Back to the Dawn on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
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Back to the Dawn is a story-rich RPG set in a high-security prison ruled by factions and buried secrets. Investigate two conspiracies from the inside, gather evidence, and outsmart a system designed to silence you. Make friends (or foes) with fellow inmates and with their help, break out of prison.
Back to the Dawn is a rpg, story rich and pixel graphics game
developed by Metal Head Games
and published by Spiral Up Games.
Released on July 17th 2025 is available only on Windows
in 4 languages: Simplified Chinese, English, Japanese and Traditional Chinese.
It has received 4,935 reviews of which 4,579 were positive and 356 were negative resulting in a rating of 9.0 out of 10. 😎
The game is currently priced at 29.50€ on Steam, but you can find it for less on Gamivo.
The Steam community has classified Back to the Dawn into these genres:
Media & Screenshots
Get an in-depth look at Back to the Dawn through various videos and screenshots.
System requirements
These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.
Windows
- OS: Windows 10
- Processor: Intel i5
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: Nvidia GTX 750ti
- Storage: 3 GB available space
- Additional Notes: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system.
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
I wanna preface this by saying I've never been drawn to games of this nature before. I don't really like puzzle games where you have to do one thing to reveal another thing you need to do and stuff like that. But this game is amazing; I haven't been this invested in a game's story in a long time. Some people will look past this game because it stars animals. To be clear, this is NOT a furry-centric game. It's a story that does involve sentient animals that are more human than animal, but at its core, this game is a gripping story about justice and the lengths people will go in order to get it. Every character in this game is incredibly well written and all have extremely interesting, if not heart wrenching stories about how they ended up in prison. So many ways to escape, so many stories to learn. I've played about 92 hours of this game and I'm STILL not done with all of Thomas' escape routes but I find myself compelled to get them for myself anyhow even after going and getting both of Bob's endings. The only downside to this game--which isn't even a "real" downside--is that you gotta love reading. If you don't like games where you read all the time then you won't like this game. Oh, and save yourself a headache. I know it's very tempting to go into these sorts of games and play on a difficulty other than the easiest but play this game on the easiest mode. The re-reroll and memory recall will stop you from tearing you hair out if you happen screw up an important roll. I know that will turn this game into more of an extremely elaborate visual novel instead of a proper game with consequences but trust me, it's still worth it. So what're you waiting for? Buy this game and support the devs, they deserve it!
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Lemme tell you. This game is hard to categorize. Point and click? Immersive sim? RPG? It has elements of all three - point is the game has some really complex mechanics and multiple approaches to solving a problem. You want a challenge? This game might be for you. Now for more detailed description: You're either a reporter thrown into the prison to silence you or an undercover cop searching for a lead for a person that disappeared. Either way - you're in a hostile environment where a slight mistake might not mean game over now, but it can prevent your escape later on... or worse. You need to plan, scout, make notes, learn mechanics. It's overall a really great experience - it threw me back to games like The Great Escape (Yes! The ZX Spectrum one and it's Amiga remake) where careful planning and cunning was the key. You can solve things by smooth talking, fighting or stealth. Without too much spoilage - it's a worthwhile experience. But here's the biggest problem - there's a high probability you will fail at least on your first playthrough. But that's because you need to learn stuff. And honestly - that's the gist of it. Don't get discouraged - when you fail, that's experience you can put towards your next playthrough. Do it a few times and suddenly the game turns into a clever puzzle with a little bit of RNG for good measure. Now to make sure you don't escape too fast you will have to experience the story segments for the good ending. SPEAKING OF THE STORY... lemme put it this way - it's not an oscar winner but it is enjoyable. But the story feels a backdrop to all of the stories you can experience in prison. And I think that's where the game is the strongest - the characters. For a colorful cast of characters, most of them have their routines, personalities, likes and dislike and agency. There's a big web of connections that you can unfold and use to your advantage. And honestly that's what kept me coming back - that one conversation I can eavesdrop on or that one rapport moment I can experience to know people better. But yeah overall I just love the game, its' good, really good. And now that Bob's story is released... I need to play it again to see the other side of the prison life.
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Let me start by saying that I've been with this game the past year and a half and now that it has a full release I want to share my thoughts. With that out of the way, the game goes harder than diamonds. The narrative is gripping, the soundtrack is a banger, and the gameplay is methodical and engaging. Somehow every single character that you interact with in the game has a fleshed out background (No idea how they pulled that off as there are easily upwards of 50 that qualify for this) and the game has so many escape routes that it drove me half insane trying to get them all. Now you may notice that I left the visuals out of my gushing and that's because I don't think a single footnote in the middle of a paragraph does it justice. Simply put, the game is gorgeous. Every piece of pixel art is meticulously detailed to the point where almost 80 hours in I'm still noticing new things (for example a beautifully made storage room that you are in for less than a minute in only one of the endings ). The animation brings so much life into each of the characters actions and the game puts it's 2.5d nature to good use. To delve further into the gameplay I mentioned earlier, while this game looks like a run of the mill walking and talking sim the choices require genuine consideration and the mini-games are varied and unique. The fighting system is great (do not argue with me on this I am very well acquainted with it) and the dice-roll element, while seemingly like it would be annoying at a first glance, incentivizes planning and raises the opportunity for improvisation when things go south. Also gambling is always fun and 90 percent of prisoners quit their escape attempt right before they get a critical success. As far as the story goes, it is very solid, and both of the storylines (currently only Thomas and Bob but I am watching for the third like a hawk) are unique and compliment each other well while still being able to stand on their own. I can only say so much on this due to heavy spoilers but know that they are exceptional and feature a variety of twists and turns that kept me engaged throughout the entire runtime. I should probably address the 21 day limit that some people may have a problem with. For any reading, know that you have an in game limit to complete the game or you get a game over with the worst ending . This may be a turn off for some, but I firmly believe the juice is worth the squeeze and the game holds up just as well if it requires a second play-through, even if you play NG+. I want to end off by saying that this game is a steal for the price that it is being offered and you will not regret buying. I have been patiently awaiting this release and pray every day that this game will see the success that it deserves. I wish the developers nothing but the best in their future endeavors (P.S thank you for the free supporters care package for early access purchasers, and know that I would gladly have paid for it anyways) TLDR you will not regret buying this game and hats off to Metal Head, please make something else in the future to I can throw more money at you.
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I adore this game, it's crazy how much it's flying under the radar. Basically it's a life sim/choices matter kind of deal. Live in prison, go through the daily routine, work on raising your stats and skills and do one of a crazy number of different paths to escape. Honestly, I can't emphasise enough how much effort they put into these different routes. There was a SECRET, hidden escape path I found that included like six entirely new characters you'd never even see otherwise with full animations. Be aware -if the idea of the escape time limit puts you off, you can just NG+ and keep almost all of your progress, you only lose your cash and items on a reset. I actually use this game to relax and just slowly max everything, when normally time limits would really stress me out
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Hands down, one of the best games I've experienced in the last decade. Incredible believable character arcs, breathtaking pixel graphics and a storyline that'll keep you at the edge of your seat. Great gameplay all-around. One of my top games of all time, I'm so excited to play as the new character in 2025!
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Frequently Asked Questions
Back to the Dawn is currently priced at 29.50€ on Steam.
Back to the Dawn is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 29.50€ on Steam.
Back to the Dawn received 4,579 positive votes out of a total of 4,935 achieving a rating of 8.95.
😎
Back to the Dawn was developed by Metal Head Games and published by Spiral Up Games.
Back to the Dawn is playable and fully supported on Windows.
Back to the Dawn is not playable on MacOS.
Back to the Dawn is not playable on Linux.
Back to the Dawn is a single-player game.
There are 3 DLCs available for Back to the Dawn. Explore additional content available for Back to the Dawn on Steam.
Back to the Dawn does not support mods via Steam Workshop.
Back to the Dawn does not support Steam Remote Play.
Back to the Dawn is enabled for Steam Family Sharing. This means you can share the game with authorized users from your Steam Library, allowing them to play it on their own accounts. For more details on how the feature works, you can read the original Steam Family Sharing announcement or visit the Steam Family Sharing user guide and FAQ page.
You can find solutions or submit a support ticket by visiting the Steam Support page for Back to the Dawn.
Data sources
The information presented on this page is sourced from reliable APIs to ensure accuracy and relevance. We utilize the Steam API to gather data on game details, including titles, descriptions, prices, and user reviews. This allows us to provide you with the most up-to-date information directly from the Steam platform.
Additionally, we incorporate data from the SteamSpy API, which offers insights into game sales and player statistics. This helps us present a comprehensive view of each game's popularity and performance within the gaming community.
Last Updates| Steam data | 13 September 2025 00:45 |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 04 September 2025 17:45 |
| Steam price | 12 September 2025 20:23 |
| Steam reviews | 10 September 2025 20:08 |
If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about Back to the Dawn, we invite you to check out a few dedicated websites that offer extensive information and insights. These platforms provide valuable data, analysis, and user-generated reports to enhance your understanding of the game and its performance.
- SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about Back to the Dawn
- SteamCharts - Analysis of Back to the Dawn concurrent players on Steam
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck Back to the Dawn compatibility
Game modes
Features
Online players
209
Developer
Metal Head Games
Publisher
Spiral Up Games
Release
17 Jul 2025
Platforms
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