The Hive on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
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The Hive is a strategy game with RPG elements where you assume command as the insectoid hivemind. Build and expand your underground colony, harvest resources, and evolve your swarm using DNA. Will you survive in this hostile yet beautiful underworld?
The Hive is a rts, strategy and rpg game
developed and published by Skydome Entertainment.
Released on August 25th 2016 is available in English on Windows, MacOS and Linux.
It has received 387 reviews of which 279 were positive and 108 were negative resulting in a rating of 6.8 out of 10. 😐
The game is currently priced at 19.99€ on Steam, but you can find it for 0.35€ on K4G.
The Steam community has classified The Hive into these genres:
Media & Screenshots
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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 / Windows® 8 / Windows® 10
- Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo or AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 5600+
- Memory: 2 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce® 7600 GT or ATI™ Radeon™ HD 2600 XT or Intel® HD Graphics 3000 or better
- DirectX: Version 9.0
- Storage: 3 GB available space
- Sound Card: DirectX®-compatible
- Additional Notes: 1024X768 minimum display resolution
MacOS
- OS: OS X® 10.11 (Latest Version)
- Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 330M or ATI™ Radeon™ HD 4670 or better
- Storage: 3 GB available space
- Sound Card: DirectX®-compatible
- Additional Notes: 1024X768 minimum display resolution
Linux
- OS: Ubuntu
- Processor: Intel Dual-Core 2.4 GHz or AMD equivalent
- Memory: 2 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce® 7600 GT or ATI™ Radeon™ HD 2600 XT or Intel® HD Graphics 3000 or better
- Storage: 3 GB available space
- Sound Card: DirectX®-compatible
- Additional Notes: 1024X768 minimum display resolution
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
If you like easy to play RTS games, this is one I would recommend. Story line is all over the place maybe hinting to some kind of sequel, I have no clue. Though for a game with a small dev team that came out in 2016, not bad over all. Description sounds cooler than the gameplay, if they had used a way to actually evolve units, it would be dope.
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Got on sale for $5. It's okay for that price; I definitely wouldn't pay $20. It's janky. There are levels where AOE markers end up underneath the terrain, and my bugs would sometimes freeze in place and couldn't be made to move at all. Controls are...iffy. But it did entertain me for a day, and it's not super long or anything (10 levels). Maps are nice and big, and you can get a proper swarm of 100+ bugs going.
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The Hive is an atmospheric real-time strategy and colony-management hybrid that invites players into a dark, subterranean world where an insectoid civilization struggles to grow, survive, and reclaim ancient knowledge. Developed and published by Skydome Entertainment, the game blends classic RTS mechanics with light RPG progression, all wrapped in a brooding fantasy setting that emphasizes mystery and discovery. From the opening moments, it is clear that The Hive is less about fast-paced competitive tactics and more about immersion, world-building, and slow-burn expansion. You guide a hive of alien creatures through winding caverns, derelict ruins, and long-forgotten underground kingdoms, gradually uncovering fragments of lore left behind by civilizations lost to time, while simultaneously building your own swarm from virtually nothing. The core gameplay revolves around gathering resources, constructing hive structures, hatching new units, and pushing deeper into the underground. You often begin a mission with only a small worker or a handful of basic insects, forcing you to quickly establish a foothold in hostile territory. Resource management has a central role: food, materials, DNA fragments, and arcane components all feed into your hive’s growth, determining whether your insects can evolve into stronger forms or whether your forces stagnate. The RPG layer ties into this well—defeating enemies, discovering ruins, and exploring the caverns allow you to collect DNA and artifacts that enhance your troops or unlock new types of units. This sense of gradual biological evolution sets the tone for the entire experience: the hive grows not through technological research, but through absorbing knowledge and traits from its environment and prey. Visually, The Hive’s greatest strength is its atmosphere. The game presents the underworld as a beautiful but foreboding place filled with luminescent fungi, ancient temples carved into stone, abandoned machinery, and monstrous subterranean fauna. The environments feel alive with mystery, and Skydome Entertainment’s art direction leans heavily toward dark fantasy, creating a sense of mythic alien history beneath the earth. Each level feels handcrafted, with striking vistas that stand out even when the gameplay becomes repetitive. Creature designs further reinforce the world’s tone: your insectoid units are grotesque yet majestic, with armored shells, glowing eyes, and a distinct visual language that sets them apart from more typical RTS factions. Whether you’re commanding small scouts or massive hive guardians, the units feel cohesive, organic, and thematically grounded within the world. However, beneath its strong aesthetic foundation, The Hive’s mechanics often reveal limitations. While the gameplay loop of expanding, harvesting, and conquering is functional, it lacks strategic depth compared to more complex RTS titles. Many missions follow a similar rhythm: build a minimal base, amass a large swarm, and push forward until all opposition is destroyed. Because the game offers only a modest number of structures and unit types, the variety of viable strategies is limited. This results in a sense of repetition across the campaign, particularly for players who prefer nuanced mechanics or diverse tactical options. The absence of skirmish modes or multiplayer further narrows replay value; once you complete the campaign, there is little to return for unless you simply wish to experience the world again. Pacing and balance also contribute to mixed impressions. The early game often feels slow, requiring careful gathering before any serious expansion. Later missions, however, can escalate quickly, overwhelming players with enemy waves or resource constraints that feel abrupt rather than challenging. A single misstep—such as a poorly timed push or inefficient building order—can lead to a collapse that requires starting a mission over. Unit AI and command responsiveness, while serviceable, occasionally feel imprecise, especially during larger battles where insects crowd tightly around enemies or obstacles. Camera controls and interface clarity can also feel rough in places, making unit management more difficult than intended. These small but noticeable technical issues detract from what is otherwise a deeply atmospheric experience. Storytelling in The Hive is subtle but intriguing. Rather than delivering a linear narrative through cutscenes, the game invites players to uncover lore through exploration and discovery. Ancient writings, ruined altars, and hidden structures hint at a great catastrophe that reshaped the underworld long before your hive’s rise. The narrative tone feels mythic and somber, emphasizing the cyclical nature of civilizations and the strange, almost sacred role your insectoid race plays in the ruins of the past. This approach to storytelling rewards slow-paced, investigative play, though players seeking strong character-driven narratives may find it sparse. Ultimately, The Hive is a game defined by its atmosphere and ambition rather than mechanical complexity. It offers a memorable setting, evocative art direction, and an unusual perspective for an RTS—commanding swarms of alien insects rather than conventional armies. Players who value world-building, thematic cohesion, and the pleasure of guiding a growing hive through a haunting underground realm will find much to enjoy. Those who prefer competitive RTS gameplay, deep strategic systems, or high replayability may instead feel constrained by the game’s limited unit variety, repetitive mission structure, and modest difficulty balance. In the end, The Hive stands as a distinctive if imperfect strategy title—one that prioritizes mood, aesthetics, and environmental storytelling over tactical sophistication. Its flaws in pacing, variety, and interface polish are real, yet its dark charm, evolutionary mechanics, and atmospheric world make it a compelling experience for players willing to embrace its slower, more meditative approach to RTS design. Rating: 6/10
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I remember playing this game a long time ago, and seeing that it’s getting optimized and updated recently was really cool! Gameplay wise the story and lore is getting there, with plenty of room for expansion. Im definitely going to be playing it again!
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When playing RTS's as a kid we didn't have internet so i would use all the units to basically just rp little hives so this scratches that itch pretty well. There is an incredibly limited pool of units to choose from but that doesn't really matter because the swarm is everything. lots of little guys. that's the game!
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Frequently Asked Questions
The Hive is currently priced at 19.99€ on Steam.
The Hive is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 19.99€ on Steam.
The Hive received 279 positive votes out of a total of 387 achieving a rating of 6.84.
😐
The Hive was developed and published by Skydome Entertainment.
The Hive is playable and fully supported on Windows.
The Hive is playable and fully supported on MacOS.
The Hive is playable and fully supported on Linux.
The Hive is a single-player game.
There is a DLC available for The Hive. Explore additional content available for The Hive on Steam.
The Hive does not support mods via Steam Workshop.
The Hive does not support Steam Remote Play.
The Hive 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 Hive.
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 | 29 April 2026 23:12 |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 21 April 2026 12:23 |
| Steam price | 29 April 2026 20:43 |
| Steam reviews | 28 April 2026 23:54 |
If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about The Hive, 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 Hive
- SteamCharts - Analysis of The Hive concurrent players on Steam
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck The Hive compatibility
Game modes
Features
Online players
1
Developer
Skydome Entertainment
Publisher
Skydome Entertainment
Release
25 Aug 2016
Platforms
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