SteamWorld Build

82%
Game Brain Score Based on 891 reviews
  • gameplay
  • story
  • replayability
SteamWorld Build Game Cover
Great for both Citybuilder Noobs and Experts, SteamWorld Build offers a highly-replayable game with multiple maps and difficulties for players to take on.
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SteamWorld Build is a single-player Science Fiction 4X game with an intriguing story and wonderful gameplay. As you collect resources and build a new home to save your town, you'll encounter crotchety steamfolk and ancient tech. With stunning graphics, a good soundtrack, and the need for lots of grinding, this game will keep you engaged as you stare into the abyss and dig for riches. Join the SteamWorld Build Community on Discord for updates and support.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Cloud
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
  • Xbox Game Pass
  • x_box_cloud_gaming
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

82%
Audience ScoreBased on 891 reviews
gameplay73 positive mentions
replayability23 negative mentions
  • Charming art style and engaging gameplay that combines city building with mining mechanics.
  • Relaxing experience with a straightforward progression system, making it accessible for newcomers to the genre.
  • Seamless transition between surface city management and underground exploration, providing a unique gameplay loop.
  • Short playtime, with the main campaign lasting around 6-10 hours and limited replayability across different maps.
  • Lacks depth and complexity compared to other city builders, making it feel repetitive after a single playthrough.
  • The story is minimal and does not significantly enhance the gameplay experience, leaving players wanting more narrative content.
  • gameplay280 mentions

    The gameplay of the game is characterized by a blend of city-building and mining mechanics, drawing inspiration from titles like Anno and Dungeon Keeper. While the mechanics are easy to grasp and the game offers a charming aesthetic, many players find the overall experience to be simplistic and lacking depth, leading to a repetitive gameplay loop with limited replayability. Despite its engaging core mechanics and relaxing atmosphere, the game may not satisfy those seeking a more complex or challenging experience.

    • “With its vibrant art style, engaging mechanics, and accessible yet deep gameplay, it caters to both newcomers and strategy veterans.”
    • “The gameplay loop can get grind heavy but it's a good game to have up while watching something or otherwise lightly multitask.”
    • “A well-executed blend between city building and dungeon keeper that is currently lacking in replayability, despite a great gameplay loop that felt fun and engaging.”
    • “The game as a whole is on the cusp of being truly great but ironically never goes deep into any one of its mechanics.”
    • “I like the SteamWorld universe and I like the art style, but the gameplay was totally lacking here and in the end everything felt like a pointless chore.”
    • “The gameplay is overly simplistic and lacks the tools to optimize or organize your city or mine effectively.”
  • story249 mentions

    The story in this game is generally considered minimal and straightforward, often described as lacking depth and engagement, with many players noting that it feels rushed and repetitive across different maps. While some appreciate the charm and humor typical of the SteamWorld franchise, others find the narrative uninspiring and the character development shallow, leading to a lack of motivation for replaying the game after completing the main story. Overall, the story serves more as a backdrop to the gameplay rather than a compelling driving force.

    • “The story, while minimal, is driven by the strong characters.”
    • “The story is cute and well done; I found it enjoyable, but no major surprises or twists.”
    • “The story expands on the SteamWorld universe without stepping on itself.”
    • “The story is very simple and threadbare, and this is probably the least story-focused SteamWorld game since Tower Defense.”
    • “The story was incomplete and lacked closure, but it's $30 so I wasn't expecting Shakespeare; it had nothing that made me want to keep playing.”
    • “Was disappointed to find that the story was so short - I thought the different maps were different campaigns, but it's just the same story with slightly altered balancing/atmosphere.”
  • replayability107 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag, with many players noting that while there are multiple maps and some randomized elements, the core gameplay remains largely the same across playthroughs. Most reviews indicate that after completing the game in about 6-10 hours, there is limited incentive to replay, as the lack of varied challenges and a compelling story diminishes the experience. Some players enjoyed the initial gameplay enough to return, but many agree that the game could benefit from additional content and mechanics to enhance its replay value.

    • “It’s a well-made city builder with a lot of replayability, making it fun to dive back into time and again.”
    • “The collection of maps provides a great avenue for replayability, and there are some real bangers in the soundtrack.”
    • “A run-through of the story takes a little over ten hours, but there is a decent amount of replayability with alternate maps, difficulties, and challenges.”
    • “The game was fun the first playthrough, but you literally do everything in that first playthrough so there isn't a whole lot of replayability.”
    • “Sadly, my only complaint and possibly the most important aspect in any sim building is missing: replay value. The game offers around 5 maps with unique themes and layouts, but the main objective doesn't change; it's a single story mode campaign which took me 10 hours to beat, all in one sitting.”
    • “The main problem is that this game is not replayable.”
  • graphics103 mentions

    The graphics of the game have been widely praised for their charming and vibrant art style, which effectively captures the steampunk aesthetic that the SteamWorld series is known for. Players appreciate the smooth visuals, engaging animations, and the overall appealing design that enhances the gameplay experience, although some note that the maps lack significant variety despite their distinct aesthetics. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the game's atmosphere, making it a visually enjoyable experience for fans of the genre.

    • “The art style is on point, the pacing is snappy and the mechanics evolve suitably quickly.”
    • “The unique art style and quirky characters add to the overall charm, making it a standout in the genre.”
    • “The general visual design is top notch, and really sells the steampunkish aesthetic that SteamWorld prides itself on.”
    • “Different maps don't offer any variety (sure they have different visuals and different amounts of working space) and don't change gameplay in any meaningful way.”
    • “While the gameplay is enjoyable, it lacks depth, with maps and undergrounds feeling too similar despite varied visuals.”
    • “Love the visuals but very disappointing gameplay; there's almost no conflict and little exploration, and the city building feels like a huge chore.”
  • music28 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its charm and relaxing quality, enhancing the overall experience with a peaceful soundtrack that complements the visuals and gameplay. While some players find the music enjoyable enough to keep them engaged, others note that it can become repetitive, particularly in more intense gameplay moments. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong aspect of the game, contributing to its pleasant atmosphere and appeal.

    • “Amazing soundtrack, very peaceful.”
    • “The music and sound effects are good.”
    • “Beautiful art style, together with super chill music... just made me go peacefully into my build trance.”
    • “The music reminded me of Borderlands, and it was decent enough to never make me want to play my own music over it.”
    • “- By the time you reach the last mine, you will be constantly bombarded with notifications of monster attacks, to a point where I couldn't even hear the background music anymore when I was down there.”
    • “Music ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ - 6/10”
  • grinding22 mentions

    Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience. While some enjoy the journey and find certain achievements manageable, many criticize the grind as tedious and repetitive, particularly in city building and resource collection. The game can be fun initially, but it often devolves into a monotonous grind, especially when pursuing 100% completion.

    • “My last complaint is about achievements, they are unnecessarily grindy.”
    • “The city building isn't very deep, which wouldn't be bad in and of itself, but it's also grindy.”
    • “The only word I can use to describe this game is tedious.”
  • optimization18 mentions

    The game's optimization is a mixed bag; while some players report smooth performance and seamless transitions without bugs, others experience significant optimization issues that detract from the overall experience. Despite these problems, many users appreciate the game's replay value and the depth of its mechanics, suggesting that optimization opportunities exist for those willing to invest time in refining their strategies. Overall, the game's performance varies widely across different platforms and user setups.

    • “Tutorials are clear, and optimization opportunities abound, ensuring excellent replay value.”
    • “The game clearly has a lot of interesting mechanics underlying it: guard robots can use different weapons, items are a scarce resource that offer huge buffs, you can scan for resources in the mines, there's various routing optimizations you can do to how you place items and how your robots move, etc.”
    • “The interface is mega pleasant, and despite the extra layers it runs smoothly without any stutters.”
    • “The game is pretty good, but has terrible optimization problems that I have been unable to fix on my computer.”
    • “A promising game spoiled by performance issues and wrong UX choices.”
    • “Still, I'd like to maintain a positive rating, for the atmosphere, optimization, building animations and the view of society you get along the way, but unfortunately not at this price.”
  • stability9 mentions

    The game is praised for its exceptional stability, with users reporting no significant bugs, glitches, or crashes. Many describe the gameplay as smooth and reliable, highlighting that it runs seamlessly without performance issues. Overall, it is considered a solid choice for those seeking a stress-free gaming experience.

    • “It runs like butter; there are no glitches or bugs, and it plays the way it's supposed to, which is apparently a tough target to hit these days.”
    • “It played smoothly with no glitches or crashes.”
    • “No bugs, runs great.”
    • “Game introduces new stuff and fun content in droves; it's also not a buggy mess.”
    • “What I find crazy is that I haven't encountered any glitches, bugs, performance issues, or crashes so far.”
    • “No real gripes, no crashes or glitches.”
  • humor8 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by its quirky storytelling and playful class-based jokes, reminiscent of the SteamWorld series and shows influences from shows like *Futurama*. While the narrative is engaging and funny, some players feel that the lack of management tools detracts from the overall enjoyment. Overall, the game successfully blends creativity and humor within its charming art style, making it a delightful introduction to the city-building genre.

    • “The story is quirky and funny.”
    • “Although it is a relatively quick game to get through, it packs a lot of creativity, humor, and beautiful art into a great introduction to both the genre of city builders and the SteamWorld series.”
    • “It’s equal parts Anno and Dungeon Keeper, with a touch of Futurama-esque robot humor.”
  • atmosphere7 mentions

    The atmosphere in the SteamWorld series is consistently praised for its charming graphics, relaxing music, and engaging sound effects, creating a captivating and immersive experience. While the presentation and humor are well-received, some players express disappointment with the brevity of the story and the lack of management tools, which detracts from the overall enjoyment. Despite these criticisms, the unique atmosphere remains a strong point that draws players into the game.

    • “Cute and nice graphics, relaxing music, and atmospheric sound effects, well done.”
    • “Good graphics, atmosphere, and gameplay.”
    • “Was disappointed to find that the story was so short - I thought the different maps were different campaigns, but it's just the same story with slightly altered balancing/atmosphere.”
    • “Still, I'd like to maintain a positive rating for the atmosphere, optimization, building animations, and the view of society you get along the way, but unfortunately not at this price.”
    • “I figured I'd give it a shot and see if the charming SteamWorld atmosphere could help draw me into the genre.”
  • emotional5 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is described as touching and capable of evoking feelings, enhancing replay value and the sense of exploration. However, some players feel that it lacks depth in emotional engagement, despite being a fun and wholesome experience overall.

    • “If you play the story, it is a bit touching if you feel emotions.”
    • “Congratulations to the team for delivering another fun, relaxing, and wholesome experience.”
    • “That increases the replay value of the game and made me feel like a true explorer, never knowing what I will find when my miners dig further.”
  • character development4 mentions

    Character development in the game is minimal, with characters introduced but showing little to no growth throughout the story. While the art style and voice acting are praised, many reviewers feel that the lack of meaningful dialogue and depth in character arcs detracts from the overall experience. The emotional impact of the ending is noted, but it relies on a character that players barely interact with, highlighting the shortcomings in character engagement.

    • “The world, buildings, and character designs are simply gorgeous.”
    • “Great art style, good voice lines, simple but sweet character development and storyline.”
    • “Introducing the characters, a little bit of character development (by little I mean little because no one really changes at all), then a 'twist' ending that was well foreshadowed and something to make you cry (a character you briefly met decides to do something grand) but like you literally only talk to him once.”
    • “Unfortunately, what is usually a strength for the series is one of the biggest downsides to build; it feels like there's very little character development or dialogue at all.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    Reviewers note that the game's monetization strategy could benefit from clearer marketing, particularly by emphasizing its cozy gameplay elements, which may attract a broader audience.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

78% average critic score

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Play time

9hMedian play time
11hAverage play time
5-23hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 17 analyzed playthroughs

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