A new survival game in post-apocalyptic style has just been released on Steam and is already receiving a lot of negative reviews. Furthermore, players are warning that the game does not live up to its trailers.
Which game is it? The game is “Darkest Days,” a free survival game with open world. You fight as a survivor alone or in multiplayer against hordes of zombies while trying to survive in the post-apocalyptic world. Different action, role-playing, and survival elements are available to you.
In addition to exploring the open world, you gather resources, build bases, and use a wide arsenal of weapons, vehicles, and abilities. The game can be played in PvP as well as PvE.
Darkest Days launched yesterday, on April 24, 2025, and has since peaked at around 4,084 concurrent players (via SteamDB). Darkest Days is also available on iOS and Android devices as well as in the Epic Games Store. While the description of the game sounds extensive and the trailers look promising, players think otherwise.
Only about 23% of the reviews on Steam are positive, resulting in the game currently having a rating of “Mostly Negative.” Players even warn not to be convinced by the trailers and feel reminded of the disaster surrounding “The Day Before“.
The Day Before also had impressive trailers that conveyed a different impression:
“Looks like PUBG, sounds like a mobile game, but without the fun”
Why are players warning about Darkest Days? Players mainly criticize the technical quality, which is said to be in a miserable state. The overall condition of the game is poor and does not match the impression conveyed by the trailers.
Another point of criticism is the payment model. While Darkest Days is essentially free, it offers massive and intrusive microtransactions at outrageous prices. User ExEDDoS summarizes his impression in the reviews as follows (via Steam):
Do not be fooled by the cinematic trailers; it is a mobile game on PC. Looks like PUBG, sounds like a mobile game, but without the fun, instead with $89 microtransactions and a $25 character story questline.
It is also frequently criticized that the multiplayer mode is available only from level 21, and until then, players have to manage alone. Additionally, it is very noticeable that the game is designed more for mobile devices. In the Google Play Store, Darkest Days currently holds 2.8 stars out of 5, with a downward trend (via Google Play, as of April 25, 2025, at 11:20 AM).
Reviews often draw comparisons to the controversial game “The Day Before,” which not only made headlines with a scam and a questionable return but also sued critics for defamation: The Day Before was once the most anticipated game on Steam – Now the creators are suing a website for defamation
