Life is Strange - Episode 1
Life is Strange - Episode 1 screenshot 1Life is Strange - Episode 1 screenshot 2
ActionAdventureStory RichChoices MatterGreat SoundtrackFemale ProtagonistTime Travel

209 playing

Peak in the last 24 hours: 505

Peak in the last 7 days: 624

Life is Strange - Episode 1 Steam store

Game description

Episode 1 now FREE! Life is Strange is an award-winning and critically acclaimed episodic adventure game that allows the player to rewind time and affect the past, present and future.

Basic info

DeveloperDONTNOD Entertainment, Feral Interactive (Mac), Feral Interactive (Linux)
PublisherSquare Enix, Feral interactive (Mac), Feral Interactive (Linux)
PlatformsWindows · macOS · Linux
Steam DeckPlayable
Release dateJan 29, 2015
Price

Minimum specs

OSWindows Vista
ProcessorDual Core 2.0GHz or equivalent
Memory2 GB
GraphicsATI or NVidia card w/ 512 MB RAM (not recommended for Intel HD Graphics cards)
Storage5 GB
steamyze

Review Analysis Score

Based on 430 reviews from the past 1 year

94.3/ 100
Top 5%

Steam rating: Overwhelmingly Positive (96%)

Review analysis summary (Reviewed Oct 21, 2026)

With 94.3, top 5% of games we analyzed, this first episode of a teen drama about rewinding time leaves a lasting emotional mark.

👍 Strengths

255 reviews praise the story, saying the writing and the rewind power explore the weight of choices and regret, and some recall twists they did not see coming. Story & World appears in 93% of analyzed reviews and ranks 15th of 1096. 46 love the characters, calling the bond between the two leads messy, real and human, and a few praise how well the supporting cast is drawn. 45 describe a nostalgic, melancholic atmosphere built on soft painted colors, warm autumn light and a small town setting. Visuals & Sound ranks 45th of 1249, and Gameplay ranks 13th of 1396.

👎 Where it falls short

13 reviews find the story weaker in places, calling parts of the plot rushed or contrived and the ending predictable. 8 say choices do not change the outcome enough, since many decisions end in the same two endings. 7 found a few sections hard to sit through, such as slow rewind puzzles, a stealth sequence in the dark and some motion sickness. Content Volume ranks 203rd of 1351.

Representative reviews Original reviews ↗

“legendary story game that shows what choices cost” · 255 reviews
“still hits hard on replay, fun and engaging” · 21 reviews
“beautiful warm soundtrack propels emotional journey” · 18 reviews

How it holds up

−50+5

Controls, difficulty, progression and depth
Mentioned in 44% of reviews · Top 1% of the games we've analyzed

Strategy +4.01 · Depth of builds, tactics, and meaningful choices
Positive “choices throughout the game change the story in many ways” · 7 reviews
Negative “choices do not meaningfully affect outcomes across the franchise” · 8 reviews

Progression 1% · Difficulty 4% · Onboarding 2% · Freedom 3% · Controls & feel 3%

Plot, characters and the world
Mentioned in 93% of reviews · Top 5% of the games we've analyzed

Story +4.45 · Plot, quests, writing, and the ending
Positive “legendary story game that shows what choices cost” · 255 reviews
Negative “episode 5 is weakest, could be more direct and better structured” · 13 reviews

Characters 50% · World 43%

How much there is to do, variety and replay value
Mentioned in 13% of reviews · Top 20% of the games we've analyzed

Replayability +2.60 · Reasons to play again — runs, randomness, New Game+
Positive “different choices make each playthrough feel fresh and addictive” · 2 reviews
Negative “minimal replay value despite choices mattering somewhat” · 3 reviews

Volume 4% · Variety 1%

Graphics, art style, music and sound
Mentioned in 48% of reviews · Top 5% of the games we've analyzed

Audio +4.63 · Music, sound effects, and voice acting
Positive “beautiful warm soundtrack propels emotional journey” · 18 reviews

Visuals 23%

Playing with others, the community and servers

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

Playing together +3.67 · Fun of playing with friends, teammates, or rivals

Community 0% · Servers & Connection 0%

Pricing, cheaters, balance and matchmaking
Mentioned in 1% of reviews · Top 30% of the games we've analyzed

Pricing +0.01 · Whether the price, DLC and microtransactions are reasonable, and how much paying gives you an edge
Negative “no discount for three years, expensive DLC pricing” · 2 reviews

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

Bugs, performance and developer support
Mentioned in 2% of reviews · Top 40% of the games we've analyzed

Performance +0.02 · Frame rate, optimization, and loading times
Negative “game lags every 30-40 minutes, fps drops” · 1 review

Stability 1% · Developer support 1%

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

🎲 Fans of this game often get the title Lone Pilgrim. Which one is yours?