpscares (not a spoiler), the one in the corridor that is like a slow cinematic then boom jumpscare. I didn't like it because it breaks all the immersion and atmosphere that was built, felt cheap and out of place; also I would have liked to have more things to interact with on the console.”
- “I understand that the dev was trying to build atmosphere over cheap jumpscares (though the game has a few of those and they're fine), but looming threats mean nothing without actual danger.”
gameplay
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30% positive mentions, 63% neutral mentions, 7% negative mentions
The gameplay is centered on observation, team communication, and decision-making within a tense, atmospheric setting, offering a unique and engaging horror experience without combat. While mechanics are generally simple and sometimes underutilized or shallow, the pacing and distinctive command-room perspective create a strong sense of tension and mystery that appeals to fans of investigative and psychological horror. However, some players find the gameplay loop repetitive or lacking depth, leading to mixed feelings about its overall engagement.
- “The gameplay loop being established here is very clear: you must field data requests from the team and potentially warn them of anything you see on the various readouts.”
- “The core gameplay revolves around observation, investigation, and decision making instead of direct combat.”
- “By placing players in a support role where observation and judgment become the primary mechanics, it delivers a distinctive experience that feels both immersive and intellectually engaging.”
- “Early on you're taught about speaking to the team and using the equipment in the control room, but after interacting with the equipment once or twice, you're no longer required to use it for the rest of the game. The gameplay loop shifts from 'speak to squad > check equipment > tell them what you find' to just 'speak to squad until the next trigger for a scary event.'”
- “The problem I have with this game is the boring gameplay loop.”
- “However, just about every mechanic in the game falls flat, is only used once or twice, or actually isn't interactive.”
graphics
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47% positive mentions, 43% neutral mentions, 10% negative mentions
The game's graphics are widely praised for their immaculate aesthetic, strong atmosphere, and immersive found-footage and bodycam-style visuals that evoke a distinct analog horror vibe. Despite some performance issues at higher settings, the detailed industrial design and VHS-inspired effects significantly enhance the tense, cosmological horror experience. Overall, the visuals effectively complement the game's tone, making it a standout in atmosphere and presentation.
- “The aesthetic and vibes are amazing, giving a very analog horror vibe with found footage-esque visuals.”
- “Aesthetically, the game is pure cassette futurism: boxy industrial equipment, CRT distortion, physical dials, oversized clicky buttons, and every machine looking as though it weighs 140 pounds and performs exactly one task.”
- “It's terrifying in the best way, and those bodycam style visuals really work, super immersive.”
- “I progressively lowered the graphics settings trying to make the game playable, eventually dropping all the way down to low settings at 30 fps.”
- “Played this on Linux Bazzite, the graphics were very grainy, even with the VHS filters turned off.”
- “I wish my PC could have handled the fog atmosphere better because I bet it looks totally amazing at 4K max graphics, but I was barely pushing 60 FPS at medium with DLSS/balanced settings.”
optimization
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43% positive mentions, 14% neutral mentions, 43% negative mentions
The game's optimization is generally poor, with significant performance drops and severe stuttering even on high-end hardware, making prolonged play difficult. However, there are occasional reports of smooth performance, indicating inconsistency across different setups. Overall, many hope developers will address these issues to unlock the game's potential.
- “I ran into zero bugs or performance stutters, which is a breath of fresh air for modern PC releases.”
- “I hope the developers are able to address the optimization and performance problems because I'd genuinely like to come back and finish it.”
- “That's what makes this review particularly frustrating: there's a genuinely good game underneath the performance problems.”
- “Absolutely atrocious stuttering and lag (I have a 3090, 32GB of RAM, and a Threadripper). Even though the game is set in literally just one room, walking from one side of the room to the other causes several seconds of stuttering.”
- “Unfortunately, after about 90 minutes the performance completely fell apart to the point where I simply couldn't continue.”
- “Surprisingly awful performance.”
replayability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43% positive mentions, 43% neutral mentions, 14% negative mentions
The game offers strong replayability through multiple endings and branching choices, encouraging players to revisit and explore different outcomes. Despite a relatively short runtime, the varied story paths and hidden secrets provide incentive for repeated playthroughs. However, some players feel the lack of voice acting and brief duration slightly limit its overall value.
- “Multiple endings further encourage replayability, inviting players to revisit the story and experiment with different choices to uncover additional secrets hidden throughout the expedition.”
- “I'm definitely going to play it again at some point and try for other endings, giving it some replay value.”
- “Fantastic 2 hours of gameplay that encourages replayability!”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions
The grinding in the game is considered tedious and becomes monotonous over time.
- “Grinding becomes tedious after a while.”
- “Grinding is tedious.”
- “After some time, grinding gets boring and repetitive.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 67% negative mentions
Stability reviews are mixed, with some users experiencing frequent freezes despite having capable hardware, while others report the game runs smoothly without issues.
- “Runs great”
- “At that point, I don't think it's reasonable to blame the hardware or expect the player to keep lowering settings and troubleshooting.”
- “Constant freezes despite my PC's specs.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The game's music and sound effects are well-crafted and effectively enhance the overall experience. Users generally describe the soundtrack as good and fitting.
- “The game's soundtrack and sound effects played into this; both were very well done.”
- “Music: good”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The humor is frequently praised for its clever wit and well-timed jokes, adding a lighthearted charm to the game. Players appreciate the comedic writing that complements the gameplay without feeling forced. Overall, the humor enhances the experience by keeping the tone engaging and entertaining.
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The game effectively evokes strong emotional responses, creating a tense and uncomfortable atmosphere that stands out among horror titles.
- “It had been a long time since I played a horror game that actually made me feel uncomfortable and tense.”

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Play Times

5h Median play time

4h Average play time

2-6h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Below, Rusted Gods is a simulation game with horror and thriller themes. Common tags for Below, Rusted Gods include first-person, indie, psychological, exploration, psychological horror and others.

Below, Rusted Gods is available on PC, Steam Deck and Windows.

On average players spend around 4 hours playing Below, Rusted Gods.

Below, Rusted Gods was released on July 29, 2026.

Below, Rusted Gods was developed by FromSouthGames.

Below, Rusted Gods has received positive reviews from players. Most players liked Below, Rusted Gods for its story but disliked it for its optimization.

Below, Rusted Gods is a single player game.

Similar games include The Complex: Expedition, ROUTINE, No one lives under the lighthouse, Psalm 5:9-13, TELEFORUM and others.

Below, Rusted Gods

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About Below, Rusted Gods

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Reviews

story

atmosphere

gameplay

graphics

optimization

replayability

grinding

stability

music

humor

emotional

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