The Complex: Expedition on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
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When a routine expedition into The Complex goes horribly wrong, you're left alone and lost, wandering the seemingly infinite maze of hallways, otherwise known as the Backrooms. Might there be something following you?
The Complex: Expedition is a horror, exploration and realistic game
developed and published by pgWave.
Released on July 18th 2025 is available in English only on Windows.
It has received 1,472 reviews of which 1,354 were positive and 118 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.7 out of 10. 😎
The game is currently priced at 14.79€ on Steam.
The Steam community has classified The Complex: Expedition into these genres:
Media & Screenshots
Get an in-depth look at The Complex: Expedition 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
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: WINDOWS® 10+(64-BIT Required)
- Processor: Intel® Core™ i5-4460, 2.70GHz or AMD FX™-6300 or better
- Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 760 or AMD Radeon™ R7 260x with 2GB Video RAM
- DirectX: Version 11
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
I am in two minds about this game on one hand I love it but on the other I don't. When The Complex Expedition first came out in Early Access it was a very different game, from what is now and personally I feel like that version of the game, was actually better than the full release version we have now. There is a lot of reasons why and to be honest I don't even know where to begin, you would really had to off played it back then to know what I am talking about. As it stands the game takes place in 1988 you play as an investigator who is part of this research team, known as Magwave and tasked with understanding an unknown location know as the complex. When you explore the complex you start to notice the game has a similar appearance, to how people describe the famous reddit creepypasta, called The Backrooms and throughout the game, you basically explore this area and try to find an exit. Gameplay wise I do like it its very solo, its like you just sort wonder about on your own most of the time, sometimes you might see things or you might not, you might feel like someone is watching or following, but never really know for sure. You see everything through the camera lens, which also includes a zoom function and a flashlight, the character Mr Newman that's his name, once in a while might say his thoughts, or you might hear him coughing or breathing, but the game does do a good job of showing you, what its like to wonder around the backrooms, from his point of view. This also is primarily what the story is based upon, it is basically his final recording during the time he spent there, a bit like found footage. The game is not really that long sadly its quite short, you could probably finish your first playthrough in a couple of hours at the most, maybe longer if you get lost, but I was able to finish the full game within an hour, on my second attempt so yea. Its not great considering the cost of the game being £12.79 here in the UK, the Early Access version was much longer and it used to take me quite a while to finish like maybe even 4 or 5 hours and back then it was cheaper too. On top of this the game currently does not have an option for key-rebinding or basic controller support, which means you are stuck using W,A,S,D to move around and I think its the space bar to interact and F to turn the flashlight on, or maybe its the other way around I cant remember, the camera can also shake about when moving or running, which may sometimes give you motion sickness if you play it too long, I cant remember if there an option to disable this, I don't think there is. There is a lot of small things that the game once had going for it, which it seems it no longer has anymore, I could get into detail and probably list lots of stuff but. I did say it used to be longer, another thing I miss about the EA version, I feel like it was better at making you feel lost and having to explore different areas over and over, it was less linear than the full release which is very linear especially after the first area, which kinda ruins the immersion, because it becomes quite obvious which way you need to go, and less exciting if you have already played it a few times. Where as in the EA version this was not the case, most of the time the exit wasn't always that obvious, another thing I noticed is that there was more rooms and areas, to walk into and see, but in the full release most doors are locked and some areas, at the beginning of the game especially is inaccessible, simply because the game will not allow you to go that way, before you fall into the backrooms. The game used to have secrets as well again I don't understand why the devs would get rid of this, but It used to be in the early access version, you could actually find a room that looks just like the location of where the original photo of the Backrooms on the reddit forums took place, it was a very cool easter egg if you ever saw it. There used to also be a big dark room and if you wondered into it, you could fall off the ledge and fall into the abyss infinitely, it was always very scary and you would hear this falling sound which was very cool, but sadly cool things like this, things which I loved about the game, were taken out off the full release, it would have better if the devs could have kept these areas. The full release does have a much better sound design though, the background noise is way better and it explains the story a lot better too, so you do get a better idea, whats going on. A part from that I would still says its inferior from the original game, I think the one thing I do love most about the complex is the atmosphere, ultimately I would say that's the game strong point, it does feel very similar to watching an actual found footage recording, the endings are all right, their not bad but they are kind of sudden and it just sort of leaves you feeling like, oh is that it? So yea as I say I don't know if I can rate this game down because I do like it, its just not the game that it used to be that I once loved. At one point I would have said this was one of the best backroom games on steam, but right now I kinda have mixed thoughts on it. Overall I would still say its a good game, but its not fantastic, some people might like it, but if your like me and played the EA version when it first came out, you might be a bit disappointed. Hopefully in the future if the developer updates the full release a little bit and includes the EA version as a separate story, that would be really good then add in some accessibility features and it would be amazing. I am still going to recommend it though, a good enough game I just think right now, as of this review it could have been better and it does make me wonder, if it ever could be.
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Pros: -Probably the most immersive Backrooms game I've ever played -Horror is not too corny and on-the-nose -Actually interesting and hand-crafted environments; it's not just yellow rooms all the time -Superb voice acting -Great sound design (not just fluorescent buzzing in your ear throughout the entire game) -No chase sequences (it's a positive thing to many) Cons: -No accessibility settings, at all. No captions, no way to adjust the headbobbing, can't remap keys, etc. Developer has stated that it would "detract from his vision", so fair warning if you have any sort of impairment. -First level is huge, subsequent levels more linear; may get stale after a bit. -Price is a bit high unless you're a big fan of the Backrooms. Average playtime: I'd say around 2 hours. More if you explore, less if you don't. Overall I still recommend it. I think it's a fun immersive experience that goes a bit out of the norm and actually relies more on psychological horror - it's not a "streamer game" full of dumb jumpscares. However, the price tag and the lack of accessiblity can be a big turn off for some players.
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Genuinely probably the most faithful Backrooms experience you can on Steam as of writing, and I doubt anything can really top it. POOLS is another excellent Backrooms based game but I would definitely call that a completely different type of experience compared to this one, and I'm pretty hard pressed to find which one I like more as of this game's 1.0 release because of just how good Expedition was. If you want something that flawlessly captures the essence of what the Backrooms originally was with the initial influx of popularity due to Kane Pixels, this is the game, like I honestly can't recommend anything else. I feel a lot of Backrooms games that come out have forgotten the main thing about what makes the Backrooms so unnerving aside from the unimaginable infra is the ambiance, and I don't mean the general "liminal" vibe of how things look, but the soundscapes, the music, the Complex really goes the extra mile of making you feel lonely in ways extremely few games of similar style have managed to capture. Absolute silence is the most boring way to go about making the Backrooms "scary", and this game does not do that. Without getting into spoilers, The Complex actually got the final sentence of the original Backrooms greentext right. One understandable complaint I've seen from other people/reviewers is that the 1.0 release of the game has for now completely erased the early access version of the game and there's no real way to play that version anymore, which I get why people are annoyed by that, and I do agree it could and should be brought back as a beta branch for those who may have missed out on playing that version, or just wanted to see what's changed, because the older version of this game was very good as well. On the other hand one thing I absolutely don't understand is how people are unironically actually bitching and crying about the $15 dollar price, I don't think even half of these morons even realize the dev literally remade the entire game from the ground up over the past 2 years and actually had the balls to give it out as a free update to everyone who owned the early access version of the game instead of re-releasing a new game entirely. It's pathetic the audacity of you losers to actually complain about the dev asking for $5 more dollars for an extra 2 years of work to new players. Anyone who believes in the $1 dollar 1 hour metric for games is a braindead TikTok drone who should never be taken seriously for anything. tl;dr It's a really good one.
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This game gets the backrooms right i.e. spooky liminal feeling which is not just about a bloody monster chasing you. It accomplishes what few games do, being scary without chasing the player. This is about the space and the feeling of being lost and alone. Unique horror experience. 2025 EDIT #2: The remake is excellent, with lots of cool chills up your spine.
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If you find yourself wondering if you've been at a place before, it's a 50/50. If you find yourself paranoid about being watched, you're absolutely right.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The Complex: Expedition is currently priced at 14.79€ on Steam.
The Complex: Expedition is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 14.79€ on Steam.
The Complex: Expedition received 1,354 positive votes out of a total of 1,472 achieving a rating of 8.73.
😎
The Complex: Expedition was developed and published by pgWave.
The Complex: Expedition is playable and fully supported on Windows.
The Complex: Expedition is not playable on MacOS.
The Complex: Expedition is not playable on Linux.
The Complex: Expedition is a single-player game.
The Complex: Expedition does not currently offer any DLC.
The Complex: Expedition does not support mods via Steam Workshop.
The Complex: Expedition does not support Steam Remote Play.
The Complex: Expedition 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 The Complex: Expedition.
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 | 10 September 2025 14:30 |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 05 September 2025 11:45 |
| Steam price | 14 September 2025 04:33 |
| Steam reviews | 14 September 2025 05:48 |
If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about The Complex: Expedition, 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 The Complex: Expedition
- SteamCharts - Analysis of The Complex: Expedition concurrent players on Steam
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck The Complex: Expedition compatibility
Game modes
Features
Online players
8
Developer
pgWave
Publisher
pgWave
Release
18 Jul 2025
Platforms