Hotline Miami
Hotline Miami screenshot 1Hotline Miami screenshot 2
ActionIndieGreat SoundtrackViolentPixel GraphicsTop-DownGore

182 playing

Peak in the last 24 hours: 396

Peak in the last 7 days: 469

Hotline Miami Steam store

Game description

Hotline Miami is a high-octane action game overflowing with raw brutality, hard-boiled gunplay and skull crushing close combat.

Basic info

DeveloperDennaton Games
PublisherDevolver Digital
PlatformsWindows · macOS · Linux
Steam DeckVerified
Release dateOct 23, 2012
Price

Prices by IsThereAnyDeal

Minimum specs

OSMicrosoft® Windows® XP / Vista / 7
Processor1.2GHz processor
Memory512 MB
GraphicsDirectX 8-compatible graphics card with at least 32MB of video memory
Storage250 MB
steamyze

Review Analysis Score

Based on 368 reviews from the past 1 year

89.7/ 100
Top 20%

Steam rating: Overwhelmingly Positive (97%)

Metacritic: 85 /100

Review analysis summary (Reviewed Oct 13, 2026)

A soundtrack players call legendary drives Hotline Miami: 117 reviews praise the music, and it scores 89.7. This summary draws on 368 Steam reviews that we analyzed in detail.

👍 Strengths

Visuals & Sound ranks 38th of 1249, and comes up in 54% of analyzed reviews. 97 reviews find the loop addictive, the most upvoted adding an unforgettable atmosphere. 24 describe brutally hard but fair levels that are satisfying to overcome, and players praise storytelling through play that raises real questions. Neon visuals and a hypnotic soundtrack create a striking atmosphere. Story & World ranks 476th of 1096.

👎 Where it falls short

55 reviews find the difficulty frustrating, and the most upvoted says boss fights feel like puzzles that lack intensity. 20 describe hitbox and visibility issues that make combat feel unfair, and 17 find the narration too cryptic, with an artificial puzzle for the true ending. Others want more content, and a few report freezes. Content Volume ranks 511th of 1351.

Representative reviews Original reviews ↗

“soundtrack on another level motivates improvement” · 117 reviews
“addictive gameplay loop and unforgettable atmosphere” · 97 reviews
“fantastic storytelling through gameplay and dialogue with meaningful questions” · 24 reviews

How it holds up

−50+5

Controls, difficulty, progression and depth
Mentioned in 63% of reviews · Top 30% of the games we've analyzed

Difficulty +1.60 · How hard it is, how the challenge ramps, and whether it feels fair
Positive “brutally hard but fair, deeply satisfying to overcome” · 24 reviews
Negative “boss fights feel like puzzles lacking intensity” · 55 reviews

Progression 5% · Onboarding 7% · Freedom 1% · Strategy 16% · Controls & feel 20%

Plot, characters and the world
Mentioned in 48% of reviews · Top 50% of the games we've analyzed

Story +2.47 · Plot, quests, writing, and the ending
Positive “fantastic storytelling through gameplay and dialogue with meaningful questions” · 24 reviews
Negative “narration trop cryptique, puzzle artificiel pour vraie fin” · 17 reviews

Characters 4% · World 19%

How much there is to do, variety and replay value
Mentioned in 27% of reviews · Top 40% of the games we've analyzed

Replayability +3.86 · Reasons to play again — runs, randomness, New Game+
Positive “many masks and weapons enable different playstyles and replayability” · 4 reviews
Negative “Hotline Miami 2 failed to continue properly” · 1 review

Volume 16% · Variety 7%

Graphics, art style, music and sound
Mentioned in 54% of reviews · Top 5% of the games we've analyzed

Audio +4.62 · Music, sound effects, and voice acting
Positive “soundtrack on another level motivates improvement” · 117 reviews
Negative “same track after 100 restarts becomes mentally exhausting” · 2 reviews

Visuals 28%

Playing with others, the community and servers

Not enough data — only 1% of reviews mention this.

Playing together +4.00 · Fun of playing with friends, teammates, or rivals

Community 1% · Servers & Connection 0%

Pricing, cheaters, balance and matchmaking
Mentioned in 9% of reviews · Top 50% of the games we've analyzed

Balance -0.13 · Whether classes, weapons, and builds are evenly matched
Negative “enemy AI inconsistent, sometimes overpowered reflexes sometimes too dumb” · 8 reviews

Anti-cheat 0% · Pricing 5% · Matchmaking 0%

Bugs, performance and developer support
Mentioned in 7% of reviews · Top 40% of the games we've analyzed

Stability -0.12 · Crashes, freezes, save loss, and game-breaking bugs
Negative “jogo congela et ferme sans raison” · 10 reviews
Positive “well polished game” · 1 review

Performance 3% · Developer support 0%

Grey means too few reviews mention it to trust. — means almost no reviews mention it.

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