The Long Dark on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
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THE LONG DARK is a thoughtful, exploration-survival experience that challenges solo players to think for themselves as they explore an expansive frozen wilderness in the aftermath of a geomagnetic disaster. There are no zombies -- only you, the cold, and all the threats Mother Nature can muster.
The Long Dark is a survival, open world survival craft and open world game
developed and published by Hinterland Studio Inc..
Released on August 01st 2017 is available on Windows, MacOS and Linux
in 19 languages: English, German, Russian, French, Spanish - Spain, Finnish, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese - Portugal, Simplified Chinese, Swedish, Traditional Chinese, Turkish, Portuguese - Brazil, Dutch, Italian, Polish and Ukrainian.
It has received 112,575 reviews of which 101,846 were positive and 10,729 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.9 out of 10. 😎
The game is currently priced at 16.99€ on Steam, but you can find it for 7.46€ on Gamivo.
The Steam community has classified The Long Dark 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 8
- Processor: Dual-Core Intel i5 CPU @ 2GHz+
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: Intel 4xxx Series w/ 512MB VRAM or better
- Storage: 7 GB available space
- Sound Card: Any on-board chip will work.
MacOS
- OS: OSX 10.9.3
- Processor: Core i5 @ 2.2GHz
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 5000
- Storage: 7 GB available space
- Sound Card: On-board.
Linux
- OS: SteamOS or Ubuntu 16.04 or 17.04
- Processor: Dual-Core Intel i5 CPU @ 2GHz+
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: Intel 4xxx Series w/ 512MB VRAM or better
- Storage: 7 GB available space
- Sound Card: Any on-board chip will work.
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
The Long Dark is a game unlike any other. I am, personally, not a "gamer" but when I play this game, I have a hard time putting it down. The Wintermute portion of the game has a story line and characters that are haunting and wonderful. When you finish the game, you find yourself wanting to go back and play more because you miss the personalities/relationships of the characters. It definitely takes you to another place and time. The survival portion of the game is amazing also but does not have the character development that Wintermute does. They do give you tasks and missions to accomplish that are mysterious and fun. Be ready to put some serious time into this game. It is a super long adventure that you will not soon forget. I have finished both parts of this game and in all honesty, I do still once in a while, go back and play both because it feels like a warm blanket with a mug of my favorite coffee every time I do. I will, for the rest of my life, be playing this game from time to time. It is that good.
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Survive. Adapt. Perish. Repeat. This game is... something else entirely. It's not your average survival game where you craft an empire out of sticks and stones or become some overpowered wilderness god. Nope, The Long Dark takes a simpler, much harsher route: you’re in the frozen wilderness, you’re alone, and you’re going to die. The only question is how long you’ll last. First off, let’s talk about the vibe. This game doesn’t scare you with cheap tricks like random jump scares or monsters. It’s something much more primal — solitude. The silence. The wind. The creak of an empty cabin. It’s like the whole world is whispering, “You’re not supposed to be here.” And yeah, that gets under your skin. You’ll find yourself checking shadows for wolves or lighting a match just to ease the weight of the dark. It’s intense, but in the best way possible. Then there’s the survival itself. You’re juggling everything—calories, thirst, warmth, fatigue — all while keeping track of time, weather, and the fact that wolves and bears don’t care about your to-do list. Every decision feels heavy. Do you risk crossing the ice to reach that cabin? Do you use your last match now or save it for later? It’s not just about staying alive; it’s about outsmarting a world that’s actively trying to kill you. But here’s the thing: dying isn’t a failure in this game. It’s like a lesson. Every mistake you make teaches you something — don’t wander off without extra clothes, don’t ignore that storm brewing in the distance, don’t think a wolf will back down because you’re holding a flare. And when you finally nail a long run, when you’ve got a stash of food, a warm shelter, and maybe even a rifle — you feel like a legend. Now, what about the gameplay modes? The Wintermute story mode? It’s fine, serves as a good intro, but the real magic is in Sandbox. That’s where you can truly lose yourself. Whether you’re in a chill mode where wildlife leaves you alone or cranking the difficulty to Interloper where every second is a fight for survival, it’s entirely up to you. And hey, the custom mode? Absolute lifesaver. Tweak it to fit your style and just dive in. And let’s not forget the devs. These people love their game. They’re constantly adding new regions, mechanics, and even special events (like a Halloween monster mode — wild, right?). It’s rare to see a game that’s already so polished still getting this much love years after launch. In the end, The Long Dark isn’t just a game. It’s an experience. It’s for people who don’t mind a challenge, who appreciate a game that respects their intelligence and throws them into a world where the only goal is to keep going. It’s brutal, haunting, and absolutely unforgettable. 10/10. Get it. Survive it. Or at least, try.
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---{ Graphics }--- ☐ You forget what reality is ☑ Beautiful ☐ Good ☐ Decent ☐ Bad ☐ Don‘t look too long at it ☐ MS-DOS ---{ Gameplay }--- ☑ Very good ☐ Good ☐ It's just gameplay ☐ Mehh ☐ Watch paint dry instead ☐ Just don't ---{ Audio }--- ☐ Eargasm ☑ Very good ☐ Good ☐ Not too bad ☐ Bad ☐ I'm now deaf ---{ Audience }--- ☐ Kids ☑ Teens ☑ Adults ☐ Grandma ---{ PC Requirements }--- ☐ Check if you can run paint ☐ Potato ☑ Decent ☐ Fast ☐ Rich boi ☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer ---{ Game Size }--- ☐ Floppy Disk ☑ Old Fashioned ☐ Workable ☐ Big ☐ Will eat 15% of your 1TB hard drive ☐ You will want an entire hard drive to hold it ☐ You will need to invest in a black hole to hold all the data ---{ Difficulty }--- ☐ Just press 'W' ☐ Easy ☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master ☑ Significant brain usage ☐ Difficult ☐ Dark Souls ---{ Grind }--- ☐ Nothing to grind ☐ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks ☐ Isn't necessary to progress ☑ Average grind level ☐ Too much grind ☐ You'll need a second life for grinding ---{ Story }--- ☐ No Story ☐ Some lore ☐ Average ☐ Good ☑ Lovely ☐ It'll replace your life ---{ Game Time }--- ☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee ☐ Short ☐ Average ☑ Long ☐ To infinity and beyond ---{ Price }--- ☐ It's free! ☑ Worth the price ☐ If it's on sale ☐ If u have some spare money left ☐ Not recommended ☐ You could also just burn your money ---{ Bugs }--- ☐ Never heard of ☑ Minor bugs ☐ Can get annoying ☐ ARK: Survival Evolved ☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs ---{ ? / 10 }--- ☐ 1 ☐ 2 ☐ 3 ☐ 4 ☐ 5 ☐ 6 ☐ 7 ☐ 8 ☑ 9 ☐ 10
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I love this game with all my heart. Its fun and well thought out. Its exactly what I was looking for in a survival game. I cant wait for the sequel Blackfrost!!!
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Listen, Hinterland. I've been with you (this game) for ten years now. The YEAR OF OUR LORD, TWENTY FOURTEEN. Before the player had hand models, I was there. Before wolf stuggles had animations, I was there. When I had a group of friends gathered around me with snacks, watching this Early Access Cold Canada Wolf Game, until the run ended to a failed rifle shot, well of course I was there lol. When there was a surge of discovery to take off all your clothes before you jump in the ice water after goodies on the frozen shoreline, I was there. You have, with every update, given me everything I've ever wanted in this type of survival game. We may not always agree on some decisions made, and even when you added a story, the survival mode was treated with equal importance. I saw the changes happen to Mystery Lake, the subtle detail updates, suddenly areas had... MORE. I loved it all. The immersion I feel in this game world is second to none other as far as survival goes. I would like to personally shake the hand of the audio designers. Even back in 2014 early access, you guys had it NAILED. I may never play Wintermute. It's not the type of game I want. But, unlike many, almost every, other game out there that creates two or more (or like nineteen, WARFRAME) modes, SURVIVAL just always felt fantastic. I even noticed when you would tweak snowfall along the roadsides so I didn't break my friggin' ankles as much when running for my life from wolves or through a blizzard. So, here's how this is gonna work. I'm gonna buy this Tales from the Far Territory DLC. It's probably going to kill many of my characters. I'm going to keep enjoying this game, and you? You're going to take my money, a second time. I would have considered this a complete experience when you gave us Desolation Point, and the ability to finally craft our own tools. Now, at the end of 2024, as an early Christmas present, I can PUT PAINTINGS ON THE WALLS. We can watch, together, all of us, as the collective community begins to photograph bear attacks as close to the last possible moment, as possible, then fills a house with them. Or all the houses. You did this. You have given us the perfect experience. I wish I didn't have to sleep. Post review (and post mild popularity) edit: A commentor asked me, (corrected for grammar) "Isn't the game just about exploration and hunting? How did you get to 1700 hours?" My response, also in the comments: "Because survival is paramount. The game does not have infinite resources. You are managing an ever-dwindling supply, and the only time you get more is by moving locations, which, depending on the difficulty, your knowledge of the world, and how the weather is behaving, can be a daunting task. I tend to play with risk. My runs have never survived past 100 days. There's an achievement for 500 days, but my actual true goal in-game is to map everything, find everything, explore everything, craft everything, and attempt to make each safehouse a viable location. I'm simply not done yet." Also, I went and bought the soundtrack, too. Do me a favor and start making a Hinterland brand cast iron skillet for sale. I'll buy one of those too. Post edit-edit: Thank you all for the votes and posetivity. This game means a lot to me. My most recent, and current playthrough (as in, hasn't died as of the 6th of January, started near the end of november, picked up the DLC around the 1st or 2nd of december), has scoured and encamped most of Mystery Lake and Coastal Highway, found one DLC weapon (Vaughn's Rifle, very nice), only two wolf struggles, killed three bears, and is nearly at 80 days of survival, a personal landmark. The game is more fun and immersive than I've ever experienced before. There is a lot still waiting for me. I have much work to do. I'm afraid of what happens when I finally run out of matches. Post-post Edit-edit: Have made it to 101 days. Cleared out the entirety of Mystery Lake and Coastal Highway. A ton of food placed everywhere. Pleasant Valley and Bleak Inlet are next on the list. Losing this run will hurt when its time comes. No cougar encounters, but I haven't sought them out. Only moved through their areas. Buy this game. Buy the DLC. Buy the soundtrack. HINTERLAND! MAKE ME A CAST IRON SKILLET!
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Frequently Asked Questions
The Long Dark is currently priced at 16.99€ on Steam.
The Long Dark is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 16.99€ on Steam.
The Long Dark received 101,846 positive votes out of a total of 112,575 achieving a rating of 8.92.
😎
The Long Dark was developed and published by Hinterland Studio Inc..
The Long Dark is playable and fully supported on Windows.
The Long Dark is playable and fully supported on MacOS.
The Long Dark is playable and fully supported on Linux.
The Long Dark is a single-player game.
There are 4 DLCs available for The Long Dark. Explore additional content available for The Long Dark on Steam.
The Long Dark does not support mods via Steam Workshop.
The Long Dark supports Remote Play on TV. Discover more about Steam Remote Play.
The Long Dark 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 Long Dark.
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 | 09 June 2025 04:00 |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 09 June 2025 19:59 |
| Steam price | 14 June 2025 20:42 |
| Steam reviews | 12 June 2025 21:46 |
If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about The Long Dark, 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 Long Dark
- SteamCharts - Analysis of The Long Dark concurrent players on Steam
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck The Long Dark compatibility
Game modes
Features
Online players
2,220
Developer
Hinterland Studio Inc.
Publisher
Hinterland Studio Inc.
Release
01 Aug 2017
Platforms
Remote Play
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