SOMA
SOMA screenshot 1SOMA screenshot 2
ActionAdventureIndieHorrorPsychological HorrorAtmosphericStory RichSci-fi

71 playing

Peak in the last 24 hours: 254

Peak in the last 7 days: 343

SOMA Steam store

Game description

From the creators of Amnesia: The Dark Descent comes SOMA, a sci-fi horror game set below the waves of the Atlantic ocean. Struggle to survive a hostile world that will make you question your very existence.

Basic info

DeveloperFrictional Games
PublisherFrictional Games
PlatformsWindows · macOS · Linux
Steam DeckVerified
Release dateSep 21, 2015
Price

Prices by IsThereAnyDeal

Minimum specs

OS64-bit Windows Vista
ProcessorCore i3 / AMD A6 2.4Ghz
Memory4 GB
GraphicsNVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 / AMD Radeon HD 5750. OpenGL 3.3
Storage25 GB
steamyze

Review Analysis Score

Based on 454 reviews from the past 1 year

92.7/ 100
Top 5%

Steam rating: Overwhelmingly Positive (96%)

Metacritic: 84 /100

Review analysis summary (Reviewed Oct 22, 2026)

At 92.7, SOMA is an underwater science fiction horror story that players say keeps them thinking long after the credits.

👍 Strengths

Story & World appears in 99% of analyzed reviews and ranks 11th of 1096. 255 reviews praise the story as layered and philosophical, with hard moral choices, excellent writing and an ending that lingers. 159 describe a world with an immersive, oppressive atmosphere, from the isolated research station to the dark sea floor, and some find the creatures genuinely terrifying. 10 loved the experience and call it a masterpiece, and some advise going in blind. Visuals & Sound ranks 230th of 1249, and even players who usually avoid horror say they were glad they tried it.

👎 Where it falls short

Gameplay ranks 964th of 1396. 38 reviews raise difficulty and pacing complaints, saying that hiding from monsters gets in the way of exploring and that some puzzles and corridors feel dated, while a few found it too frightening to finish in one go. 22 say the guidance is weak, leaving them lost on dark, winding maps without clear goals. 18 find the stealth controls clunky and monotonous, and some found the dim underwater sections irritating to navigate.

Representative reviews Original reviews ↗

“layered, philosophically dense, gut wrenching narrative that lingers” · 255 reviews
“Mikko Tarmia's score is one of the best pieces of music in gaming” · 10 reviews
“absolute masterpiece, best game in 10 years” · 10 reviews

How it holds up

−50+5

Controls, difficulty, progression and depth
Mentioned in 33% of reviews · Bottom 40% of the games we've analyzed

Strategy +2.81 · Depth of builds, tactics, and meaningful choices
Negative “minimal gameplay, straightforward puzzles, no meaningful mechanics or choices” · 6 reviews

Progression 0% · Difficulty 17% · Onboarding 9% · Freedom 3% · Controls & feel 5%

Plot, characters and the world
Mentioned in 99% of reviews · Top 5% of the games we've analyzed

Story +4.41 · Plot, quests, writing, and the ending
Positive “layered, philosophically dense, gut wrenching narrative that lingers” · 255 reviews
Negative “ending is predictable and expected” · 12 reviews

Characters 12% · World 76%

How much there is to do, variety and replay value
Mentioned in 12% of reviews · Bottom 50% of the games we've analyzed

Variety -1.79 · Fresh content and situations versus repetition
Negative “monotonous locations and repetitive hide-and-seek gameplay” · 9 reviews

Volume 4% · Replayability 4%

Graphics, art style, music and sound
Mentioned in 33% of reviews · Top 20% of the games we've analyzed

Audio +4.28 · Music, sound effects, and voice acting
Positive “Mikko Tarmia's score is one of the best pieces of music in gaming” · 10 reviews

Visuals 18%

Playing with others, the community and servers

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

Playing together -1.00 · Fun of playing with friends, teammates, or rivals

Community 0% · Servers & Connection 0%

Pricing, cheaters, balance and matchmaking
Mentioned in 2% of reviews · Top 40% of the games we've analyzed

Balance -0.03 · Whether classes, weapons, and builds are evenly matched
Negative “gripes with the enemies in the game” · 4 reviews

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

Bugs, performance and developer support
Mentioned in 4% of reviews · Top 40% of the games we've analyzed

Performance -0.02 · Frame rate, optimization, and loading times
Negative “60 fps engine cap limits performance” · 6 reviews
Positive “New Proton version makes the game playable again on Deck” · 1 review

Stability 1% · Developer support 0%

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.