SOMA
Games review
As of Aug 12, 2026, SOMA is rated 84/100 on Metacritic (70 critic reviews), and 96% positive on Steam (52,334 reviews). Each source is shown in its own units, never blended into one score.
Opens SOMA's own site, not a review site.
Is SOMA worth it in 2026?
A 96% positive rating from over 52,000 Steam reviews is not a fluke, SOMA has genuinely earned its reputation as one of the best story-driven games made, with 21 of the sampled reviews independently citing the narrative and 11 flagging the philosophical and existential weight as the real draw, and players still thinking about it years later. The catch is that Frictional built this around atmosphere and ideas rather than mechanics, and there are genuine stretches where nothing engages you mechanically, the walking-simulator complaints from four separate reviewers describe dead time between story beats, not just a preference mismatch. Critics landed at a more measured 84/100, a meaningful gap from the Steam consensus that signals the gameplay thinness is a real structural limitation: when stealth encounters are both frustrating and not frightening, they become pure friction in a game that depends on unbroken immersion to land its existential gut-punch.
Players who prioritize narrative and are willing to sit with genuinely unsettling existential questions over traditional gameplay loops, and who can tolerate extended low-interactivity sections between story beats.
The stealth and monster encounters are widely described as frustrating rather than scary, adding friction without tension in a game that needs immersion to work; puzzle instructions are unclear enough that confusion can stall progress at key moments; and players prone to motion sickness should know
ReviewPond's conclusion, drawn only from the verified scores and review themes below. Not a paid or editorial opinion.
Different sources measure different things, so each is shown in its own units and never merged into one number.
Pros
- compelling story and narrative21
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- i'm so terribly horrified of horror especially in water but this game seemed way to good to pass up trying. amazing story telling, probably soiled myself once or twice, and am very...
- Easily one of the greatest story-driven games ever made. I still think about it after all these years. Frictional drops banger after banger, but this is the cream of the crop.
- [h1] Gave me an Existential Crisis | 10/10 [/h1] [quote] Incredible story & concept, Not a traditional horror game by any means, it doesn't relay on cheap jumpscares, instead, it...
- philosophical themes and existential questions11
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- [h1] Gave me an Existential Crisis | 10/10 [/h1] [quote] Incredible story & concept, Not a traditional horror game by any means, it doesn't relay on cheap jumpscares, instead, it...
- Highly Recommended. As someone who works in the AI field, this game really hits the horror of AI what if's. I picked this up due to the reviews of it living in your mind after a pl...
- This game is unbelievably outstanding in everyway possible. Every part of this game is beautiful and stunning with deep and intricate lore. I could spend hours talking about this a...
- memorable and thought-provoking experience8
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- Easily one of the greatest story-driven games ever made. I still think about it after all these years. Frictional drops banger after banger, but this is the cream of the crop.
- Highly Recommended. As someone who works in the AI field, this game really hits the horror of AI what if's. I picked this up due to the reviews of it living in your mind after a pl...
- This game is unbelievably outstanding in everyway possible. Every part of this game is beautiful and stunning with deep and intricate lore. I could spend hours talking about this a...
- atmospheric sound design and music6
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- [h1] Gave me an Existential Crisis | 10/10 [/h1] [quote] Incredible story & concept, Not a traditional horror game by any means, it doesn't relay on cheap jumpscares, instead, it...
- At first I enjoyed being in a sunny Toronto. Then I realized this game wasn't a happy chill experience. Genuinely terrifying experience. Great use of physics, atmosphere and story...
- Incredible art direction with a timeless style, engaging narrative strung together through excellent voice acting, clever level design with solid puzzles, a soundscape and score t...
- excellent art direction and visuals5
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- Impressive game! Visuals are very good for its time and it is very atmospheric. The story is also very good. Gameplay is rather simple, many puzzles and monster chases (can be a bi...
- Incredible art direction with a timeless style, engaging narrative strung together through excellent voice acting, clever level design with solid puzzles, a soundscape and score t...
- What you are looking at is a vision executed completely. The gameplay, visuals, sound design, story, themes and acting all coalesce into something that is truly special. I haven't...
- immersive world design and level design5
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- Incredible art direction with a timeless style, engaging narrative strung together through excellent voice acting, clever level design with solid puzzles, a soundscape and score t...
- good game, strong level design, and a great story. It leaves you thinking after you finish it.
- What you are looking at is a vision executed completely. The gameplay, visuals, sound design, story, themes and acting all coalesce into something that is truly special. I haven't...
Cons
- unclear puzzle instructions and solutions5
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- Wow this game has some awful gameplay. im about 3 and a half hours in and the entirety of the game has been just a huge walking simulator with no real gameplay. the "puzzles" are t...
- I LOVED this game! Must admit I played it in story mode because I am a bit of a wuss, but it was scary enough with the tension to hold you there. I loved the scenery and the explor...
- What you are looking at is a vision executed completely. The gameplay, visuals, sound design, story, themes and acting all coalesce into something that is truly special. I haven't...
- tedious walking simulator gameplay4
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- Wow this game has some awful gameplay. im about 3 and a half hours in and the entirety of the game has been just a huge walking simulator with no real gameplay. the "puzzles" are t...
- Well-designed game, but the gameplay felt tedious to me. This was my first horror game, so that probably affected my expectations. I mostly play action games for the challenge and...
- Cool narrative experience, the story of which explores topics of mortality, consciousness and the self in a very memorable way. Gameplay wise it's mostly a walking simulator wit...
- frustrating stealth and monster encounters3
see reviews +-
- Wow this game has some awful gameplay. im about 3 and a half hours in and the entirety of the game has been just a huge walking simulator with no real gameplay. the "puzzles" are t...
- Cool narrative experience, the story of which explores topics of mortality, consciousness and the self in a very memorable way. Gameplay wise it's mostly a walking simulator wit...
- LOVED the story, and really enjoyed the bioshock-esque world. After owning the game for 10 years I finally played it, and would recommend it to anyone. Although[spoiler] some of th...
Themes and quotes are drawn from 40 sampled reviews with text; the scores above reflect all 52.4K ratings. Counts are how many of the sampled reviews mention each point.