PCGame

Darkwood

Survival horror with daytime scavenging and desperate nighttime defense

Acid Wizard Studio · Published by Hooded Horse, Acid Wizard Studio · Released Aug 17, 2017

ActionAdventureRPGStrategy

Reviews
Very Positive
94% of 24K
Recent reviews
Very Positive
92% of 255 in 30 days
Players
150
daily peak, Nov 7, 2026
Steam Deck
Verified
Last update on Steam
2 years ago
Jan 4, 2024
Minimum PC
GTX 460
4 GB RAM · 10 GB disk
Full requirements

Metacritic: 80/100 (critic reviews)

What is Darkwood?

Darkwood is a single-player survival horror game set in a ruined forest that rearranges between playthroughs. By day, you explore open biomes, scavenge resources, take quests, and travel between hideouts; by night, you fortify a shelter and defend it while making choices that shape your attempt to escape.

For you if...

  • +you prefer slow-burn horror without jump scares
  • +you enjoy scavenging, exploration, and shelter defense
  • +you want choices that can change the story

Not for you if...

  • −you need quest markers and explicit instructions
  • −you only want multiplayer games
  • −you prefer a forgiving, low-pressure survival game

What players say

94% of 24,012 reviews are positive · 92% of 255 in the last 30 days

Players most often praise the oppressive atmosphere, sound design, slow-building fear, and story. Common complaints describe slow movement and backtracking, clunky combat, repetitive nighttime defense, and limited save control as tedious.

Players over time

▼ -24% vs a month ago

Players online on Steam, one sample a day.

Highest since Sep 2026: 299 players on Oct 18, 2026.

Show the data
DayPlayers
Nov 7, 2026150
Nov 6, 2026127
Nov 5, 2026113
Nov 4, 2026130
Nov 3, 2026142
Nov 2, 2026163
Nov 1, 2026182
Oct 31, 2026161
Oct 30, 2026138
Oct 29, 2026149
Oct 28, 2026165
Oct 27, 2026159
Oct 26, 2026190
Oct 25, 2026252
Oct 24, 2026221
Oct 23, 2026209
Oct 22, 2026219
Oct 21, 2026238
Oct 20, 2026243
Oct 19, 2026251
Oct 18, 2026299
Oct 17, 2026249
Oct 16, 2026256
Oct 15, 2026281
Oct 14, 2026249
Oct 13, 2026245
Oct 12, 2026261
Oct 11, 2026265
Oct 10, 2026202
Oct 9, 2026187
Oct 8, 2026186
Oct 7, 2026175
Oct 6, 2026185
Oct 5, 2026191
Oct 4, 2026202
Oct 3, 2026179
Oct 2, 2026102
Oct 1, 202684
Sep 30, 202694
Sep 29, 202689
Sep 28, 202687
Sep 27, 2026107
Sep 26, 202691
Sep 25, 202668
Sep 24, 202689
Sep 23, 202653
Sep 23, 2026103
Sep 22, 202690
Sep 21, 202685

How many players finish Darkwood?

5.1% of Steam players have unlocked «Bliss», the achievement for finishing the main story.

Share of everyone who owns the game on Steam, including those who barely played it. Updated weekly.

Screenshots and trailer

Darkwood screenshot 1

Darkwood system requirements

Minimum: GTX 460, 4 GB RAM, 10 GB of disk space.

As published by the developer.

Can my PC run Darkwood?

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Set up my PC →

Minimum

OS
Windows® 10 (64-bit)
Processor
Intel® Core™ i3-2100 (dual-core) / AMD® Phenom™ II X2 565 (dual-core)
Graphics
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 460 (1 GB) / AMD® Radeon™ HD 5770 (1 GB)
Memory
4 GB RAM
Storage
10 GB available space

Recommended

OS
Windows® 10 (64-bit)
Processor
Intel® Core™ i5-2400 (quad-core) / AMD® FX-Series™ FX-4300 (quad-core)
Graphics
NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 660 (2 GB) / AMD® Radeon™ HD 7870 (2 GB)
Memory
8 GB RAM
Storage
10 GB available space

Does Darkwood have co-op or multiplayer?

No: single-player only, no multiplayer modes declared.

Does Darkwood run on Steam Deck?

Verified Yes, Verified by Valve: it works on Steam Deck out of the box.

  • All functionality is accessible with the default controller configuration
  • Shows Steam Deck controller icons
  • In-game text is legible on Steam Deck
  • Default graphics settings perform well on Steam Deck
  • External controllers are not supported for the primary player

PC version details

DRM
None declared on Steam
Controller
Full controller support
Platforms
Windows, macOS, Linux
Achievements
15
Steam features
Cloud saves, Family Sharing, Trading cards
Languages
Text only: English, Polish, Russian, German, Spanish - Spain, Portuguese - Brazil, Italian, Simplified Chinese, Turkish, Hungarian, French.

Does Darkwood use AI-generated content?

No AI-generated content is disclosed on the game's Steam page.

Self-reported by the developer under Steam rules: it covers AI content that ships in the game, not tools used to make it. Steam page checked on Nov 6, 2026. How to filter AI games on Steam

Tags

Recent updates

2 DLC available.

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