Dysterra

About

Dysterra is a single player and multiplayer survival role playing shooter game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Reality MagiQ and was released on April 16, 2025. It received neutral reviews from players.

"Dysterra" is a massively multiplayer Science Fiction Shooter game, set on a post-apocalyptic Earth where humanity has been forced to live off-planet. In Season 5, players can enjoy new raiding mechanics, base customization and dynamic satellite station difficulty, whether playing solo or in a team. Fight off mobs trying to raid your base and gather Terrasite, humanity's main source of energy, while protecting your base and experiencing faster gameplay.

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+16

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60%

Audience ScoreBased on 295 reviews

gameplay14 positive mentions

grinding18 negative mentions

The game has a lot of potential and offers a fun mix of PvP and PvE gameplay.
Graphics are decent, and the building mechanics are intuitive and enjoyable.
The developers are responsive to community feedback and actively work on updates.

The game suffers from performance issues, including lag and crashes, making it frustrating to play.
AI behavior is often poor, leading to unchallenging encounters and immersion-breaking moments.
The game features a punishing decay system that can lead to significant loss of progress, especially for solo players.

gameplay
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
46%
20%
The gameplay of Dysteria has received mixed reviews, with players enjoying its unique mechanics and fast-paced action reminiscent of titles like Rust and Conan, but criticizing the frequent server wipes and tedious resource gathering. While some appreciate the variety of activities and responsive developers, others find the gameplay loop repetitive and marred by performance issues, such as unfair enemy spawns and lag. Overall, the game shows potential but requires significant improvements to enhance the player experience.
- “Its like Rust but with cool game mechanics, bionic hands, lasers, and ultra fun to kill robots.”
- “Lots to do, cool guns, cool bosses, interesting raid mechanics, and the devs are really responsive to the community.”
- “The game implements some new mechanics that I really like, such as easy access storage, the option to craft, loot, or buy, etc.”
- “There's this terrible 'server wipe' mechanic called 'terrafire' which happens periodically on all servers and it wipes the server and kills all characters... you literally have to start over and there's nothing you can do about it.”
- “The way this game handles heat/cold/radiation is very bad and totally halts the gameplay experience.”
- “Optimization is something the devs don't seem to be too good at, and enemy spawns can be unfair (e.g. someone spawning right behind you), defeated enemies can just randomly disappear, enemies are lagging/teleporting around when they're even just a tiny bit out of reach (I know this is an optimization measure but it's one that disrupts natural gameplay and is making long range combat a lot more difficult and inconsistent than it has to be).”
graphics
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
37%
10%
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the aesthetic and overall quality, especially on high settings, while others note issues like bugs and performance lag on mid-range systems. Some describe the visuals as good or even amazing for a survival game, but there are calls for further optimization and additional graphic options. Overall, while the graphics are generally considered decent to good, they are not without their flaws.
- “In a market that's saturated with subpar survival games, Dysterra is one of my favorites in terms of style and aesthetic.”
- “Amazing graphics for a survival game.”
- “Graphics in this game are pretty nice.”
- “Dull gameplay, boring setting and graphics, subpar PvE, looting and crafting.”
- “Even with a RTX 3070 and the graphics set to medium, the game lags a ton.”
- “This is the worst gameplay, sound design, and graphics I have seen in years.”
story
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
63%
14%
The game's story is largely criticized for its lack of depth and abruptness, with many players expressing frustration over the absence of a main storyline after initial quests. While some appreciate the potential of the plot and premise, they feel that the game currently lacks a cohesive narrative, leaving players to navigate the world without clear direction or engaging questlines. Overall, the consensus suggests that significant improvements are needed to enhance the storytelling aspect.
- “I like the overall storyline and look forward to seeing where they take it.”
- “However, the plot and premise is very good.”
- “Apparently the process of story and proceeding to escape this island is promising, on things I haven't experienced yet.”
- “Dysterra already has no storyline; you are just dropped in and you survive.”
- “Story is pathetic, and once the tutorial is done, it just stops and you are led to guess what to do next.”
- “Lastly, don't build in a quest system that abruptly ends after you have worked hard to get these 3 items the starter quest tells you to get and then just cut it completely there.”
grinding
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
5%
90%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessive and tedious, often requiring dozens of hours to make meaningful progress. While some enjoy the cooperative element that can alleviate the monotony, many feel that the repetitive tasks detract from the overall enjoyment, leading to frustration with the game's pacing and complexity. Overall, the grinding is seen as a significant barrier to fully appreciating the game's potential.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “It would take 44 hours of grinding to make this game playable.”
- “Game was really bad, too grindy and too confusing in so many ways.”
- “I mean it is a game but it seems to me that they started as a singleplayer, scraped that mid-through, made a somewhat sci-fi Rust, put in a gameplay loop that is a little boring and then artificially prolonged the playtime with tedious tasks.”
optimization
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
55%
15%
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with players reporting significant performance issues, including laggy intro videos, long loading times, and inconsistent enemy behavior. While some users note that the game runs smoothly at times, many express frustration over the lack of optimization, shallow AI, and the need for bug fixes and improvements. Overall, the consensus is that the game requires substantial optimization to enhance the gameplay experience.
- “Some minor things I'd like to see added (e.g. bug fixes, actual offline single player with pause, optimizations, more voice lines), but otherwise solid game.”
- “Good game so far, decent optimization.”
- “For an early access game, I have no issues with performance.”
- “Still in need of heavy optimization - even the intro video was incredibly laggy for me.”
- “Badly optimized to the point I sat in the loading screen for half my 'play time'.”
- “Optimization is something the devs don't seem to be too good at, and enemy spawns can be unfair (e.g. someone spawning right behind you), defeated enemies can just randomly disappear, enemies are lagging/teleporting around when they're even just a tiny bit out of reach (I know this is an optimization measure but it's one that disrupts natural gameplay and is making long range combat a lot more difficult and inconsistent than it has to be).”
monetization
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
90%
Reviews indicate a strong dissatisfaction with the game's monetization strategy, labeling it as a potential cash grab and criticizing the lack of effective advertising and marketing, which has led to a dwindling player base. Users also express frustration with technical issues related to ads and gameplay mechanics, suggesting that these problems detract from the overall experience and may signal a lack of long-term commitment from the developers.
- “I find this kind of monetization needs to be challenged.”
- “I feel like this is a cash grab before the developers drop the project and take an early exit.”
- “Another early access cash grab.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
33%
50%
The music in the game has received a mixed response, with a score of 6/10. Reviewers note the absence of a substantial soundtrack makes the gameplay feel lifeless, contrasting it unfavorably with other titles like Rust, where music enhances the overall experience.
- “The game places very little emphasis on its barebones soundtrack, making all the time you spend running around the game’s world a pretty lifeless affair.”
- “Believe it or not, but not having music in the game feels kind of weird.”
- “I know I compare it to Rust too much, but having the music really helps set the tone.”
- “Meanwhile, the game places very little emphasis on its barebones soundtrack, making all the time you spend running around the game’s world a pretty lifeless affair.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is a significant concern, as players report numerous glitches, bugs, and freezing issues, particularly during loading. Many users express frustration over the game's unfinished state, leading to negative experiences such as unexpected character deaths and loss of progress. Overall, the early access status has resulted in a chaotic and unstable gameplay experience.
- “This game is in early access, meaning you will experience some glitches and quirks.”
- “Freezes during loading, has to be stopped via Steam.”
- “The game is glitchy, buggy, unfinished, and a bit hectic.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the humor in the game largely stems from absurd and chaotic situations, such as being hilariously outmatched or meeting comical fates during intense moments. The blend of panic and unexpected outcomes contributes to a lighthearted experience, even amidst the game's more serious themes.
- “I have killed, I have been killed, and even died in the most ridiculous and funny ways. One time, an enemy chased me with a car and ran me over while I was panic shooting, running, and screaming for my life.”
- “The humor in this game is top-notch; the absurd situations you find yourself in always leave me laughing.”
- “Every encounter is filled with unexpected hilarity, making even the most intense moments feel light-hearted and fun.”