Prologue: Go Wayback!

About

Prologue: Go Wayback! is a single player simulation game. It was developed by PLAYERUNKNOWN Productions and was released on November 20, 2025. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Prologue: Go Wayback! offers a unique survival adventure in a vast, procedurally generated 64km² world that changes with each playthrough. Navigate dynamic weather and time cycles as you forage, find shelter, and journey toward the distant Weather Tower. Every decision shapes your path, creating a truly personal and unpredictable wilderness experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

+14

Skip User Reviews

74%

Audience ScoreBased on 129 reviews

gameplay7 positive mentions

optimization6 negative mentions

The game has a very fun and promising concept, offering a unique survival experience that challenges players to navigate and manage resources effectively.
The graphics are fantastic, creating an immersive atmosphere that enhances the exploration and survival elements of the game.
There is a strong sense of potential for future updates, with a dedicated development team that is responsive to community feedback and actively working on improvements.

The game currently lacks depth and variety, often feeling repetitive with limited survival mechanics and not enough engaging content to keep players invested.
Many players have reported frustrating bugs and performance issues, including poor optimization and clunky inventory management that detracts from the overall experience.
The survival mechanics, such as thirst and hunger, can feel unrealistic and punishing, leading to frequent deaths that may frustrate players looking for a more balanced challenge.

gameplay
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
66%
10%
The gameplay is described as simple yet enjoyable, with potential for improvement through future updates. However, many players find the survival mechanics unrealistic and the game repetitive, lacking depth and variety in content. While the graphics and some mechanics, like weather effects, are praised, issues such as a broken climbing mechanic and unfinished features detract from the overall experience, leaving players hoping for significant enhancements in future iterations.
- “I really enjoy its simple but enjoyable gameplay. I see great potential in future updates and hope the developers can really use this newfound potential and make it into one great final product.”
- “The survival mechanics, such as temperature management, calorie intake and burning, and hydration require careful management because if you're too reckless, then, yes, you will die before you can even get halfway to the weather tower.”
- “There are a lot of little tricks that reveal a good amount of hidden depth to the mechanics, and the world you have to traverse has more to it than it first seems.”
- “But there is absolutely not yet $20 worth of gameplay there for me.”
- “So far the game gets pretty repetitive once you figure out the mechanics.”
- “As many have stated, it just feels like there is no game here, just a tech demo of weather changes and survival mechanics (many of which are lackluster or plain missing at the moment).”
optimization
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
47%
35%
Overall, the game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many users reporting performance issues and a lack of smooth gameplay, particularly on lower-end PCs. While some players with high-end systems experienced fewer problems, the general consensus is that the game requires substantial optimization to enhance performance and immersion. Users express hope for future updates to address these concerns.
- “However, I like the idea and the look of the screenshots, so if you can optimize the game for lower performance PCs, I'll give it another go and review.”
- “Yes, it's a bit janky and in need of optimization, but it's very entertaining.”
- “Great concept, just needs optimization.”
- “Optimization is not great either.”
- “Like I have read in many reviews, even the positive ones, yes, the performance is not great.”
- “The optimization is bad and it's not immersive enough as advertised.”
graphics
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
39%
23%
The graphics of the game have received mixed feedback, with many praising their stunning quality and realistic details, particularly after recent updates that improved visual elements. However, some users reported issues with rough textures and performance on lower-end hardware, leading to a less favorable experience. Overall, while the graphics are generally considered impressive, there are notable inconsistencies that affect gameplay for some players.
- “The graphics are awesome! I spawned in a storm with a tree smacking against the cabin, breaking the windows and freaking me right out.”
- “Graphics overhauled—rocks now look realistic!”
- “It is an evolving world with stunning graphics and currently cutting its teeth with seamless interactions.”
- “Graphics were rough: rocks looked awful, no food or water in the starting cabin, weird weather mechanics, and a horrible landscape.”
- “The game is so unrefined; the graphics, even on extreme, are awful, and the general functionality is both unrealistic and boring.”
- “I only play VR at home, so I wanted to play this on my laptop on the go, which has Iris Xe integrated graphics. I expected, with all graphics settings turned down to low or off, to at least get a playable frame rate.”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its strong sense of immersion and realism, effectively conveying feelings of loneliness and engagement. Players appreciate the enjoyable and captivating environment, which enhances exploration and the survival experience, even in its early access phase.
- “The atmosphere is strong, the loneliness feels real, and it kept me engaged the whole time.”
- “Even in early access, it delivers a level of atmosphere and immersion that pulled me in almost immediately.”
- “All these elements create a really enjoyable atmosphere for the game.”
replayability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The game offers high replayability due to its randomly generated maps and weather, providing a fresh experience with each playthrough. Players appreciate the depth and challenge it presents, particularly for solo players, while the potential for future content promises even more variety. Overall, the immersive gameplay and low cost enhance its replay value significantly.
- “The randomly generated maps and weather give the game high replay value, and I am excited to see where the game goes from here.”
- “The game is very promising with huge potential for replayability, assuming there's going to be more depth and variety to the runs.”
- “There is more depth to this game than is first made obvious, and plenty of replayability if you like a solo challenge with many opportunities to fail (and then try again).”
stability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is a mixed bag; while players report significant game freezes, particularly in forest areas, there are few major bugs or glitches during gameplay. As an early access title, it shows promise but is currently considered buggy and lacking in features, leading to a frustrating experience at times. Overall, players hope for improvements in future updates.
- “Although it's amazing, I will say it's pretty difficult to play with the constant game freezes, especially when you try to start a fire.”
- “Lots of freezes while in the forest.”
- “It's buggy, featureless, unbalanced, no guiding, and the nights are annoying but boring.”
story
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
The game's story is appreciated for its focus on survival rather than typical zombie themes or complex lore, appealing to players seeking a straightforward experience. However, the narrative is criticized for being rushed, lacking sufficient backstory, introduction, or tutorial elements.
- “What I really like about it is that it's not about fighting zombies or some lame deep lore about the looping world or story; it's the kind of survival game at heart that I always wanted.”
- “The feel of the game is also very rushed, with very little backstory, introduction, or tutorial to the game.”
- “The story lacks depth and fails to engage the player, making it hard to care about the characters or their motivations.”
- “There are too many plot holes and inconsistencies that detract from the overall experience.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game is criticized for being unengaging, with players expressing disappointment that the gameplay does not live up to the appealing advertisements.
- “The monetization system feels overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending money.”
- “I find it frustrating that essential features are locked behind paywalls, which ruins the overall experience.”
- “The constant push for in-game purchases detracts from the gameplay, making it feel more like a cash grab than a fun experience.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game has received positive feedback, with players appreciating the quality of the tracks featured on the in-game radio and walk-man. Many users have enjoyed sharing the music with friends, highlighting its appeal.
- “The music on the radio and walkman in the game is quite good.”
- “I added some awesome music to it and sent it to friends.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate the grinding mechanics for striking a balance between being intuitive and realistic, ensuring that the experience remains enjoyable rather than tedious.

Skip Game Offers

Buy Prologue: Go Wayback!

58h Median play time

41h Average play time

5-76h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

Skip Videos

Videos

Skip Games Like Prologue: Go Wayback!

84%43.8kreviews

The Long Dark

2017

Open World Shooter

+10

69%310reviews

The Gold River Project

2026

Casual Simulation

70%44.8kreviews

Stranded Deep

2020

Survival Simulation

62%257reviews

Winter Survival

2025

Open World Simulation

81%30.2kreviews

Green Hell

2019

Open World Simulation

+12

More games like Prologue: Go Wayback!

Skip FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Prologue: Go Wayback! is a simulation game.

Prologue: Go Wayback! is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 41 hours playing Prologue: Go Wayback!.

Prologue: Go Wayback! was released on November 20, 2025.

Prologue: Go Wayback! was developed by PLAYERUNKNOWN Productions.

Prologue: Go Wayback! has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its optimization.

Prologue: Go Wayback! is a single player game.

Similar games include The Long Dark, The Gold River Project, Stranded Deep, Winter Survival, Green Hell and others.

Prologue: Go Wayback!

Platforms

Buy Prologue: Go Wayback!