You can filter reviews by playtime and date reviewed

There's a lot of problems you could find with reviews.

Lots of people ignore them. Some people even block them within their browsers so they don't even show up at all on Steam.

If you expect anything more from user and peer reviews, you won't get it. It's up to each individual if they find them useful or not.

hey Yuchi!

i always play until i can't refund it before i make a choice to review. I also don't review anything which i haven't actually did my research on. Steam is filled with curators. Maybe check out their reviews instead. Happy to help if you need it again. Laters!

Thanks to all of you for the feedback and suggestions.

SquirrlyNuts, I appreciate that you play beyond the refund window before reviewing - that's exactly the kind of responsible approach I wish more people would take. The curator suggestion is also helpful for those actively seeking quality reviews.

While curators and filters can be useful tools, I think the core issue is that the default review system prioritizes speed over quality. Most casual players don't actively seek out curators or adjust filters - they rely on the first reviews they see, which are often rushed.

I know we can filter by playtime and date, but the problem is that early, low-effort reviews already dominate the 'most helpful' section before better reviews even appear. The damage is done before filters become useful. By the time quality reviews are posted, many potential buyers have already been influenced by those hasty first impressions.

OP. Quick question. How many bites of a ♥♥♥♥ sandwich do you need to take before you're sure you're eating a ♥♥♥♥ sandwich?

Same thing for reviews. I mean a game can have depth and replayability out thwe wazoo but it also has to be ENJOYABLE. or no one's gonna care enough to find it.

Thread title: The Problem with Steam Reviews: Judging Games Too Quickly

Too quickly?

I previously refunded a game due to getting motion sickness within the first ten minutes.

I refunded Pigface the other day due to motion sickness but this time within 7 minutes.

I have a right to review both games and warn others why i refunded.

Originally posted by Yuchi:

SquirrlyNuts, I appreciate that you play beyond the refund window before reviewing - that's exactly the kind of responsible approach I wish more people would take.

And invalidate the right to refund.

Thing is if you don't review a game during it's early access phase, how do people know if it's worth supporting at Early Access stages?

People don't seem to understand Early Access as is let alone understand how it is in various points of development.

This is a problem with literally every review site out there and we all know why. They just want to get their reviews out asap for clicks which in turn means profit. This is why I suggest waiting patiently and checking multiple review sites slowly and steadily for any form of entertainment.

I find the opposite for positive reviews, at least. People will upvote the informative ones. For negative reviews it's not quite as good. Any negative review will always attract upvotes much more easily. I've seen ones where the person was actually wrong, but presented their assessment with a certain amount of detail and people voted it up. On the positive side, though, I generally find the system to be functioning well.

Originally posted by Yuchi:

Thanks to all of you for the feedback and suggestions.

SquirrlyNuts, I appreciate that you play beyond the refund window before reviewing - that's exactly the kind of responsible approach I wish more people would take. The curator suggestion is also helpful for those actively seeking quality reviews.

While curators and filters can be useful tools, I think the core issue is that the default review system prioritizes speed over quality. Most casual players don't actively seek out curators or adjust filters - they rely on the first reviews they see, which are often rushed.

I know we can filter by playtime and date, but the problem is that early, low-effort reviews already dominate the 'most helpful' section before better reviews even appear. The damage is done before filters become useful. By the time quality reviews are posted, many potential buyers have already been influenced by those hasty first impressions.

You should let the developers worry about how the community received their game. Putting their game up for sale early in development is a risk they know they’re taking.