Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information

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FBI agent Erica Reed has an uncanny talent: she can see the past and piece together how a crime unfolded. But not even this sixth sense could save her younger brother, Scott, from a brutal serial killer. Three years later, the investigation into Scott’s murder has gone cold -- but Erica’s work has only just begun.

Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller is a point & click, adventure and female protagonist game developed by Phoenix Online Studios and published by Phoenix Online Publishing.
Released on September 19th 2013 is available on Windows and MacOS in 3 languages: English, Italian and German.

It has received 797 reviews of which 656 were positive and 141 were negative resulting in a rating of 7.8 out of 10. 😊

The game is currently priced at 14.99€ on Steam, but you can find it for less on Gamivo.

The Steam community has classified Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller into these genres:

Point & Click Adventure Female Protagonist Mystery Story Rich Detective Episodic Indie Supernatural Thriller Crime Kickstarter Great Soundtrack Comic Book Horror Puzzle Singleplayer Touch-Friendly Conspiracy 2.5D

Media & Screenshots

Get an in-depth look at Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller through various videos and screenshots.

Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller screenshot
Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller screenshot
Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller screenshot
Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller screenshot
Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller screenshot
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Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller screenshot
Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller screenshot
Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller screenshot
Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller screenshot
Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller screenshot
Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller screenshot
Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller screenshot
Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller screenshot
Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller screenshot
Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller screenshot
Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller screenshot
Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller screenshot
Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller screenshot

System requirements

These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.

Windows
  • OS: XP/Vista/7
  • Processor: 2.0 GHz
  • Memory: 2 GB RAM
  • Graphics: ATI or NVidia with 512 MB RAM**
  • Storage: 7 GB available space
  • Additional Notes: ** - Not recommended for play on Intel systems with integrated/shared video memory
MacOS
  • OS: Snow Leopard (10.6.X)
  • Processor: 2.0 GHz*
  • Memory: 2 GB RAM
  • Graphics: ATI or NVidia with 512 MB RAM**
  • Storage: 7 GB available space
  • Additional Notes: * - For Mac systems, an Intel-based processor is required., ** - Not recommended for play on Intel systems with integrated/shared video memory

User reviews & Ratings

Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.

Jan. 2026
Great game, interesting throughout. Not too hard but also not super easy, they really nailed the balance in this one. Also each Chapter is just about the right length too. Overall really liked this one.
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Dec. 2025
replaying this game after years and anjoying it just as much as the first time
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Dec. 2025
This is a good game with glitchy gameplay. Cognition plays as a classic adventure game splitted into 4 chapters, all accessible through a loader menu. You are FBI agent Erica Reed, you solve murders and other crimes with the help of your coworkers. They generally like you but some of the bosses might not. The game starts on a cemetery, in media res, trying to rescue your brother from a serial killer who likes to setup death traps similar to Jigsaw. There's more, you have psionic powers that let you see past events in some capacity. These powers are a very interesting addition to the game and are a key component of the setting and plot, they are not just a random mechanic. More powers are unlocked as you progress on the story. Voice work is great, the cases are interesting and varied, the characters are for the most part ok. The plot is the strongest point of the game. The first case is probably the most boring one, with a ton of office tasks like searching on a computer, printing evidence forms, and a main case that takes its time to pick up pace. Fortunately, each following chapter is just better than the last one. The second case features a gruesome killer, while the third one adds a new playable character that gives a much needed fresh air to the saga. The last chapter brings everything to its conclusion, there's a couple of last plot details that were highly satisfying. Now, I don't know if the game got broken in an update or what happened, but it's full of bugs. The art style looks good, it's a mesh of 2D painted backgrounds with 3D models for characters and active objects. Everything 3D on this game doesn't work very well. Erica will take ages to move to one place to another, slowly turning around, strafing instead of walking forward, and sometimes just inverse kinectics go wrong and she has epilepsy convulsions. It's a shame really, because the story is engaging and deserves at least one play. None of the glitched animations and characters will crash or softlock the game, but it detracts a lot from the very serious atmosphere when you are having a very tense moment and suddenly the animations break down. The other main issue, is that around half of the dialogues in the first chapter are unskippable. They eventually fixed it in later chapters, but the first one tends to drag a lot because of this. If you are ok with technical issues, take a chance to get into this adventure, otherwise avoid completely.
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Dec. 2025
I’m fully aware that the writing is sometimes inconsistent, but I absolutely love a good thriller — with solid twists — regardless of the format. And this game is a thriller, even if it never quite reaches brilliance. There’s a clear DNA of my beloved (and dearly missed) Gabriel Knight 3 here, and it genuinely helped scratch that itch. It made me nostalgic in the best way, while also reminding me how much I hope the last two Gabriel Knight games will eventually receive proper remakes, just like the first one did. The tone is serious and more mature than the average adventure game, with several genuinely intense moments. Be warned: the game does not shy away from gore — but it’s never gratuitous. It serves the story and the atmosphere rather than existing for shock value. Erica Reed herself is a strong point. She’s not treated like a clueless protagonist: she’s intelligent, capable, and refreshingly rebellious. Anti-system, anti-rulebook — she doesn’t blindly follow orders, and that makes her far more engaging than many adventure leads. Overall, despite its flaws and uneven execution, the experience remains positive for me. It’s a flawed but compelling thriller that knows what it wants to be. Rating: 7/10
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May 2025
Where the hell did this come from? I've loved and played many point&click adventures over the years. Thought I've pretty much seen them all. From the LucasArts era past Broken Sword, all Wadjeteye games to more recent titles like Kathy Rain. It's 2025 now and I had never even heard of this before. Found it in a reddit list because I literally ran out of adventure games or so I thought. It's damn good. Awesome protagonist. Erica curses when she wants to and doesn't mince words which is a huge plus for me and although she is very clearly meant to be a very strong female character I don't get many over-the-top modern feminist vibes from it all. That's a huge plus because many modern games have been completely ruined by this nonsense. She's just cool. Awesome voice-acting, setting, sound, music. The story is very interesting and dark. Crazy but believable, it is capable of setting a creepy mood at exactly the right time. The art style is unique and looks cool in my opinion, some of the character movements (like turning around) look off, kind of like unfinished placeholder animations but I can forgive that, it's such a minor thing compared to all the good this game has to offer. I'm so glad I found this. Would have been so easy to miss. If you're on the fence, go for it. It is worth your time. Can't say anything about the ending yet, I'm about to finish episode 3... hope it's not terrible. EDIT: Yeah, just finished it, last episode is kinda all over the place. The Ending is... fine I guess. It's like... so hard to do a satisfying ending anyway. Could have been better, not gonna lie but the game is still very good!
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Frequently Asked Questions

Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller is currently priced at 14.99€ on Steam.

Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 14.99€ on Steam.

Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller received 656 positive votes out of a total of 797 achieving a rating of 7.80.
😊

Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller was developed by Phoenix Online Studios and published by Phoenix Online Publishing.

Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller is playable and fully supported on Windows.

Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller is playable and fully supported on MacOS.

Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller is not playable on Linux.

Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller is a single-player game.

There are 2 DLCs available for Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller. Explore additional content available for Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller on Steam.

Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller does not support mods via Steam Workshop.

Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller does not support Steam Remote Play.

Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller 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 Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller.

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 23 January 2026 11:22
SteamSpy data 25 January 2026 22:10
Steam price 29 January 2026 04:44
Steam reviews 27 January 2026 13:58

If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller, 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 Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller
  • SteamCharts - Analysis of Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller concurrent players on Steam
  • ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller compatibility
Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller
14.99€ Buy Now 🔥 Deal Show Price Show Price
Rating
7.8
656
141
Game modes
Features
Online players
2
Developer
Phoenix Online Studios
Publisher
Phoenix Online Publishing
Release 19 Sep 2013
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