Penumbra: Black Plague Gold Edition on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information

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Surrounded by enemies and assaulted by terror from all sides, Philip must collect clues and solve vexing puzzles while combating the gnawing psychological terrors that assail his mind and threaten to strip him of his sanity.

Penumbra: Black Plague Gold Edition is a horror, adventure and first-person game developed and published by Frictional Games.
Released on January 23rd 2009 is available in English on Windows, MacOS and Linux.

It has received 2,752 reviews of which 2,589 were positive and 163 were negative resulting in an impressive rating of 9 out of 10. 😍

The game is currently priced at 9.75€ on Steam.

The Steam community has classified Penumbra: Black Plague Gold Edition into these genres:

Horror Adventure First-Person Psychological Horror Stealth Atmospheric Story Rich Singleplayer Indie Survival Horror Puzzle Lovecraftian Dark Action Survival Great Soundtrack Classic Gore Multiplayer

Media & Screenshots

Get an in-depth look at Penumbra: Black Plague Gold Edition through various videos and screenshots.

Penumbra: Black Plague Gold Edition screenshot
Penumbra: Black Plague Gold Edition screenshot
Penumbra: Black Plague Gold Edition screenshot
Penumbra: Black Plague Gold Edition screenshot
Penumbra: Black Plague Gold Edition screenshot
Penumbra: Black Plague Gold Edition screenshot
Penumbra: Black Plague Gold Edition 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 *: Windows 2000/XP
  • Processor: 1Ghz
  • Memory: 256MB
  • Graphics: Radeon 8500/GeForce 3 (GeForce4MX not supported)
MacOS
  • OS: OS X 10.7.5 - 10.15.0 This product is not compatiable with macOS 10.15 Catalina or later.
  • Processor: 2.0Ghz
  • Memory: 1024MB
  • Graphics: Radeon 9600/GeForce 4 (GeForce4MX not supported, Integrated graphics might not work.)
  • Hard Drive: 2.0GB
Linux
  • OS: Linux Ubuntu 12.04 or newer, 32-bit libraries must be installed
  • Processor: 2.0Ghz
  • Memory: 1024MB
  • Graphics: Radeon 9600/GeForce 4 (GeForce4MX not supported, Integrated graphics might not work.)
  • Hard Drive: 2.0GB

User reviews & Ratings

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

Dec. 2025
Excellent game. As I said, first game was not as good as this one. First game was more of a demo (in my opinion) but this is the real deal. Very good!
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Oct. 2025
Penumbra: Black Plague is where Frictional Games truly came into their own. If Overture was a descent into fear, this sequel is a plunge straight into madness. Gone are the awkward combat mechanics, replaced by pure psychological tension, tighter pacing and a story that digs far deeper under your skin. It’s not just scarier than the first; it’s smarter, sharper and far more unsettling. You once again play as Philip, now trapped in the depths of the same icy nightmare, searching for answers in the ruins of a research facility overtaken by something ancient and parasitic. What makes Black Plague so effective isn’t what it shows, but what it implies. You’re never certain where the threat is, or even if it’s entirely external. Reality fractures, hallucinations twist the environment and the line between sanity and infection blurs beautifully. The decision to remove combat completely was brilliant. You’re forced to hide, think and panic quietly, a design choice that amplifies the helplessness and dread. The puzzles are better integrated into the story this time, often reflecting Philip’s fragile state of mind rather than feeling like arbitrary obstacles. And the writing - especially the dark, sardonic voice of Clarence - adds a disturbing psychological layer that lingers long after the game ends. Visually, it still looks dated, but the atmosphere holds up. The lighting, sound design and environmental storytelling work together to create something intimate and oppressive. It’s the kind of horror that gets into your head and stays there. Penumbra: Black Plague isn’t just a refinement of Overture, it’s a transformation. A masterclass in how fear, guilt and isolation can become the same thing.
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Aug. 2025
If played on steam deck this requires Lutris to be able to finish. My proton save is stuck on a puzzle were you have to put a dead dog on a pedestal this just stun locks you in a burning room and running the Linux version crashes within seconds. The game runs and looks better than the first game, the story is just as good and the enemies more varied. Thankfully the developers seen the error of their dog-hating ways and took out the dogs to kill by 8 yes 8 axe hits but in a act of defiance put in a game breaking bug for us steam players by none other than a flaming dog impaled on a pedestal - thats irony for ya. Recommended but not for dog lovers. Woof!
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July 2025
Absolute cinema. Still holds up after 16 years. Incredible improvement over Penumbra: Overture regarding the combat mechanics, atmosphere, mechanics, soundtrack, storytelling and enemies. If you're an Amnesia lover, you'll love this one. If you wanna be up to speed with the story play Penumbra: Overture before, but bare in mind that it is a little rough around the edges.
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Feb. 2025
An excellent sequel to the Penumbra: Overture. Scary, exciting, emotional. Puzzles are awesome too. I definitely recommend it.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Penumbra: Black Plague Gold Edition is currently priced at 9.75€ on Steam.

Penumbra: Black Plague Gold Edition is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 9.75€ on Steam.

Penumbra: Black Plague Gold Edition received 2,589 positive votes out of a total of 2,752 achieving an impressive rating of 9.00.
😍

Penumbra: Black Plague Gold Edition was developed and published by Frictional Games.

Penumbra: Black Plague Gold Edition is playable and fully supported on Windows.

Penumbra: Black Plague Gold Edition is playable and fully supported on MacOS.

Penumbra: Black Plague Gold Edition is playable and fully supported on Linux.

Penumbra: Black Plague Gold Edition is a single-player game.

Penumbra: Black Plague Gold Edition does not currently offer any DLC.

Penumbra: Black Plague Gold Edition does not support mods via Steam Workshop.

Penumbra: Black Plague Gold Edition does not support Steam Remote Play.

Penumbra: Black Plague Gold Edition 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 Penumbra: Black Plague Gold Edition.

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 19 January 2026 07:20
SteamSpy data 26 January 2026 20:53
Steam price 28 January 2026 20:46
Steam reviews 27 January 2026 21:51

If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about Penumbra: Black Plague Gold Edition, 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 Penumbra: Black Plague Gold Edition
  • SteamCharts - Analysis of Penumbra: Black Plague Gold Edition concurrent players on Steam
  • ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck Penumbra: Black Plague Gold Edition compatibility
Penumbra: Black Plague Gold Edition PEGI 16
9.75€ Buy Now
Rating
9
2,589
163
Game modes
Features
Online players
1
Developer
Frictional Games
Publisher
Frictional Games
Release 23 Jan 2009
Platforms
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