Plains of Pain on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
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Survive a brutal open world alone or with friends. Explore a procedural wasteland scorched by chaos. Build and defend your base, trade for what you need, complete deadly quests, and fight to claim faction outposts before someone else does.
Plains of Pain is a early access, survival and massively multiplayer game
developed and published by Cobra Byte Digital.
Released on February 17th 2023 is available only on Windows
in 6 languages: English, Czech, Spanish - Spain, Portuguese - Brazil, German and French.
It has received 332 reviews of which 282 were positive and 50 were negative resulting in a rating of 7.9 out of 10. 😊
The game is currently priced at 19.50€ on Steam.
The Steam community has classified Plains of Pain into these genres:
System requirements
These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.
Windows
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS *: Windows 7
- Processor: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- Memory: 10 GB RAM
- Graphics: GTX 670 2GB / AMD R9 280 better
- DirectX: Version 11
- Network: Broadband Internet connection
- Storage: 7 GB available space
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
Updated for the 0.6 patch. A survival post apocalyptic sandbox crafter. hardcore mechanics like overheat and having to micromanage every action you do such as managing your stamina during heavy thick combat encounters and properly managing your inventory for maximum efficiency. The 0.6 update added gates...that lock. As you can imagine, on a MP server with full loot, open pvp this can cause some havoc. On one of the official servers I've managed to wall off and gate every POI within 500m of the starting spawn. This makes the game exceptionally difficult for new players as they don't have access to any loot containers. So you can see the fun you can have with this on MP servers. Other players can take down the walls and build their own gate if they want. However, since only 7 people play this at any given time, nobody plays MP for fear of getting griefed. So 1 person can control an entire server if they wanted. This game was made for MP. You craft structures that produce resources and this works better if you're on a server vs. single player since resources accrue while you're offline. Plus there just ins't enough content here to justify the singleplayer experience as once you've crafted your base and done whatever, all there is to do is kill faction NPC's for maximum xp gain and build anywhere on the map. I adore POP so I will continue to support Fosco and Frost in their development of the game but crafting needs a complete overhaul. Currently, you can build a floor tile and surround another players base with those and I'm literally stuck. Floor tiles can't be damaged nor be removed, even by the player that crafted it. Some pieces dont align properly or can never be placed on certain other tiles when you'd think they'd fit perfectly. So alot of issues with building pieces right now. Only about half of them can actually be removed once built. Map generation is in my opinion, worse than before 0.6. The current map generation is very basic. Only 2 settlements, 2 junkyards, 4 refineries, ammo ace jackson, a bazaar and a bunch of oil pumps are really the only POI's you will encounter. Pre 0.6 you had toxic and radiation sites with locked containers, forcing you to move quickly. A bit of risk vs. reward, None of that now. Any vendors or other "towns" you run across on the map are very small vendors with 1 or 2 NPC's manning them. This leads to boredom once you've explored the whole map and visited every NPC. The map is just very static. Some random events that spawn would be amazing. To liven up the static map.
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I would like to preface this by saying while I do enjoy it and do recommend the game, it is a highly cautious recommend and allow me to explain why. First off, the good: 1. The game does well in encapsulating what it'd be like to be stuck in a post apocalyptic desert setting (think Mad Max but with less roving bandits maybe). Survival is difficult early on until you get situated and learn the mechanics which can be a positive for those seeking a rough go of it. 2. The game has a cargo trading system where one settlement may sell food and want drugs (and not medical drugs as medical supplies are a different thing but hey I won't judge) while another settlement may sell drugs and want food so you get a supply run going between the two points for some money. 3. While the game is harsh, it is fair. You start off with a handful of supplies which should last long enough for you to get established and set up basic structures to get you going. There are some animals about, harvestable cactus both the green leaflike edible ones and tall green poles. You can make basic water condensers with materials you can find scavenging. If there's a farm box in a settlement, you can also harvest from there for some food or bugs which you can make food from said bug, a rock and a cloth (again Mad Max setting you do what you gotta). 4. Inventory management is rough at the start with just your pockets barely able to hold anything but you can build your way up relatively quickly. There's also stashes you can make from stone which is plentiful when scavenging. Now for the bad. And again while I do like the game, I do feel like I need to be blunt in my critique. 1. It's a desert, so you don't think there'd be much around, and you'd be right. Without a vehicle, it takes a long while to get anywhere and if you are encumbered you can't run so it'll be even more of a slog. With a vehicle, it feels not worth it because getting the fuel is rough at the start. There are random events that spawn barrels that may contain bio diesel or gas or it could contain dirty water or poison. Not to mention you need a large backpack and liquid container to make it worthwhile. 2. The cargo trade system can be easily abused to make a ton of money quick which may not sound like a drawback but making the game too easy can feel counterproductive for some who want a harsh time surviving. Also the economy of the game needs a lot of work. Traders can have varying prices for the same item so the player is incentivized to explore before spending any money (while also establishing trade routes) but again without a vehicle it doesn't feel worth it. 3. There is a random event called Overheat where the world just becomes very hot. It doesnt sound like much but overheating causes damage depending on how overheated the player is. Early on, it basically makes the game unplayable for the event period because with no heat protection the damage adds up fast. 4. Combat is....very basic. The enemy swing has a delay between the animation and the hitbox so you can "dodge" an attack by backpedaling out of the swing. Some enemies have ranged attacks which can be dodged by just going side to side. The damage is inconsistent at times where I can do between 9 to 45 damage. Damage is also tied to the weapon's durability so if you want the max amount of damage from your weapon you need to repair it often even if it's still at 80% which is a poorly thought out system. 5. Repairing a vehicle is very costly to craft the parts so it's better to scavenge for them which is very rng. 10+ hours (I accidentally left it on once at night when I slept) and I have yet to fully repair a vehicle. 6. Settlements use the same model for one of the enemies and one of the settlers so it's confusing who to attack who to not when the enemies attack a settlement (likely from spawning nearby said settlement). 7. NPC idle voice lines occur too often so being in a settlement where an npc has that annoying af groaning voice line becomes torture. 8. Items have a weight and a volume. you can carry past your weight limit til you hit your volume limit. If you are above your weight limit you become encumbered and cannot run and if too encumbered you also cannot jump. This system is somewhat fine but some items have too much volume for what they are, like bones taking up too much volume for what they are. Also one water bottle takes up 2 volume but 5 planks of wood takes up 3.5 volume and a can of soup takes up 0.3? It needs a lot of work to balance it out. 9. Building is a mess. Sometimes foundations are on different heights with no way to change it or remove them. Rotating is not smooth so nothing will really line up. 10. Crafting an item will use EVERY item if you can craft said item multiple times. If you have 30 sticks and want to use just 10 to make some arrows, you have to separate the stack (which you can only split the stack in half with right click so be prepared to right click everything) then you can so long as the item limit listed is the limit you want to use. 11. Stuff killed will poof into a pile of bones on the ground which I suppose is for optimization but the animal remains are tiny in comparison to what they are which makes finding the remains among grass a pain. 12. There is a display for stuff looted and reputation change and player warning for overheating and such but it just...sometimes doesnt work. It like gets stuck and then a backlog gets created which then unleashes all at once like a flood of poorly managed data. 13. The game is in desperate need of at least two more hotbar slots. You only get 4 and using an item like food, bottles, medical items, a lock for storage/vehicles/doors, a flashlight, loot keys or weapons requires a slot. It leads to a lot of unnecessary juggling and feels clunky. There are other gripes but they aren't as offputting as the ones listed. There are also some other small praises for the game (like the skill system feeling rather balanced). Anyways yeah, it's alright, pick it up on sale if interested cuz 20 is too much, and have a good day. Edit: Decided to give it a solid go, got a vehicle, upgrading it requires inserting whatever it says (like a gallon bottle to upgrade the fuel tank capacity once) and used to to ferry back and forth between trade routes to get gold currency which is very valuable to fully upgrade said car. Still feel like the economy or upgrade system or both need a bit of tweaking due to how easy it is to make money with a vehicle. My crossbow is now bugged where it shoots like 2mm to the left of the crosshair. I found a katana which is cool but also why (rule of cool why not I guess) and made the repeating crossbow with 3 shots. I never had to upgrade my health and feel op despite such. Still though it feels like it's because of my exploration and struggle at the start so it is a good feeling. Overall 6.5/10 game still needs work and has some bugs that can sometimes be fixed with a restart but is functional and can be fun for the masochist.
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Since 0.6 dropped been having a blast in single player. This game is shaping up to tick ma boxes.
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Great game, Kenshi meets Conan. Absolute hidden gem. Tons of depth. 8/10. It is mysteriously addictive. It is rough around the edges but the greatness is there.
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Exactly the kind of game I've been looking for, captures the emptiness and desolation of trying to survive in a Mad Max style desert with a great post apocalypse aesthetic and mostly importantly hovering vehicles. Extremely excited to get the point where I'm running cargo transport on my junker. I hope development continues for a long time 'cause whilst it still feels fairly early the ideas are great. Kind of a cross between Kenshi, 7 Days to Die and Zomboid.
Expand the review
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Frequently Asked Questions
Plains of Pain is currently priced at 19.50€ on Steam.
Plains of Pain is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 19.50€ on Steam.
Plains of Pain received 282 positive votes out of a total of 332 achieving a rating of 7.89.
😊
Plains of Pain was developed and published by Cobra Byte Digital.
Plains of Pain is playable and fully supported on Windows.
Plains of Pain is not playable on MacOS.
Plains of Pain is not playable on Linux.
Plains of Pain offers both single-player and multi-player modes.
Plains of Pain offers both Co-op and PvP modes.
Plains of Pain does not currently offer any DLC.
Plains of Pain does not support mods via Steam Workshop.
Plains of Pain does not support Steam Remote Play.
Plains of Pain 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 Plains of Pain.
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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 | 27 July 2025 16:39 |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 23 July 2025 13:20 |
| Steam price | 31 July 2025 04:50 |
| Steam reviews | 29 July 2025 15:55 |
If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about Plains of Pain, 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 Plains of Pain
- SteamCharts - Analysis of Plains of Pain concurrent players on Steam
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck Plains of Pain compatibility
Game modes
Multiplayer
Features
Online players
41
Developer
Cobra Byte Digital
Publisher
Cobra Byte Digital
Release
17 Feb 2023
Platforms