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Plains of Pain Game Cover

About Plains of Pain

Plains of Pain is a single player and multiplayer open world role playing shooter game with a post-apocalyptic theme. It was developed by Cobra Byte Digital and was released on February 17, 2023. It received positive reviews from players.

Survive a brutal open world alone or with friends. Explore a procedural wasteland scorched by chaos. Build and defend your base, trade for what you need, complete deadly quests, and fight to claim faction outposts before someone else does.

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Looking for games like Plains of Pain? Here are top open world role playing shooter recommendations with a post-apocalyptic focus, selected from player-similarity data — start with SurrounDead, Sunkenland or HumanitZ.

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Reviews

84%Audience ScoreBased on 457 reviews
gameplay27 positive mentions
grinding23 negative mentions

  • Unique and immersive post-apocalyptic survival game with a blend of Kenshi, Fallout, and Mad Max vibes.
  • Deep and rewarding gameplay loops involving crafting, base building, trading, faction reputation, and vehicle customization.
  • Active and dedicated small development team regularly updating the game and listening to player feedback, showing great promise for future improvements.
  • Prevalent bugs and technical issues including inventory management problems, vehicles falling through the map, and occasional crashes causing loss of progress.
  • Clunky controls, combat, and user interface that require improvement, including a tedious inventory and crafting system.
  • Low player population on official multiplayer servers and lack of content variety leading to occasional grind and monotony; onboarding and retention can be challenging for new players.
  • gameplay

    73 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    37% positive mentions, 59% neutral mentions, 4% negative mentions

    The gameplay of Plains of Pain is praised for its engaging, addictive survival mechanics with a brutal yet immersive atmosphere, offering depth and a unique blend of features inspired by games like Kenshi, Fallout, and Mad Max. While still in early access and somewhat rough around the edges—with issues in UI, bugs, and balance—players appreciate the active developer support and the evolving, rewarding gameplay loop that encourages exploration and strategic resource management. Despite some frustrating mechanics and technical problems, the core gameplay is considered promising and highly enjoyable for fans of challenging survival games.

    • “There is a lot more to it than you first realize, and because it's early access and still growing, there isn't a great deal of info when you google things, but in some ways that was part of the fun. There are a lot of mechanics at play that make it such a cool game. It's still growing. I'd say it's very much a make-your-own-fun kind of game. If you enjoy the setting and like survival, you'll have a good time. I've had a lot of fun with it and will be watching for updates. I think it's going to turn into a game I'm glad I found.”
    • “At first, I really thought this was just incomprehensible jank, but it truly is a hidden gem. After several false starts in single player getting to grips with the mechanics, I finally got my head around it and lost 30 hours in a few days just like that. I love this game and hope the updates keep coming, even though I haven't explored the harder areas yet or the junkyard. I just keep setting up more and more forward bases and doing cargo runs.”
    • “Fun gameplay with a cool concept plus responsive and active developers with future plans and a desire to improve.”
    • “Then you'll get another one spawned right in front of you as you're healing from the last spawn... this alone has made me want to give up, as I just can't find a good way to clear and loot a POI without dying to unfair mechanics.”
    • “The AI cheats and will set up bad situations that ruin the gameplay.”
    • “I played around 30 minutes and was frustrated and angry with the game mechanics. It's another attempt to reinvent the wheel instead of making a good game; I'm refunding.”
  • story

    45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    16% positive mentions, 77% neutral mentions, 7% negative mentions

    The game's story is minimal and lacks a cohesive main plot, relying heavily on repetitive, basic quests focused on survival and crafting rather than deep narrative or lore. While faction reputation systems and side missions offer some variety, the overall quest design is often unengaging and sparse, leaving many players craving richer story missions and meaningful world-building. Exploration and crafting are enjoyable, but the storytelling feels underdeveloped and does not strongly drive immersion.

    • “There are various factions throughout the wasteland that you can grind reputation for and there are multiple ways to do this, including quests and killing opposing faction members. This will then allow you to barter for higher quality blueprints and items.”
    • “You can help local settlements, build your own settlement or shack and vehicle (I'm making a speeder bike at the moment) and take on quests and bounties.”
    • “You can follow many quest lines or do whatever you want getting lost in the wastelands.”
    • “There are basic quests and objectives to do but nothing in the line of a true story or overall purpose other than survival, at least that I have found in 28 hours.”
    • “I think the main thing missing right now is more story missions and interactions with the factions.”
    • “Plus there isn't a real story to this game, some quests here and there, but not worth the price point.”
  • graphics

    29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    21% positive mentions, 69% neutral mentions, 10% negative mentions

    The game's graphics are generally described as basic and not AAA-level, with some users experiencing only stable performance on low settings even with high-end hardware. However, its art style effectively captures the bleak, desolate wasteland atmosphere reminiscent of Mad Max and Fallout, enhancing immersion despite modest textures and AI-generated NPC visuals. While not a visual showcase, the aesthetic fits the game's vibe and is expected to improve with future updates.

    • “The wasteland feels alive but beautifully bleak at the same time, the art style and aesthetic really captures that Mad Max / Fallout 1, 2 and New Vegas / Bad Batch wasteland vibe more than a lot of games that try and do the same thing.”
    • “The art style and graphics of the maps are just what you would want a wasteland to look and feel like.”
    • “It's not the most graphical game, but there are times when the scene on the screen is absolutely gorgeous and the devs have this weird ability to nail the ambiance.”
    • “Graphically, it is like an early PS2 game—rather basic but with some good lighting and real-time shadows. Textures are quite basic but serve their purpose.”
    • “Mechanics are super delayed and graphics are extremely bad, even with RTX 4090 max resolution.”
    • “It's a fun game overall, but I should be able to play the game at a higher graphics level other than low with a 4070 Ti graphics card, Ryzen 7 processor, and 64GB of DDR4 memory.”
  • grinding

    23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    Grinding in the game is described as both tedious and rewarding, with resource gathering and faction reputation requiring significant time investment that can feel monotonous early on. However, many players find the grind engaging and worthwhile, especially as resource management becomes easier later, though some criticize certain mechanics like building limitations and quick resource depletion. Overall, while grind-heavy, the game remains fun and shows strong potential with ongoing developer improvements.

    • “I had to spend another 20 hours in-game farming resources at various settlements that slowly produce over time just to build anything bigger than a shack with a few stations around it.”
    • “Spent 6 hours grinding for materials to build a vehicle, then a meteor destroyed all my progress and effort, obliterating my dustglider.”
    • “Gathering (mining, salvaging, lumbering, etc.) is deeply tedious, requiring multiple button presses to finish a given resource node.”
  • stability

    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    7% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 93% negative mentions

    The game currently experiences frequent glitches such as map falling, vehicle loss, and physics issues, reflecting its alpha status. While these stability problems can be frustrating, ongoing developer updates and the game's engaging core gameplay offer promise for improvement. Players should be prepared to tolerate bugs and rough edges in its current form.

    • “Even in alpha state, it runs great and it's fun to build stuff all over the place.”
    • “The game is full of glitches: falling through the map, vehicles clipping out of existence, physics completely breaking.”
    • “I have found a few glitches, one obvious being a part of the map glitching out and causing you to lose your vehicle or fall through the ground and die, making it impossible to pick up your bag.”
    • “You work so hard just to get a functioning one, and the glitches cause them to either instantly explode for no reason or get completely lost under the environment.”
  • atmosphere

    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    64% positive mentions, 22% neutral mentions, 14% negative mentions

    The game delivers a highly immersive post-apocalyptic atmosphere characterized by gritty, oppressive, and desolate environments that effectively evoke isolation and survival tension. Players appreciate its unique world design, engaging factions, and the balance of exploration and challenge, creating a compelling and often intense experience. Though the graphics and mechanics may be modest, the mood and pacing consistently draw players in and enhance long-term engagement.

    • “A genuine post-apocalyptic feel, very atmospheric.”
    • “Love the atmosphere, the visuals, the sense of isolation and desolation, and the freedom to do whatever you want, alone or with others.”
    • “The game’s dark, atmospheric world is beautifully crafted, with challenging environments that push you to adapt and strategize.”
    • “It's not the prettiest survival game, and none of the mechanics are particularly original, but it has just the right pacing and atmosphere to make me completely zone out and forget about the world.”
    • “The atmosphere is oppressive in that 'walk outside into a blast furnace' heat-wave kind of way.”
  • optimization

    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    43% positive mentions, 14% neutral mentions, 43% negative mentions

    Optimization is mixed, with some users experiencing solid 60fps performance on high settings even after extended playtime, while others report significant performance issues despite having mid-range GPUs. The game benefits from certain optimization features like simplified death effects, but overall performance varies widely across different hardware.

    • “I play on an AMD 3600 with a GTX 1080 GPU. My settings are high in 1080p and I get a solid 60fps even with tons of walls and stuff placed inside and around a town after 20+ hours of building, so performance-wise I'm slightly impressed.”
    • “Last but not least, the performance is impressive.”
    • “Optimization-wise, it runs rather well (RTX 3050 laptop) and the game has very long rendering distances for both NPCs and lights.”
    • “Game is pretty unoptimized; even with vsync and 60fps cap, it still stresses my PC.”
    • “Performance was really bad for me, and I have a 3060.”
    • “-performance.”
  • humor

    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game's humor shines through its lively world filled with entertaining character interactions, especially the witty robot NPCs, Frank and Ron. Players find amusement in watching dynamic battles and the quirky behavior of desert enemies, adding a lighthearted and engaging tone to the adventure.

    • “The highlight of the game is undoubtedly the robot NPC characters, Frank and Ron, whose witty banter and unique personalities add humor and depth to the adventure.”
    • “Discovering new settlements... the cars you can build are cool... love sounds... the baddies in the desert are hilarious.”
    • “The world is pretty big and despite all the empty space between points of interest, there is life such as wanderers, wild animals, raiders, guards, and sometimes watching them can be funny as they battle between them.”
  • monetization

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    Users note that while the game shows promise with reasonable update speed, its monetization remains a concern, hoping the developer avoids aggressive cash-grab tactics seen in similar titles.

  • emotional

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    Users find the game evokes strong emotional responses, with the initial area notably creating a feeling of exhaustion and emotional impact.

  • character development

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 100% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    Character development is highlighted as a key aspect, intertwined with diverse gameplay elements like base building and exploration. Players appreciate the depth it adds within a challenging, expansive world featuring various biomes and tough enemies.

  • music

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The music features a light, funky style that plays randomly on in-game radios, adding enjoyable vibes without being particularly groundbreaking or heavy.

    • “It's not heavy but there is funky music playing randomly on radios in bases. It's nothing wild or groundbreaking, but the vibes are there.”
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Play Times

15h Median play time
221h Average play time
8-200h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 7 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Plains of Pain is a open world role playing shooter game with post-apocalyptic theme. Common tags for Plains of Pain include indie, trading, exploration, crafting, early access and others.

Plains of Pain is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 221 hours playing Plains of Pain.

Plains of Pain was released on February 17, 2023.

Plains of Pain was developed by Cobra Byte Digital.

Plains of Pain has received positive reviews from players. Most players liked Plains of Pain for its gameplay but disliked it for its grinding.

Plains of Pain is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include SurrounDead, Sunkenland, HumanitZ, Saleblazers, Mist Survival and others.