Don't Starve ▶ Trailer
Don't Starve screenshot 1Don't Starve screenshot 2
AdventureIndieSimulationSurvivalOpen World Survival CraftCraftingSandboxSingleplayer

1,672 playing

Peak in the last 24 hours: 2,567

Peak in the last 7 days: 3,041

Don't Starve Steam store

Game description

Don’t Starve is an uncompromising wilderness survival game full of science and magic. Enter a strange and unexplored world full of strange creatures, dangers, and surprises. Gather resources to craft items and structures that match your survival style.

Basic info

DeveloperKlei Entertainment
PublisherKlei Entertainment
PlatformsWindows · macOS · Linux
Steam DeckPlayable
Release dateApr 23, 2013
Price
  • Steam store −75% $9.99 $2.49 · Steam ↗
  • Lowest-price store $2.49 · Steam
  • Historical low $2.49 · 3-month low $2.49Other stores ↗

Prices by IsThereAnyDeal

Minimum specs

OSWindows XP/Vista/Windows 7/Windows 8
Processor1.7+ GHz or better
Memory1+ gigs of RAM GB RAM
GraphicsRadeon HD5450 or better; 256 MB or higher
Storage500 MB
steamyze

Review Analysis Score

Based on 424 reviews from the past 1 year

86.7/ 100
Top 30%

Steam rating: Overwhelmingly Positive (97%)

Metacritic: 79 /100

Review analysis summary (Reviewed Oct 22, 2026)

Survival in a gothic hand drawn wilderness where every night can kill you, Don't Starve scores 86.7, top 30% of the games we analyzed.

👍 Strengths

178 reviews love it, and some say it is the game they have spent the most time on and still remember fondly. 51 praise the art style, calling the sketchy hand drawn look creative and the music lovely. Visuals & Sound ranks 167th of 1249. 32 are drawn into the eerie atmosphere and its world of strange creatures, and some tie it to warm memories of playing with family or friends. Story & World ranks 243rd of 1096, and Content Volume ranks 148th of 1351.

👎 Where it falls short

57 reviews find it hard and unforgiving, where one careless move or a fire can wipe out a long run. 45 say it explains very little, so learning recipes and mechanics often means a wiki or videos. 19 feel the developer has stopped supporting this single player version while the multiplayer edition gets new content, and some recommend buying that edition instead. Gameplay ranks 513th of 1396, and Tech & Support ranks 623rd of 1399.

Representative reviews Original reviews ↗

“most time playing, great game, never forget the feeling” · 178 reviews
“amazing art style with lovely music and interesting mechanics” · 51 reviews
“memorable encounters with creatures like Mandragora and clockwork knight” · 32 reviews

How it holds up

−50+5

Controls, difficulty, progression and depth
Mentioned in 63% of reviews · Top 40% of the games we've analyzed

Freedom +3.79 · Room to explore, build, and play your own way
Positive “cities, trading, building homes and customization mechanics” · 15 reviews
Negative “thunder raids destroy base progress unexpectedly” · 1 review

Progression 11% · Difficulty 39% · Onboarding 22% · Strategy 10% · Controls & feel 3%

Plot, characters and the world
Mentioned in 27% of reviews · Top 30% of the games we've analyzed

World +3.59 · Lore, atmosphere, and how immersive the setting is
Positive “memorable encounters with creatures like Mandragora and clockwork knight” · 32 reviews
Negative “el juego odeia el jugador, siento que soy escuchada y algo inofensivo se vuelve un monstro” · 1 review

Story 3% · Characters 4%

How much there is to do, variety and replay value
Mentioned in 32% of reviews · Top 20% of the games we've analyzed

Volume +3.00 · How much there is to play, including endgame, for the price
Positive “1000+ hours across mobile and PC versions shows massive content” · 19 reviews
Negative “less content than Don't Starve Together” · 10 reviews

Variety 10% · Replayability 13%

Graphics, art style, music and sound
Mentioned in 24% of reviews · Top 20% of the games we've analyzed

Visuals +3.95 · Graphics, art style, and animation
Positive “amazing art style with lovely music and interesting mechanics” · 51 reviews

Audio 7%

Playing with others, the community and servers
Mentioned in 10% of reviews · Bottom 40% of the games we've analyzed

Playing together +0.91 · Fun of playing with friends, teammates, or rivals
Positive “co-op is amazing with friends” · 9 reviews
Negative “cannot play co-op with friends as desired” · 9 reviews

Community 1% · Servers & Connection 1%

Pricing, cheaters, balance and matchmaking
Mentioned in 7% of reviews · Top 30% of the games we've analyzed

Pricing +0.02 · Whether the price, DLC and microtransactions are reasonable, and how much paying gives you an edge
Positive “well worth it for the price, even without constant discounts” · 3 reviews
Negative “only get this if u want the DLC because base game is worse than DLC version” · 8 reviews

Anti-cheat 0% · Balance 1% · Matchmaking 0%

Bugs, performance and developer support
Mentioned in 14% of reviews · Top 50% of the games we've analyzed

Developer support -0.10 · Updates, patches, and how devs respond to players
Negative “single-player version abandoned, no updates while multiplayer receives new content” · 19 reviews
Positive “hopes for continued updates despite lack of monetization” · 4 reviews

Stability 2% · Performance 3%

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

Was this analysis useful? Sign in with Steam to vote

🎲 What kind of gamer are you? Find your title in 3 minutes.