The Long Dark is a survival game by the Canadian indie studio Hinterland Studio. After Early Access from 2014, it was fully released on 1 August 2017 for PC, Mac and Linux and later for PS4, Xbox One and Switch. A mysterious aurora has knocked out all technology and you have to survive in the Canadian wilderness. No zombies, just cold, hunger and wild animals.
Table of contents
Rating and verdict
For me, The Long Dark is one of the best survival games ever. Hardly any other game manages to make a warm fire or a can of beans feel so valuable. The game is slow, calm and merciless, and that is exactly what makes it so special.
Points are deducted for the Wintermute story mode, which drags with long dialogues and fetch quests, and for the lack of explanations at the start. Not everyone likes that new content such as Iron Road costs extra. On Steam around 87 percent of reviews are positive, which fits.
What we liked
✅ Dense, unique atmosphere
✅ Challenging survival mode without zombies
✅ Years of support by Hinterland
What bothered us
❌ Story mode drags
❌ Few explanations for beginners
❌ Some new content costs extra
Rating: 85 %
How we rate
- 90–100Legendary
- 8580–89Very good
- 70–79Good
- 60–69Okay
- 50–59Mediocre
- < 50Weak
At PlayInsider we rate every game individually and always against the expectations of its genre. We judge the story of an action game or adventure by its narrative quality. In a simulation or management game, on the other hand, what counts is what the genre typically offers. This keeps our ratings fair and comparable within a genre.
The Long Dark review: story and setting
The game takes place on Great Bear Island in northern Canada. After a geomagnetic storm, the so-called aurora, no technology works anymore. In the Wintermute story mode you play the pilot Will Mackenzie, who is searching for his colleague Astrid after a crash. The episodes have strong moments but drag due to long dialogues and many fetch quests.
Gameplay: surviving the cold
The heart of the game is the survival mode. You keep an eye on body temperature, hunger, thirst and fatigue, collect wood, hunt, fish and repair your clothes. Wolves and bears make your life hard, but the biggest enemy is the weather. A blizzard can ruin any plan.
On top of that there are challenges and a custom mode with many settings, so you can fine-tune the difficulty. Little is explained, you learn by trial and death.
Atmosphere, graphics and sound
The painted art style is timeless and still looks beautiful years after release. Sunsets, auroras and blizzards create great images. The sound impresses with the crunching of snow, the howling wind and the calm music.
Technology and expansions
Technically, The Long Dark runs well even on weaker PCs and is verified for the Steam Deck. Over the years Hinterland has expanded the game with many updates and the Tales from the Far Territory expansion pass. Since 27 October 2026 there is also the Early Access expansion IRON ROAD.
Price and availability
The Long Dark regularly costs 16.99 euros on Steam. At Instant Gaming you can currently get the Steam key for around 7.09 euros.
- PC, Mac and Linux (Steam), PS4, Xbox One and Switch
- Text in 19 languages including German
- Voice-over in English only
Trailer
System requirements (PC)
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows 10 | Windows 10 |
| Processor | Dual-Core Intel i5 CPU @ 2GHz+ | Intel i7 CPU @ 2.6GHz or higher |
| graphics card | Intel 4xxx Series w/ 512MB VRAM or better | nVidia GTX 555 w/ 1GB VRAM or better |
| Memory | 4 GB RAM | 8 GB RAM |
| storage | 7 GB available space | 7 GB available space |
