Iron Lung
Games review
As of Aug 20, 2026, Iron Lung is rated 92% positive on Steam (11,156 reviews).
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Is Iron Lung worth it in 2026?
Iron Lung earns its 92% positive rating on atmospheric tension, the claustrophobic submarine conceit is genuinely clever, and the horror works because the vessel's limited visibility forces you to imagine threats rather than see them. But six sampled reviews flag the same two problems in tandem: the core loop of blind navigation and photography grows repetitive before the ending arrives, and roughly one hour of content is a hard sell at full price. Three reviewers went further, saying the moment-to-moment act of playing felt neither good nor fun, not a pacing complaint but a design one. Compound that with an opaque objective system that requires photographing invisible POIs for the ending, and this is less a game with atmosphere than an atmosphere with game-shaped friction around it.
Horror fans who prioritize worldbuilding and dread over gameplay systems, and who can catch it on sale, at a discount, one tightly crafted hour of genuine tension is a fair exchange; at full price, it is not.
Players who expect progression, challenge, or systems to master will feel shortchanged: the loop wears thin, replayability is negligible, and the ending requires photographing points of interest the map gives you no real indication how to find.
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
- atmospheric tension and dread7
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- I understand why you'd wanna make a movie out of this, seeing such a big thing through just one tiny submarine makes everything so much scarier. What you can't see is far scarier t...
- Picked it on sale after seeing the movie trailer and wanting to experience the original story first. This game is a short, deeply unsettling experience that's roughly the same leng...
- I really love this game, I was so excited to play it that I spent time figuring out how to play it on my mac (I found a way eventually). It's short and sweet (by sweet I of course...
- creative premise and worldbuilding5
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- Markiplier sold me a video game Seriously though, this game is pretty neat. It's quite short but the premise, the atmosphere and the exploration aspects are pretty cool. Would be...
- Iron Lung is not only special because of it's unique gameplay hook but also because it manages to tell an incredibly gripping story filled with dark secrets, genuinely intriguing m...
- Great game, atmosphere is well done and worldbuilding seems good as well. If you can go in blind then do so, prior experience may ruin some of the tension and discovery aspect of t...
- short focused experience5
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- A really neat game that does a lot with very little. It should only last you about and hour so the concept doesn't overstay its welcome. Can't really say it's worth the full price...
- Simple game with a simple premise and short gameplay, but still a great experience. The ending caught me waaayyy too off guard.
- Great game, atmosphere is well done and worldbuilding seems good as well. If you can go in blind then do so, prior experience may ruin some of the tension and discovery aspect of t...
- effective horror execution4
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- Iron Lung is not only special because of it's unique gameplay hook but also because it manages to tell an incredibly gripping story filled with dark secrets, genuinely intriguing m...
- lung . good game and i got scared despite knowing all the scares. i might be a ♥♥♥♥♥ but shh
- felt genuinely uncomfortable during the whole thing and even tho i got the ending spoiled it still got me good. would definitely wait for a sale tho but still worth it.
- story and lore intrigue4
see reviews +-
- Markiplier sold me a video game Seriously though, this game is pretty neat. It's quite short but the premise, the atmosphere and the exploration aspects are pretty cool. Would be...
- I really love this game, I was so excited to play it that I spent time figuring out how to play it on my mac (I found a way eventually). It's short and sweet (by sweet I of course...
- Iron Lung is not only special because of it's unique gameplay hook but also because it manages to tell an incredibly gripping story filled with dark secrets, genuinely intriguing m...
Cons
- repetitive boring gameplay6
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- This is going to be a very lukewarm recommendation. The premise is undeniably cool, but I was less than impressed with the execution. The entire gameplay revolves around looking a...
- Atmosphere is awesome but gameplay is boring as f*ck. 7/10
- Honestly, the game is pretty okay. Not much more. The atmosphere is great, but a game is more than just that. The gameplay loop is just pressing a few buttons and it gets really re...
- too short for price6
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- A really neat game that does a lot with very little. It should only last you about and hour so the concept doesn't overstay its welcome. Can't really say it's worth the full price...
- A very short, but great experience. The idea is simple but executed well. The atmosphere is great, played it in one sitting and wound up beating it without crashing into a wall lol...
- felt genuinely uncomfortable during the whole thing and even tho i got the ending spoiled it still got me good. would definitely wait for a sale tho but still worth it.
- insufficient content depth4
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- Markiplier sold me a video game Seriously though, this game is pretty neat. It's quite short but the premise, the atmosphere and the exploration aspects are pretty cool. Would be...
- lung . good game and i got scared despite knowing all the scares. i might be a ♥♥♥♥♥ but shh
- I'm not gonna refund it but damn man you could've the fleshed the game out some more than this. Such a great concept and lore being wasted for an hour long experience
- limited replayability3
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- It's pretty good for a short game. It isn't much and if you know the main jist of the game then you pretty much know everything. The lore is pretty good and I think the horror is e...
- not my type of game. it's fine for what it is, but if you've seen a playthrough you've already basically gotten the full experience and 8 bucks is too much.
- I first found out about this game through Pyrocinicals 2022 video. I don't really play horror games, so It wasn't interesting to me. I then watched Markipliers movie which piqued m...
- not enjoyable as game3
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- This game is an experience and it is clearly not for me... personally it didn't feel good or fun to play at all.
- I first found out about this game through Pyrocinicals 2022 video. I don't really play horror games, so It wasn't interesting to me. I then watched Markipliers movie which piqued m...
- i honestly tried my best to love this gmae especially with it having sucjh a good movie but i just didnt fit with this kind of horror it is not at all a bad game just not for me
Themes and quotes are drawn from 40 sampled reviews with text. Each score above uses its source's displayed count. Theme counts are how many of the sampled reviews mention each point.
Rated near Iron Lung
Closest scores in games, on the same source.