Tharsis
Give it 5 hours
What the data shows
- In the first 2 hours 1 in 2 reviews are negative (61%); after 5h it's 1 in 8 (13%).
- The opening is criticised more than in 90% of games we track.
- 62% of players who start reach the ending.
- Most players drop off before “Contact Light” (Reach Mars): only 62% of starters get there.
- Only 46% 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 2,519 Steam reviews in every language. Median playtime in a sample of 294 reviews: 8.3h for positive, 2.7h 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 (46.1% of owners), so people who bought the game and never launched it don't count.
- Started playing 100%
- Contact Light Reach Mars. Most players quit here 63% −37
story milestone ending biggest drop-off
Story milestones were labeled by AI from achievement names and descriptions; mistakes are possible.
All achievements (12)
story milestone ending side
- Risk Management Professional Take no hull damage for 4 turns. 100%
- Contact Light Reach Mars. 63%
- Safe Passage Reach Mars with 3 or more crew alive. 60%
- Locally Grown Harvest 20 food. 57%
- Ethical Threshold Reach Mars without cannibalizing. 40%
- Work Ethic Perform 2800 repairs. 27%
- I'm Going To Science The Snot Out Of This Earn 300 research. 20%
- 10.75 AU Travel 1 billion miles. 11%
- I'm Hit, But Not Bad Survive a turn with 9 or more incoming damage. 7.8%
- To Serve Mankind Eat 120 human meals. 6.9%
- All Present And Accounted For Get all crew classes to Mars. 4.6%
- Solitary Confinement Survive 3 turns with only one crew member. 4.3%