Pandemic: The Board Game

About

Pandemic: The Board Game is a single player and multiplayer strategy game. It was developed by Asmodee Digital and was released on August 24, 2018. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Pandemic: The Board Game is a digital adaptation of the popular cooperative board game. Players work together as a team of disease-fighting specialists, traveling around the world to treat infections, share knowledge, and discover cures for four deadly diseases. With each passing turn, the clock is ticking and new infections occur, making coordination and strategic planning crucial to prevent the spread of pandemic.

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68%

Audience ScoreBased on 286 reviews

graphics5 positive mentions

stability11 negative mentions

Great adaptation of a superb board game, maintaining the fun and strategy of the original.
Visually appealing with satisfying sound effects, making for an engaging experience.
Excellent for solo play, allowing players to explore different strategies without the setup time of the physical game.

Lacks true multiplayer functionality, limiting the cooperative experience that the board game offers.
The interface is clunky and can obscure important information, leading to frustration during gameplay.
Frequent bugs and crashes make the game unplayable at times, detracting from the overall enjoyment.

music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
58%
21%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its solid and situationally fitting nature, while others criticize it as a step down from previous versions, describing it as awful and poorly integrated. Issues such as the inability to effectively adjust music volume and bugs causing overlapping tracks have also been noted, detracting from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, the music does progress in intensity during gameplay, although this feature seems limited compared to earlier iterations.
- “Solid, fitting music that changes over time, depending on your situation.”
- “Music progression after a number of epidemic cards come out; the mobile version switched to more intense music as the infection rate rose, the number of outbreaks occurred, or the player deck got low.”
- “This version seems to only have the first piece of music and the epidemic card music.”
- “Also, the music is a step down.”
- “Finally and most glaringly, not only is the music awful, the option for reducing the volume of the music apparently does nothing: the music is considered a sound effect and its volume must be lowered with the game's other sound effects.”
- “And oh my gods will you want to mute the music.”
stability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
92%
The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous users reporting frequent crashes, freezes, and various bugs that hinder gameplay. While some players have experienced smoother performance on certain machines, the overall consensus indicates that both solo and multiplayer modes are plagued by game-breaking issues, making it often unplayable. Despite these problems, a few players still find the game enjoyable, particularly when purchased at a discount.
- “The game runs great on my machine and is fun to play.”
- “I haven't experienced any crashes or major bugs, which makes for a smooth gaming experience.”
- “The stability of the game allows me to fully immerse myself without worrying about technical issues.”
- “The first time I played, the game kept quitting on my older Mac laptop, but now it only freezes occasionally.”
- “It freezes and crashes all the time.”
- “To be clear, both solo and multiplayer in this game are buggy in game-breaking ways.”
graphics
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
22%
22%
Overall, the graphics of the game are praised for their high quality, smooth performance, and beautiful design, contributing to an enjoyable gaming experience. However, some users have reported technical issues, including crashes that hinder gameplay. Despite these setbacks, many appreciate the improvements in graphics and the effective visual communication of game mechanics.
- “The graphical presentation is top notch.”
- “Graphics are lovely and it runs smoothly.”
- “The colors and graphics design were, in my own humble opinion, gorgeously done.”
- “Takes about 6 tries before I can actually play the game because it crashes when I press play. The graphics are terrible, the mechanics are nothing like the actual board game, and after about 30 games, I've only beaten the game once.”
- “The visuals are quite large for a 24" monitor, and the game has hardly taken any advantage of keyboard controls.”
gameplay
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
60%
The gameplay is generally entertaining and offers a good challenge, especially with the DLCs, but some users report technical issues such as crashes and poor graphics. While the mechanics differ from the physical board game, many find the online version's interface intuitive and its mechanics effective after some initial learning. Overall, the experience can vary significantly based on individual technical performance and adaptation to the game's mechanics.
- “I highly recommend you invest in the DLCs after you've tried a few rounds, knowing they provide more challenge and mechanics.”
- “The gameplay is entertaining.”
- “This online version of Pandemic has an intuitive interface; its mechanics are flawless, and the graphics effectively communicate what's happening in the game.”
- “It takes about 6 attempts before I can actually play the game because it crashes when I press play. The graphics are terrible, the mechanics are nothing like the actual board game, and after about 30 games, I've only beaten it once.”
- “The gameplay mechanics are confusing and not intuitive, making it frustrating to learn and play.”
- “The game feels unpolished and lacks the depth that was promised, leading to a disappointing experience.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players highlight the game's significant improvements and challenging nature, contributing to its high replayability. Many find the experience enjoyable and worth revisiting after mastering the mechanics. Overall, it comes highly recommended for those seeking a game with lasting appeal.
- “Highly challenging, maximum replayability value, totally recommended.”
- “It took me a while to figure out how to win, but once I did, I found it enjoyable and replayable.”
- “The recent improvements to the game make it much more playable.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
The game's graphics are praised for their beauty, and it generally runs smoothly; however, some users report experiencing low performance issues.
- “Graphics are lovely and it runs smoothly.”
- “Performance is very low.”
- “The game struggles to maintain a stable frame rate, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
- “There are frequent stutters and long loading times that severely impact the gaming experience.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers note that the sound effects and animations effectively enhance the game's atmosphere, creating an immersive experience that complements the overall design.
- “The sound effects and animations perfectly enhance the atmosphere.”
- “The game's atmosphere is incredibly immersive, drawing you into its world.”
- “Every detail contributes to a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere that lingers long after playing.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
100%
Reviewers express frustration with the monetization model, particularly the inability for base game owners to purchase expansions, which feels misleading given the game's advertising. They find the lack of essential components, like event cards, locked behind in-app purchases to be inconsistent with typical expectations for Steam games.
- “I appreciate that the game offers in-app purchases for expansions, but I feel that basic game components like event cards should be included without additional costs.”
- “At least let those who own the base game still be able to purchase the expansions, especially since the game itself is still advertising the expansions, which is extra annoying.”
- “I understand having in-app purchases for expansions, but not having basic game components like event cards doesn't seem in line with what I've come to expect from Steam games.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by the irony of players complaining about the lack of multiplayer features, while overlooking the fact that it can be played multiplayer through Steam Link or third-party clients. This adds a layer of comedic commentary on player expectations versus reality.
- “It's really funny to see all these people complaining about how the game is not multiplayer, but they forget to mention that you can play this multiplayer with Steam Link or a third-party client.”

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Frequently Asked Questions

Pandemic: The Board Game is a strategy game.

Pandemic: The Board Game is available on Nintendo Switch, iPhone, Windows, Xbox Series X|S and others.

Pandemic: The Board Game was released on August 24, 2018.

Pandemic: The Board Game was developed by Asmodee Digital.

Pandemic: The Board Game has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its graphics but disliked it for its music.

Pandemic: The Board Game is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Scythe, Small World, Spirit Island, D&D Lords of Waterdeep, Ticket to Ride and others.

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