ActionAdventure
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Blacklist
Give it 5 hours
Gets good by 5h then rated almost like by veterans
Fully opens up by 10h rated like by long-time players
Reach the ending 42% of players who started
Started playing 10% of owners
Steam reviews 79% positive of 21,792
What the data shows
- In the first 2 hours 1 in 2 reviews are negative (58%); after 10h it's 1 in 8 (13%).
- Fully opens up by hour 10.
- The opening is criticised more than in 87% of games we track.
- 42% of players who start reach the ending.
- The biggest drop-off is between “Asset Retrieval” (Complete Safehouse on any difficulty) and “Ambush Escaped”: from 98% to 78% of starters.
- Only 10% of owners have even the first achievement — the rest barely played.
When it gets good
Share of positive reviews by how many hours the reviewer had played when writing the review.
before it gets good opening up fully opened up
Based on all 21,905 Steam reviews in every language. Median playtime in a sample of 296 reviews: 11.2h for positive, 3.9h for negative. Almost every game is rated lower in the first 2–3 hours: that window includes refunds and quick first impressions. What matters is how deep the dip is and how fast the game recovers.
Where players quit
Share of players who started the game and reached each story milestone. 100% is the most common achievement (10.2% of owners), so people who bought the game and never launched it don't count.
- Started playing 100%
- Asset Retrieval Complete Safehouse on any difficulty 98% −2
- Ambush Escaped Complete Insurgent Stronghold on any difficulty Most players quit here 78% −20
- American Consumption Prevented Complete American Consumption on any difficulty 70% −9
- Terrorist Factor Turned Complete Private Estate on any difficulty 63% −7
- Tracker Placed Complete Abandoned Mill on any difficulty 58% −5
- Iranian Intel Retrieved Complete Special Missions HQ on any difficulty 53% −5
- American Freedom Averted Complete Transit Yards on any difficulty 50% −3
- Infiltration/Interrogation Complete Detention Facility on any difficulty 48% −2
- Paladin Restored Survive the attack on Paladin 47% −1
- American Fuel Engaged Complete LNG Terminal on any difficulty 45% −2
- 4th Echelon Status Confirmed Complete the single player campaign 42% −3
story milestone ending biggest drop-off
Story milestones were labeled by AI from achievement names and descriptions; mistakes are possible.
All achievements (28)
story milestone ending side
- Distraction Tactician Call an enemy over, then take them down undetected when they investigate 100%
- Asset Retrieval Complete Safehouse on any difficulty 98%
- Ambush Escaped Complete Insurgent Stronghold on any difficulty 78%
- American Consumption Prevented Complete American Consumption on any difficulty 70%
- Terrorist Factor Turned Complete Private Estate on any difficulty 63%
- Tracker Placed Complete Abandoned Mill on any difficulty 58%
- Iranian Intel Retrieved Complete Special Missions HQ on any difficulty 53%
- American Freedom Averted Complete Transit Yards on any difficulty 50%
- Mission Footprint Zero Complete a single player mission without being detected during gameplay 49%
- Infiltration/Interrogation Complete Detention Facility on any difficulty 48%
- Paladin Restored Survive the attack on Paladin 47%
- American Fuel Engaged Complete LNG Terminal on any difficulty 45%
- 4th Echelon Status Confirmed Complete the single player campaign 42%
- C&C Optimized Fully upgrade your headquarters 36%
- Infiltration Operator Complete all 4th Echelon Missions from Anna Grímsdóttir 36%
- Hostages Secured Save the hostages in the Transit Yards 32%
- Hunter Operator Complete all 4th Echelon Missions from Andriy Kobin 31%
- Evidence Concealed Hide 5 bodies in containers 25%
- Extraction Operator Complete all 4th Echelon Missions from Charlie Cole 18%
- 4th Echelon Commendation Complete every single player mission on Realistic difficulty 15%
- Tactical Style: Ghost Master Ghost playstyle on 7 missions 11%
- Hostile Shield Secured Take down a Shielded Infantryman hand to hand and take his shield 9.8%
- Tri-Rotor Functionality Disable a security device using the Tri-Rotor 8.8%
- Tactical Style: Panther Master Panther playstyle on 7 missions 7.8%
- 4th Echelon Officer Complete every single player mission on Perfectionist difficulty 6.9%
- Tactical Style: Assault Master Assault playstyle on 7 missions 4.9%
- No Kill Option Engaged Complete the single player campaign without killing anyone as Sam Fisher 4.9%
- Enhanced Lethality Demonstrated Using Mark & Execute, take down 6 enemies in under 14 seconds 2.9%
Steam page Updated: 2026-10-18.