Dead Space
Games review
As of Aug 11, 2026, Dead Space is rated 89/100 on Metacritic (96 critic reviews), and 90% positive on Steam (69,827 reviews). Each source is shown in its own units, never blended into one score.
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Different sources measure different things, so each is shown in its own units and never merged into one number.
Is Dead Space worth it in 2026?
Dead Space remake earns its 89 Metacritic score and 90% Steam positive rating through genuine craft: the Ishimura is visually and atmospherically rebuilt rather than reskinned, with sound design and lighting doing work the original could only hint at. Giving Isaac a voice adds character weight, though a small number of reviewers found the remake's writing weaker than the 2008 original in places, a real caveat for series veterans, not a niche one, given how central the story is to the experience. The single most-cited problem across sampled reviews is PC shader and traversal stuttering, flagged by nine reviewers and explicitly noted as still unresolved since launch; on a game where sustained dread is the entire product, repeated frame hitches are not a minor annoyance but a structural failure of the experience. On console, where these complaints do not appear, this is close to definitive, on PC, it is a compromised version of a great game.
Horror fans new to Dead Space or returning players who want the best-looking, best-sounding version of the game, particularly on console, where the PC performance problems do not apply.
Shader and traversal stuttering on PC is the most commonly reported complaint and appears to remain unpatched since launch; for a horror game built entirely on atmosphere and immersion, this is a serious problem, not a minor one.
AI-generated editorial synthesis of the source scores and sampled review themes, not a hands-on test. Reviewer experiences and allegations are not independently verified facts.
Pros
- graphics and visual quality13
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- This remake honestly nails what made the first DS special, while genuinely improving the game rather than just slapping a new texture over the old one. The Ishimura still feels jus...
- Absolutely amazing game, I have many positives and greatly enjoyed my playthrough! For starters: The atmosphere in Dead Space is astonishing. The audio, lighting, and level desi...
- Recommended, because it looks/plays great and keeps the spirit of the original game. I am on my third play through, so I definitely got my money's worth. Other than some minor st...
- atmospheric design and immersion9
see reviews +-
- This remake honestly nails what made the first DS special, while genuinely improving the game rather than just slapping a new texture over the old one. The Ishimura still feels jus...
- Absolutely amazing game, I have many positives and greatly enjoyed my playthrough! For starters: The atmosphere in Dead Space is astonishing. The audio, lighting, and level desi...
- Recommended, because it looks/plays great and keeps the spirit of the original game. I am on my third play through, so I definitely got my money's worth. Other than some minor st...
- sound design and audio6
see reviews +-
- This remake honestly nails what made the first DS special, while genuinely improving the game rather than just slapping a new texture over the old one. The Ishimura still feels jus...
- Absolutely amazing game, I have many positives and greatly enjoyed my playthrough! For starters: The atmosphere in Dead Space is astonishing. The audio, lighting, and level desi...
- Dead Space Remake | 2023 | PC | Played for: 19h Confusing yet convincing interpretation of a future where a corporation mines the galaxy for profits. Humankind flaws are eternal a...
- faithful remake improvements6
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- This remake honestly nails what made the first DS special, while genuinely improving the game rather than just slapping a new texture over the old one. The Ishimura still feels jus...
- It's the original Dead Space but better. Yeah I know some people would get upset by this but as a huge fan of the entire PC Dead Space franchise (yup, 3 wasn't THAT bad and Awaken...
- Never cared for the first Dead Space in 2008. PC port was very weird with some wonky controls for K+M, and I didn't have a joystick back then. But this remake made me fall in love...
- character and voice acting4
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- Overall: 8/10 I went into this expecting a masterpiece because of how much people praise it. It didn't completely live up to those expectations, but it's still a really great survi...
- Absolutely amazing game, I have many positives and greatly enjoyed my playthrough! For starters: The atmosphere in Dead Space is astonishing. The audio, lighting, and level desi...
- Never cared for the first Dead Space in 2008. PC port was very weird with some wonky controls for K+M, and I didn't have a joystick back then. But this remake made me fall in love...
- engaging story and worldbuilding4
see reviews +-
- Absolutely amazing game, I have many positives and greatly enjoyed my playthrough! For starters: The atmosphere in Dead Space is astonishing. The audio, lighting, and level desi...
- This game is amazing 10/10 i remember when i first played this game blind when it first came out and i loved it it all these amazing horror elements while finding itself in 2000s g...
- Never cared for the first Dead Space in 2008. PC port was very weird with some wonky controls for K+M, and I didn't have a joystick back then. But this remake made me fall in love...
Cons
- traversal and performance stuttering9
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- The shader stutters make the game feel like the new coat of paint was absolutely not worth it on pc...
- I bought this game on sale and even then its a hard recommendation. The stuttering is a huge issue with me even after messing with the settings. I purposely waited the 3 years to s...
- Jarring and Predictable but bearable..... (Applies not only to the story but to the full game) It stuttered throughout whole playthrough NO the devs haven't resolved this issue si...
- pc performance issues6
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- The shader stutters make the game feel like the new coat of paint was absolutely not worth it on pc...
- I bought this game on sale and even then its a hard recommendation. The stuttering is a huge issue with me even after messing with the settings. I purposely waited the 3 years to s...
- The game itself is excellent. It oozes atmosphere, looks great, and the gameplay is very good. However, the PC version has unacceptable traversal and frame pacing stutter. On a sy...
- story changes and writing downgrades3
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- Do I think it's better than the original? No. In fact, there's quite a few things I still think the original does better. Despite that, I still really enjoyed my time with this rem...
- I played the original to death. The first 2/3 of this remake are very good. Nice graphics, similar but not exactly the same gameplay and layout. As the game progresses the divergen...
- Original Dead Space is way better. Remake adds trite Unitologist villains with lots of unskippable dialogue when original had a much more isolated feel and better writing. T...
Themes and quotes are drawn from 40 sampled reviews with text; the scores above reflect all 69.9K ratings. Counts are how many of the sampled reviews mention each point.
Rated near Dead Space
Closest scores in games, on the same source.