
THE LONG DARK is a thoughtful, exploration-survival experience that challenges solo players to think for themselves as they explore an expansive frozen wilderness in the aftermath of a geomagnetic disaster. There are no zombies -- only you, the cold, and all the threats Mother Nature can muster.
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Bright lights flare across the night sky. The wind rages outside the thin walls of your wooden cabin. A wolf howls in the distance. You look at the meager supplies in your pack, and wish for the days before the power mysteriously went out. How much longer will you survive?
Welcome to THE LONG DARK, the innovative exploration-survival experience Wired magazine calls "the pinnacle of an entire genre".

THE LONG DARK is a thoughtful, exploration-survival experience that challenges solo players to think for themselves as they explore an expansive frozen wilderness in the aftermath of a geomagnetic disaster. There are no zombies -- only you, the cold, and all the threats Mother Nature can muster.
In THE LONG DARK, you are getting both the genre-defining Survival Mode, honed after years of open development and frequent updates, and the award-winning episodic narrative mode, WINTERMUTE.

THE LONG DARK: SURVIVAL MODE brings you the genre-defining Survival Mode, honed after years of open development and frequent updates. Widely considered the paramount Survival game of all time, SURVIVAL MODE gives you pure focus on THE LONG DARK’s Survival Sandbox -- the experience that started it all!


Included with both THE LONG DARK: SURVIVAL MODE and THE LONG DARK, Survival Mode is the free-form, non-narrative Survival Sandbox that has defined the genre since launching on Steam in 2014. After years of open development and dozens of major updates, THE LONG DARK now stands at the pinnacle of the entire genre. Survival is your only goal, and death your only end. Make your own survival story with every game.

The game that defined death for the survival genre. When you die in Survival, your save is deleted. Every decision matters.

The game challenges players to think for themselves by providing the information but never the answers. You have to earn the right to survive.

Monitor your Hunger, Thirst, Fatigue, and Cold as you struggle to balance resources with the energy needed to obtain them. Every action costs Calories, and time is your most precious resource. Choose your path carefully.

Over 100 gear items including Tools, Light Sources, Weapons, First Aid supplies, Clothing, and more.

Explore a 50+ square kilometer Northern Canadian wilderness spanning 12 major regions and all the zones that connect them in search of life-saving supplies. Distant mountains, coastal towns, mines, farmlands, and a huge expanse of brutal winter wilderness to test your survival mettle.

Hunt, fish, trap, climb, map, search for life-saving food and gear items, and try to avoid dying from the hostile wildlife, succumbing to hypothermia, frostbite, or dysentery (amongst other uncomfortable afflictions), find and maintain your life-saving gear. Hunt and be hunted by: Wolves, Bears, Moose, Rabbits, Deers, Crows, and more to come in future updates.

Four distinct Experience Modes let you find a challenge level you are comfortable with, such as Pilgrim Mode, which is meant to be quiet and pensive, all the way to Interloper Mode, where only the most experienced survivors have a chance to last a week. If none of the four Experiences suits you, use Custom Mode settings to tailor your Survival Mode game to your specific tastes.
Features the music of Sascha Dikiciyan.

Several standalone Challenge Modes offer objective-based experiences designed to last 1-3 hours each, such as Whiteout -- the race to gather enough supplies to prepare for a monster blizzard. Or Hunted, where you need to escape a murderous Bear. Complete them to unlock Feats that provide long-term gameplay benefits in Survival Mode. Additional Challenges include: Hopeless Rescue, Nomad, Archivist, As the Dead Sleep, and Escape the Darkwalker.

Included in THE LONG DARK The episodic story-mode for THE LONG DARK, WINTERMUTE, includes four of the five episodes that form WINTERMUTE. Episode Five is in development, and is slated for release at a later date. This will bring the WINTERMUTE storyline to its conclusion.
The first four episodes of WINTERMUTE represent approximately 30 hours of gameplay. Episode Five is included in the price of the game, and will be unlocked for free when it is released.


Bush pilot Will Mackenzie (player character) and Dr. Astrid Greenwood are separated after their plane crashes deep in the Northern Canadian wilderness in the aftermath of a mysterious flash of light in the sky. Struggling to survive as he desperately searches for Astrid, Mackenzie comes across the small town of Milton, where he begins to understand the scope of this quiet apocalypse.

Mackenzie’s search for Astrid takes him deeper into the savage Winter wilderness. A mysterious trapper may be the key to finding Astrid, but can he be trusted?

In the aftermath of events in Milton, an enigmatic stranger rescues Dr. Astrid Greenwood (player character) from near death. Facing the blizzards of Pleasant Valley, Astrid must bring all her skills as a doctor to bear on the survivors she encounters. But will she find Mackenzie, and get closer to the mystery that's taking them to Perseverance Mills?

A murderous gang of convicts has captured Mackenzie. Desperate to escape one of the darkest corners of Great Bear Island, he must somehow survive his fiercest enemy yet. Can Mackenzie recover the Hardcase, continue his search for Astrid, and also save the innocents caught up in this deadly confrontation?
NOTE: Unlike Survival Mode, WINTERMUTE does not feature permadeath. You can save your progress as you play.
Features performances by Jennifer Hale, Mark Meer, David Hayter, and Elias Toufexis (Episode Three), and the music of Cris Velasco.


In addition to releasing the remaining episode of WINTERMUTE, we intend to continue updating Survival Mode with limited free updates alongside our paid DLC Expansion Pass, TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY. This is on top of the over 100 updates we have made to the game over the past 8 years of open development. Keep in mind that your purchase of THE LONG DARK entitles you to all five episodes of WINTERMUTE without extra charge. For more information about the free updates coming to Survival Mode, please visit the Expansion Pass roadmap via our "Visit the website" link on the right of the page.



Hinterland is an independent video game developer and IP creator headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Established in 2012 by game director & writer, Raphael van Lierop, Hinterland is a multi-ethnic, international team united around a singular goal: to create thought-provoking, story-rich entertainment experiences set in compelling original worlds.
Our fictional settings -- our IP -- are conceived from the ground up to exist across multiple mediums. We believe that when people love a world, they want to experience it across as many platforms as possible.
Hinterland's first IP, THE LONG DARK, first launched on Steam Early Access on September 2014. The game's multi-platform 1.0 launched on August 2017. Today, THE LONG DARK has more than 10-million players around the world.
We aim for our games to foster a sense of social awareness, and we aspire to provide immersive, sophisticated worlds for anyone seeking a mature entertainment experience.
Join us on our journey.
Genres
Stats
All-time low is the lowest price we've recorded for this game since we started tracking it.
Languages: English*, German, Russian, French, Spanish - Spain, Finnish, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese - Portugal, Simplified Chinese, Swedish +7 more
Updates
Build ids and update times come straight from Steam's PICS — the same source SteamDB reads. Patch history grows as we record new builds.
Engagement
Hours played at review time, across 623 reviews with recorded playtime.
Reviews
Themes across 618 recent reviews and how positive each mention is. A keyword signal, not full sentiment analysis.
positive critical· bar length = how often the theme comes up
Reviews
Came back to this many years after beating episode 4 and playing survival for 200 days to be amazed that this game doesn't have jumping. Survival mode is fun and the amount of times I nearly died but somehow lived made the time spent in it worth it. Now,story mode...episode 4 and 5 are a total disaster. So many years in the making and you left many people with a facepalm and a sequel bait. The main villain is straight from a Disney movie with his monologues and how unkillable he is (kept going after 2 arrows hit his chest and you conveniently loose your guns when you could do it yourself). Your writers deserve a smack on the back of the head for this.
Играю с первого выпуска, только в сложности. когда не нападают звери и не надо спешить. Просто от дыхаю в игре от реальной жизни.
Игра окей. Ладно платные длц, когда они еще игру не закончили, это известная тема. Но как же пятый сезон десять лет спустя насрал в душу. Нет карты, нет заметок, нет путешествия, огромный шмат багов, из открытого сурва сюжетный коридор, где добрая часть механик просто не работают Хорошо было бы сказать: "история хорошая". Нет. Весь финальный эпизод это реклама второго Дарка. Ни на один вопрос не ответили, новый не задали, персонажей не раскрыли, лишь занудный лор на словах, а не на опыте. Геймплей срезали, но зато дали немного пострелять по куропаткам из платного длц. Задача сюжетки: бегай и включай лампочки; топись во льду; бегай по вышкам коридором. Игра по жанру открытый сурв, но тебе ничего нельзя, просто беги :) А я еще ругалась на первые эпизоды. Чесслово, хочется просто материться. Из просто игры без сюжетного Wintermut -> Также годы обещаний, высокий потенциал, срывания сроков, обещанные пряники, стабильные обновления обернулись ничем. Думаю то, что без платного длц играется лучше, чем с просто необновляемой базой, говорит само за себя Чесслово, это почти уровень ЯндереДева, столько лет безответственно морозить людей надо уметь. Игра приятная, залипательная и стухла годы назад Песочница на харде прикольная, что тогда, что годы спустя. И на этом все хорошее заканчивается
This is a love / hate relationship I have with this game. I am a 46 year old mind you, with a VERY strong love / hate relationship with a game. 1. Is the game good? Yes 2. Is the story good? Yes 3. Does it force you to adapt? Yes 4. Do you hate wolves? Yes 5. Do bears silently hunt you and come out "suddenly" out of some very close corner or hill? Yes 6. What the hell was that moose doing so close to the only fishing spot I found and left me trapped in it till I died of cold? Yes 7. How many cat tail stalks and reishi teas can a man have before he goes insane? Yes 8. Did you loose your special Spelunkers lantern when you died and half of all rifle bullets? Yes 9. If you know the game is hard enough, why do you punish yourself by putting it on Interloper or Misery? What is wrong with you? I do not know. 10. Would you still play this game after all you went through? Yes 11. Would you recommend this game to others? Yes... to my enemies. If we are going down, we are ALL going down. 12. Did you cry at the end of the story mode? Yes.. It was like a movie. 13. Are you waiting for Blackfrost? Hell yes 14. Did you write all of these points so Hinterland would give you a free Blackfrost game for you and your son? Can I say yes or should I play dumb? Play dumb... okay. Cough cough, No I did not. I swear on the damn Cougar that is between me and my home. 15. What is your rating for the game? 15/10
В первый день был атакован медведем, лосем и волком. В итоге умер от отравления. Всем советую! 10 сгоревших спичек из 10!!!
我没记错的话,我大学时候这游戏就出了,而且玩法什么的已经很完整了。当时只差剧情模式没做完,还挺期待的。 但是你敢信吗,现在是2026年,你妈逼十年了,就TM五章剧情还没做完!!美其名曰不加班,逼养的你们这帮狗操的每天只上班1个小时也有3650个小时呢!!!10年他妈的游戏界都改天换地了,还搁那打磨你那破剧情呢!!!玩家呼声最高的联机出了吗?? 10年够一个游戏公司出最少两个新游戏了,就你们这byd效率,为什么没饿死??理直气壮的磨洋工,还想出2呢?你们赶紧倒闭吧!
Компания Hinterland считает людей своей важнейшей частью. Мы верим в главенство творчества и достоинство всех людей-творцов. Мы никогда не будем использовать генеративный ИИ в наших играх... А стоило бы, может быть вышел бы не такой дебильный сюжет и геймплей... Наконец добрался до 5 эпизода этого треша и могу высказать свое субъективное мнение. Видя что представлял из себя the long dark еще во времена простого выживания, я скептически отнесся к идее разрабов начать делать какой то сюжет тем более строить игру по эпизодам. В целом первые 2 эпизода еще более менее играбельные, в них действительно интересно выживать, мы сначала восстанавливаем "голого" героя после авиакатастрофы, потом лутает богатый на ресурсы город и потом снова учимся жить без ресурсов помогая охотнику с медведем. А дальше разработчики ушли явно не туда. Не буду расписывать все то говно что было в остальных эпизодах, ведь чтобы понять насколько все плохо достаточно только пятого. Коротко про 5 эпизод: -Лутаем каждую мусорку города за Астрид чтобы потом 2 часа гонять по пустейшей локации в поисках трех трупов без малейших зацепок(Спасибо что хотя бы обратно не нужно возвращаться). -Идем через 2 пустейшие локации к кораблю ради "очень интересного" сюжета. - Начинаем геймплей за Маккензи в котором у нас вырезали возможность отдыха. Буквально 24 часа подряд на шприцах и кофе занимаемся унылой беготней по карте параллельно отстреливая волков. Закончив это слушаем долгие совершенно бредовые катсцены с "ценным" сюжетом.(В мировом научном сообществе отрицают влияние магнитных(геотермальных) бурь на человека) -Снова играем за Астрид, цель спасти раненого поэтому она тоже не может отдыхать и целый день с помощью шприцов и кофе мы толкаем поезд из одного конца карты в другой и обратно. Все это сопровождается постоянными переключениями рельс, отстрелом волков и сбором угля. Геймплей 10/10. Такую ♥♥♥♥♥ я запомню на долго. Заканчивается эпизод смертью нашего пациента что говорит нам о том что ценность последнего часа проведенного в игре примерно равен 0. -Последняя часть эпизода за Маккензи. Хоть он и вышел после своих поручений в топовом луте и лучшими пушками , не объяснив ничего нам дают практически "голого" героя. Теперь гейплей завязан на убогом стелсе. Наша цель вырубая заключенных добраться до горящего дома где может быть Астрид, что само по себе выглядит как полнейший бред ведь буквально минуту назад нам показали что ее спасли наши старые друзья. Пропустив все не нужные диалоги группа наконец соединилась. Спустя 5 эпизодов Маккензи и Астрид вместе и вот теперь когда они могут спокойно пойти в свой бункер в котором явно есть и радиопередатчики и прочая техника, главный герой решает остаться в горящем городе чтобы воспользоваться их местной радиовышкой(не понятно откуда он о ней знает). Ну допустим пока было сияние и техника работала он записал обращение и вышел в эфир, но зачем было ложиться спать. Под утро героя находит недобитый главарь зэков, избивает и использует как заложника перед выжившими в бункере. Тупее поворота представить сложно. Трюк не прокатил и теперь выжившие чилят в убежище а идиот Маккензи продолжает выживать уже с группой зэков. На этом сюжет игры заканчивается, намекая на 2 часть. Боюсь представить какую чушь разработчики готовят для нее. Никому не рекомендую этот продукт, да и любой другой от этой компании. В 2026 даже элементы выживания уже выглядят крайне устаревшими и унылыми.
I've spent some time in the game. I do thoroughly enjoy it, both the storyline and the survival mode. I have been playing that quite a bit. I like the starting challenge as well as the long term hording styles. Overall I will recommend it. being fussy, I do think that for as long as the game has been around they could finesse some things. places where you cant walk over the snow onto a road because a tiny little lip is preventing you. lots of objects that float in the air or fall through the floor. Not things that stop game play, just make it that much more polished of a game. I will play the next one they put out, however, I might wait a year or two until there is content given the track record of release cycles. Or I may play the early release, just because.
SPOILER WARNING for the campaign Truly one of my favorite games, the survival is a unique experience that's well worth your time. I've played this game for years on different consoles without regret, and recommend it wholeheartedly for people who want a game that understands how to generate suspense through gameplay. Key thing for enjoying the game, don't look behind the curtains, understanding ways to exploit the faults in the game remove much of the joy for average players. Unfortunately the final episode of the campaign can be summed up in 3 phrases. Game of thrones final season level of incoherence. Marvel style dependency on cameo characters. Politics being inserted with the subtlety of a sledgehammer lobotomy. Its not that the ending was bad, but it almost seems the writers of this episode hadn't played nor participated with the creation of the game prior to writing the episode. Mackenzie who has proven himself the self sacrificing fool ends up working in collaboration with the prisoners who by this point have murdered dozens of people and have threatened death upon his loved ones. I guess Mackenzie forgot his permit for not being murdered or being used as a slave. "Ope sorry aboot bruising your knuckles with my face as you threaten my ex wife with violent murder." "Sure is inconvenient your shooting at me and my friend, oh no I wont use this hatchet in my hands to defend myself. Im a Canadian afterall dontcha know." Also Mackenzie "sure do love murdering a wounded man Ive never met in my life 20 minutes after a plane crash." "Nothing quite like watching the lights in a mans eyes fade as I choke him into oblivion" (final episode) Furthermore, non main characters are outright stacking bodies and killing people with comparable happiness to a character from sesame street. Speaking of side characters, the final episode re-inserts characters into the story just so conveniently Marvel endgame style. The political insert should have been handled with subtlety, saying the point outload shows the writers are assuming the players have the mental complexity of a goldfish. Moral incoherence aside, the great mystery of wintermute, the aurora, and the mysterious animal behaviors were all executed to a degree that's truly phenomenal. 10/10 in that aspect, and the way they explain the exposition was truly unique. Overall Id rate the survival with a 9/10, and the campaign with a 6.5/10. If not for the issues on the final episode Id have rated it 8.5/10 or very likely higher. Try and add some moral coherence to the next game please, if your going to want people to condemn violence even in self defense then condemn violence. If your going to make the case for the use of force under extreme situations and as a last resort then keep that message from start to finish. Have some faith in your fans ability to understand complex moral situations including discrimination.
I started playing this game years ago, way back when storymode is not a thing. the story for episode 1 and 2 was really cool back then, it was really good. 3 and 4 was great too, but they stopped as "personal beef" between a group of convicts and some people trying hard to survive. Then episode 5 came, it was my most waited thing, i was so hyped for it, i bought this game on steam just to pay the dev some tribute. Turns out this episode has the most ♥♥♥♥ story ive ever played, devs said they need time to polish things, trying to deliver us the greatest experience, a grand boom. nah nah they are lying. So so so many plot holes, from personal beefs all of a sudden expanded to a worldwide threat, molly and jeremiah all of a sudden appear in the scene, you yourself have a shotgun, a rifle, a revoler, a ballistic vest, basically a walking armory, then boom all of your stuff disappear in the final bits. devs really dont want us to kill the convicts, then someone we walk straight back to the lion's den to make a message that you arent sure if it will goes out or not. Reason? to have that tear jerking final scene between astrid and mackenzie (its so ass it just turned me off completely) So many bugs unfixed in the story, so many unjustified "take away your stuffs". Atp i wont even buy TLD2 or Blackfrost, so many delay just to be served slop. So much slop i have to went out of my way to write a review. PUT THE FRIES IN THE BAG ATP.
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Momentum
Pace estimated from the game's recent review growth (our daily snapshots) at its own sales-per-review ratio — a momentum signal, not booked sales.
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DAU/MAU are modeled from peak concurrent players (≈×8 and ×28) — Steam publishes no active-user counts, so treat these as rough estimates, not reported figures.
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Estimated from the language of this game's reviews — a proxy for where players are, not official Steam demographics.
Games most often reviewed by the same players — an audience-affinity signal from our review sample, not full ownership data.
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