Blue Archive
Blue Archive screenshot 1Blue Archive screenshot 2
AdventureCasualRPGStrategyFree To PlayCuteFunnyAnimeEpicStory Rich

3,875 playing

Peak in the last 24 hours: 4,808

Peak in the last 7 days: 9,195

Blue Archive Steam store

Game description

An action anime RPG adventure!

Basic info

DeveloperNEXON Games
PublisherNEXON Korea
PlatformsWindows
Steam DeckVerified
Release dateJul 3, 2025
Price

Minimum specs

OSWindows 10
ProcessorIntel Core i3 - 540 3.06 GHz
Memory4 GB
GraphicsGeForce GTX650Ti
Storage19 GB
steamyze

Review Analysis Score

Based on 301 reviews from the past 1 year

55.0/ 100
Bottom 5%

Steam rating: Mixed (65%)

Review analysis summary (Reviewed Oct 21, 2026)

Long loved for its writing, this anime gacha RPG now scores 55.0 after a wave of reviews protesting changes to its gacha system.

👍 Strengths

70 reviews praise the story, calling it surprisingly emotional and well written for a gacha game, and Story & World ranks 271st of 1096. 29 say it is fun and enjoyable, and some recall it making them laugh and cry. 18 love the characters, saying their interactions in the main story and events are engaging and the cast is cute and well written. Visuals & Sound ranks 387th of 1249, with a few also praising the music.

👎 Where it falls short

Pricing & Fairness appears in 65% of analyzed reviews and ranks 1384th of 1399. 179 reviews object to the pricing changes in the gacha, saying the new pity rules remove the choice of character and push players to spend more money. 9 criticize the developer for announcing the change with little notice, staying silent afterward and ignoring player feedback. 6 find the gameplay lacking in strategy and depth, with simple mechanics and auto battles that feel more like an idle game. Gameplay ranks 1374th of 1396, and Tech & Support ranks 1274th of 1399.

Representative reviews Original reviews ↗

“gacha mechanics changed making game unplayable” · 179 reviews
“great stories for a gacha game” · 70 reviews
“more fun in 30 hours than 8 months of another game” · 29 reviews

How it holds up

−50+5

Controls, difficulty, progression and depth
Mentioned in 33% of reviews · Bottom 5% of the games we've analyzed

Progression -2.17 · Leveling, unlocks and gear — is growth rewarding or a grind?
Negative “extreme grind requiring 3+ months to max level, high material farming costs” · 1 review
Positive “daily grind is fast and rewarding for a side game” · 1 review

Difficulty 1% · Onboarding 3% · Freedom 1% · Strategy 6% · Controls & feel 3%

Plot, characters and the world
Mentioned in 51% of reviews · Top 30% of the games we've analyzed

Story +3.35 · Plot, quests, writing, and the ending
Positive “great stories for a gacha game” · 70 reviews
Negative “story lacks voice acting and immersion, easy to lose focus” · 3 reviews

Characters 28% · World 10%

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

Variety -0.76 · Fresh content and situations versus repetition
Negative “gameplay is monotonous and repetitive” · 2 reviews
Positive “excellent character variety with diverse archetypes and personalities” · 2 reviews

Volume 5% · Replayability 1%

Graphics, art style, music and sound
Mentioned in 29% of reviews · Top 40% of the games we've analyzed

Audio +3.73 · Music, sound effects, and voice acting
Positive “original soundtrack is excellent” · 10 reviews
Negative “main storyline lacks voice acting” · 1 review

Visuals 15%

Playing with others, the community and servers
Mentioned in 11% of reviews · Bottom 20% of the games we've analyzed

Community -1.15 · Who you play with — how many, and how friendly
Negative “community became toxic and divided after gacha system changes” · 5 reviews
Positive “community and fans are extremely supportive” · 2 reviews

Playing together 1% · Servers & Connection 1%

Pricing, cheaters, balance and matchmaking
Mentioned in 65% of reviews · Bottom 5% of the games we've analyzed

Pricing -2.08 · Whether the price, DLC and microtransactions are reasonable, and how much paying gives you an edge
Negative “gacha mechanics changed making game unplayable” · 179 reviews

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

Bugs, performance and developer support
Mentioned in 37% of reviews · Bottom 10% of the games we've analyzed

Developer support -0.99 · Updates, patches, and how devs respond to players
Negative “corporate greed ruined a beloved game overnight, destroyed consumer trust” · 9 reviews
Positive “developer issued apology for gacha system changes” · 3 reviews

Stability 2% · Performance 4%

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

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