ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE
ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE
Game
Game2021
Back 4 Blood
Developer Turtle Rock Studios
Back 4 Blood is a 2021 first-person shooter game developed by Turtle Rock Studios and published by Warner Bros. Games. It was released on October 12, 2021, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The game is considered to be a spiritual successor to the Left 4 Dead series, and carries over several key gameplay pillars, such as a strong emphasis on cooperative teamwork, and an AI… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
451 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Nov 5, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
65
Fresh
209 positive · 111 negative
95% range 60–70%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 209 | 111 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 30 | 25 | 59 |
| Mastodon * | 2 | 1 | 14 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
24,093 of 33,966 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
63% recommend · 156 yes, 93 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 249 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mixed (50,552 of 73,458 positive).
Players say Back 4 Blood is fun if you stop comparing it to Left 4 Dead. [1][2][3] Some reviewers find the card system adds unnecessary complexity and grind. [4][5][6] Others praise the graphics, gunplay, and deck-building for replayability. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [5]
As someone who lived and breathed Left 4 Dead 1 and 2, Back 4 Blood broke my heart. I was there through the hype, the developer updates, the promises of “spiritual successor” glory, and what we got instead feels like a game that completely misunderstood what made Left 4 Dead magic in the first place. The card system is the worst kind of gimmick. It’s convoluted, unnecessary, and somehow manages to make every run …
- [15]
Game dead. 0 Aussie servers. Dogsht PSN players with names literally like "96547". 0 Mics. 0 coms. 0 community presence. 0 workshop support. Paid $120 for this game + edition when it released just for it to die in 2 weeks. Worthless.
- [1]
Once you stop wishing this had been LFD3 and enjoy it for what it is, it's a lot of fun with friends.
- [4]
Back 4 Blood is visually great and the gunplay feels modern. But the problem is, it doesn’t understand what made Left 4 Dead 2 unforgettable. Left 4 Dead 2 is simple yet satisfying. Just pick a gun, survive the chaos, work together, move to the safe room. Back 4 Blood added too many systems that made the experience feel like a chore. Cards, builds, supply points, grinding. And instead of focusing on pure teamwork …
- [9]
I have a few hundred hours into this game on xbox so ignore the time played. Ignore all of the cornballs crying that l4d2 is better. Anyone who says that just went in hoping for l4d3 and threw a tantrum when it wasn't. This is a unique twist on the l4d formula and it's done very well and intuitively. There's a very fun deck building system that lets you play the way you want to play without having to worry about …
Summarised from 34 of the 347 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 9, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Players who liked Back 4 Blood talk about great graphics and modern gunplay; those who didn't talk about too many systems make it feel like a chore. Which matters more to you?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Back 4 Blood received "generally favorable" reviews for the PC and PlayStation 5 versions but "mixed or average" reviews for the Xbox Series X/S version, according to review aggregator Metacritic. Fellow review aggregator OpenCritic assessed that the game received strong approval, being recommended by 71% of critics. Neil Bolt, writing for horror magazine Bloody Disgusting, said that "the game still often plods along casually for periods before unleashing far too much confusion and chaos at once", adding that "given the game this is trying to build upon, seemingly random encounters make sense, but there needs to be a level of puppeteering behind the scenes to ensure its not a mess in play",…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 451 · most liked firstBeen writing a new video script. At long last, it’s a nice game design essay rather than something depressing. I’ve had Horde Shooters on the brain and wanted to really dig into why the good ones are so good. I also discovered people are still playing Back 4 Blood. Returning to that was a trip.
neutral · AI labelView post →Back 4 Blood was marketed like the glorious spiritual successor to Left 4 Dead, but playing it feels like discovering someone tried to recreate a legendary meal using corporate PowerPoint presentations and energy drinks. The entire game exists under the shadow of Left 4 Dead. And the worst part? It never escapes it for even a second. Every trailer screamed: “FROM THE CREATORS OF LEFT 4 DEAD.” Which immediately set expectations at: “Okay, this should be incredible.” Then players launched the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Playing L4D2 for the first time since finishing Back 4 Blood and genuinely I have no idea why they advertised it so heavily close to L4D. I don't think B4B is a bad game but like they HAD TO KNOW it wasn't the same experience as L4D right?
neutral · AI labelView post →Once you stop wishing this had been LFD3 and enjoy it for what it is, it's a lot of fun with friends.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Back 4 Blood is visually great and the gunplay feels modern. But the problem is, it doesn’t understand what made Left 4 Dead 2 unforgettable. Left 4 Dead 2 is simple yet satisfying. Just pick a gun, survive the chaos, work together, move to the safe room. Back 4 Blood added too many systems that made the experience feel like a chore. Cards, builds, supply points, grinding. And instead of focusing on pure teamwork and unpredictable panic moments, they turned it into a meta progression shooter.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this game is amazing!! genuinely. the graphics are fantastic, and the shooting is really fun love the maps too
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As someone who lived and breathed Left 4 Dead 1 and 2, Back 4 Blood broke my heart. I was there through the hype, the developer updates, the promises of “spiritual successor” glory, and what we got instead feels like a game that completely misunderstood what made Left 4 Dead magic in the first place. The card system is the worst kind of gimmick. It’s convoluted, unnecessary, and somehow manages to make every run feel less fun. Instead of clean, skill-based progression, you’re buried in…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Games hasnt been updated since 2024 and they are still asking 100 bucks for it lol
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →---{ Graphics }--- ☐ You forget what reality is ☐ Beautiful ☑ Good ☐ Decent ☐ Bad ☐ Don‘t look too long at it ☐ MS-DOS ---{ Gameplay }--- ☐ Very good ☑ Good ☐ It's just gameplay ☐ Mehh ☐ Watch paint dry instead ☐ Just don't ---{ Audio }--- ☐ Eargasm ☐ Very good ☑ Good ☐ Not too bad ☐ Bad ☐ I'm now deaf ---{ Audience }--- ☐ Kids ☑ Teens ☑ Adults ☑ Grandma ---{ PC Requirements }--- ☐ Check if you can run paint ☑ Potato ☐ Decent ☐ Fast ☐ Ask NASA if they…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game feels like any other greedy ass corporate greed game... L4D2 feels like the developers spent actual time developing. With heart and soul. Modern games are such a joke tldr, get L4D2 with the workshop <3
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game dead. 0 Aussie servers. Dogsht PSN players with names literally like "96547". 0 Mics. 0 coms. 0 community presence. 0 workshop support. Paid $120 for this game + edition when it released just for it to die in 2 weeks. Worthless.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Back 4 Blood had the chance to be the spiritual successor to Left 4 Dead, but instead it feels like a stale imitation. The core idea is there — co-op zombie survival with hordes and teamwork — but the execution just doesn’t live up to the legacy. The card system adds unnecessary complexity without real payoff, the pacing feels off, and the magic of Left 4 Dead’s simplicity and replayability is missing. Instead of tight, memorable missions, you get repetitive encounters that lack the charm and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is really fun with friends, but the fun doesn't come from the game I'll tell you that. A shadow of that that came before. Go play the L4D games, this isn't worth your money.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Back 4 Blood uses Easy Anticheat (EAC) which blocked my VM based PC setup from running the game. 0/10 stars because I could not play it. I could understand being locked out of online competitive play, but not being able to run the game to play single player or with friends online is unacceptable.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Devs, genuine question... What was the need to remove manual flashlight option and force shove this stoopid auto flashlight option at selected places? Did you really think all people play at 200% brightness and 300% gamma enabled or something during night stages?? Edit: After 30ish hours,I can proudly say I was total correct. Zombies coming from 360 degree angles and the horde is also infinite in lots of stages. Like this game is less dependent on how good your team skills are but how…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Disclaimer for those not in the know: this game isn't L4D2 or a spiritual successor, it's its own thing and should be judged by its own merits, if you were looking for L4D2: imnmediately move away from this game, the following critique is about B4B as a standalone game, unrelated to L4D2. Despite all of the negativity towards this game, I still gave it a fair shot, and honestly it sucks. At least the game doesn't need you to play 80+ hours to get all the cards anymore, but outside of that QoL…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this game is like eating a sandwich but every time you try to take a bite you get kicked in the balls by a pissed off grizzly bear
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →6/10 I’m gonna be honest: if this game wasn’t constantly marketed as the “spiritual successor” to Left 4 Dead, I probably would’ve been much less harsh on it. But that’s exactly the problem. You CANNOT spend years telling people that Back 4 Blood is the successor to Left 4 Dead and that it’s made by the creators of Left 4 Dead, then deliver something that completely misses what made those games special in the first place. Is it a terrible game? No. Is it Left 4 Dead 3? Absolutely not. The…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It sure isn't as good as left 4 dead but it's not as bad as some people may claim. The game is a little shallow and is missing community features like workshop support. Though, it's still fun to mow down zombies without a second thought, preferably with your friends. Sucks you only get 1 retry when your entire squat dies, then you have to repeat the entire act all over again.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game might not have been so bad if they didn't try and market it as a L4D clone, but they did, so it gets no wiggle room to avoid the comparisons. Nothing about what this game does that L4D doesn't is fun. Everything that this game does that L4D also did is done drastically worse. Turtle Rock has fleeced their customers twice now, once with Evolve and now with this, don't fall for it a third time, they're coasting by on brand recognition on a game that none of their staff actually made,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Boring, repetitive and dull. Even 10+ years after l4d2 it still cant live up to the GOAT
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →zombie rpg with a card system like magic the gathering or some ♥♥♥♥. i love it. dont listen to people who talk down on this game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is decent, but it has some glaring issues. One of the biggest problems is the flashlight. For some reason, you can’t turn it on manually, even though there are areas in the game where you genuinely need it. Not being able to manually control the flashlight is really stupid and frustrating. I understand that the developers wanted to implement a roguelike mechanic with the card system, but in practice it just feels bad. The RNG can completely ruin runs. One run you’ll breeze through,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Dunking on a five year old game doesn't feel right, but whatever. The devs stopped supporting it long ago, and it wasn't even fun when they were. The card system is unique for a game like this, but it also gives rise to a meta that inevitably becomes grindy and toxic. I've heard that the difficulty was lessened a while back, but it's too little too late.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This was such a disappointment. The devs had the formula with all the proper ingredients and still fumbled the ball. Instead of giving us a L4D3 reskin, they gave us a mishmash of Killing Floor, The Walking Dead, and Dead Island. It doesn't play like L4D. Don't ride on the coattails of your goat L4D if you're not going to deliver. No one told them they had to advertise this game as "FROM THE DEVS THAT BROUGHT YOU L4D". This game is completely different and lacks a versus gamemode. It just…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Dogsh*t or a gem? Here are 4 reasons not to buy/play Back 4 Blood: 1. The game won't receive any new updates. The developers posted a "goodbye" statement on Feb 2nd, 2023, in which they wrote that their work on B4B had come to an end and they had moved on to the next project. 2. Multiplayer is almost dead. Even if you can find a few occasional campaign partners, other game modes are completely dead. 3. Questionable design choices: - No key mapping for the flashlight. - No server list for…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Talking about this game always brings up the same unavoidable comparison: Left 4 Dead. But there is more to that! Back 4 Blood feels like the natural next step for people who love the Left 4 Dead formula but want more depth, character development and teamwork. It keeps that classic “4 survivors vs zombie horde” energy, but adds way more reasons to replay. Both games are about blasting through infested maps and Back 4 Blood doesn’t change that core loop, it just layers more mechanics on top.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Mildly enjoyable - it's ok nothing special - characters are bland, boring and predictable - nowhere near as captivating as L4D1 or L4D2 couldn't find any magic to grab me - don't like all this satanistic look of the SI's in games there's too much of that crap these days. I'd play doom if i wanted that sort of stuff.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →100% not worth the money for this game. Game was MAJOR update was 4 years ago and the latest minor update was 2 years ago. Crazy how they are still asking for this money when it aint worth it at ALL
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It has its' qualities to make it such a playable, fun co-op game but my goodness... Not sure if anyone else is suffering with the same sort of issues but I ran into high ping which made things unplayable for the first 15-20 minutes until it stabilized, then sudden game crashes, and lastly fps drops. I try to like the game, I actually kind of prefer it over Left 4 Dead 2, but the performance instability is what discourages me from recommending it to others and just having a general good time…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not adding proper Multiplayer - Versus mode for this game was your biggest mistake you could make
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Got Back 4 Blood on sale for $5, played a bit. It's weird how you can see what the game *should* have been, what it could have been if not meddled with.
neutral · AI labelView post →This game is a good example of how a game can have everything it needs to succeed and still end up being bad because of the devs decisions. In first few hours the cons start becoming obvious, first thing is the difficulty which feels unbalanced and makes no sense. zombies will sometimes feels like they just pop up out of nowhere like they're some kind of surprise box giving you barely any chance to react or dodge their attacks. Then there's the unnecessary and complicated card system, you're…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I cannot for the life of me imagine comparing this to L4D and thinking this comes out lacking. Guys. Lads. Friends. I'm beginning to think some of you didn't play L4D or don't remember it as well as you think you do. Listen, I loved L4D as much as the next guy, and I understand the game has become sacrosanct so to criticize it is heresy of the highest order, but the game definitely had shortcomings that, while it did not impede my enjoyment back in the day, would absolutely get it panned it if…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →WOW! I did a lot of research on this game. Obviously there's good things about it but I hear a lot of rumors about bad things too. But mainly these rumors are people who grew up with "Left 4 Dead" and is jealous or not happy how this game is a remake version. I will tell you this, I was born in the 90's and also a "Left 4 Dead" player. I honestly never liked the original because it was dull, repetitive, and frustrating how the tank and tongue zombie easily kill the team and you lose frequently.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I tried to get into this game, genuinely, and was really hyped throughout the entire development - at the end of the day I don't want to fiddle-fart in menus over cards. The reality of this process quickly deflated every hope I had for enjoying this game. I don't want to MICROMANAGE this godforsaken deck of cards that I never asked for or even wanted, and would rather just jump into the game and play. You guys can go f*ck off some place and take your stupid convoluted card system with you. I'll…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Mid tier game, garnered mid tier reception, did some mid tier patches, continued to be mid tier.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →🌱 Gamer since: 3 🌱 First system: Sega Genesis 🌱 Last: Xbox Series X 🌱 Main: PS5 🌱 Fav: PS2 🌱 Fav. dev: Atlus 🌱 First game: Sonic (1991) 🌱 Fav. game: Sly 2 Band of Thieves 🌱 Least fav. game: Back 4 Blood 🌱 Graphics or frames: Neither
negative · AI labelView post →This game was done dirty. Rough launch, but people overreacted and killed a really good game. 2nd purchase after owning it on Epic.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Although at first glance you are amazed by the graphics and the fact that it is a well-optimized game, the gameplay is disappointing. L4D2 is much superior if you compare them. Many meaningless inaccessible areas, large zombies that suddenly appear right in front of you, bots are very weak if you play with them, the runs are not balanced properly... so it could be a good game but in terms of gameplay it is not worth it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have a few hundred hours into this game on xbox so ignore the time played. Ignore all of the cornballs crying that l4d2 is better. Anyone who says that just went in hoping for l4d3 and threw a tantrum when it wasn't. This is a unique twist on the l4d formula and it's done very well and intuitively. There's a very fun deck building system that lets you play the way you want to play without having to worry about what's bad and what's good (for the most part) so long as you're smart about it.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Maybe it’s not the perfect game when you compare it to Left 4 Dead 2, but it stands well on its own, offering a chaotic experience that makes it challenging, and that’s what I enjoy the most. I just wish they hadn’t abandoned the game tho
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Maybe just maybe if y'all don't expect it to be L4D3 then you'll prob like it. As a L4D2 player too this is sooooo different. Deck building makes it replayable imo. But yes, it's so much better playing with friends instead of pubs.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Alright you guys, time to pick the game of tonight’s first half of tonight’s first stream back!!!! The choices are: -Alien Fireteam Elite -Back 4 Blood -Ghostwire Tokyo -Returnal -The Last Of Us Pt 1 (never played) -Vampyr I’m actually stuck this time lol 🙏🏾🙏🏾
neutral · AI labelView post →It's no Left 4 Dead and it shouldn't have been marketed as a successor to it but as it's own thing it's a fun game, especially on the higher difficulties. Every game plays differently due to corruption cards and also player playstyles depending on how they setup their decks (Melee, high DPS, Shotgun.etc) Definitely worth picking up when on sale, still has a player base too with crossplay being an option.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Well, I'm giving this a thumbs up because I enjoyed it for a while, and only considering that I paid about 2,99 for a key, plus 3,99 for the Annual Pass on Steam. The game does a lot of things right, but there are also things that aren’t really enjoyable. Gameplay wise, it’s somehwat similar to L4D/L4D2, World War Z, Zombie Army 4, etc. What I enjoyed about it were the level design, the graphics, some of the characters, the customization options, and the fact that the maps are long enough to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've put over 1,500+ hrs into this on PS alone. This game has been pretty fun solo or with others. (Yes others are still online its not completely dead...Yet..) The best way i could describe this game is fair/good if your bored and need something to keep the thumbs warm. It's got good gunplay, some replay to it thanks to the card system, and enough challenge due to corruption cards to keep you engaged. A lot of people bashed this game cause they came into it thinking Left 4 Dead... It's not...…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pretty solid Left 4 Dead type game. The developers fixed most of the issues with the game and it will be great time going through it with friends. Card Decks are easily the best part of the game, creating your build that fits within your team and synergizes together. Details are not as good as left 4 dead with enemy hit reacts, ragdolls and gore being pretty weak. The difficulty options are not well balanced at all with a massive gap between the ridiculously easy Veteran mode and at times…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →With all the Left 4 Dead I've been playing I started thinking about Back 4 Blood again. I'm really curious what the Dev's post mortem on that game was cause it felt to me like an overall solid game that was ultimately hampered by a lot of minor flaws (and the boring character cast).
neutral · AI labelView post →Ive played every horde game in the universe and this one is just not worth your time unlucky bro
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is the best of its kind in 2026. Picking it up for the first time after I tried and hated it during a beta play test. Great gunplay, great campaign and weapons. Weapon mods . The card system seem overwhelming when you start, but I'm like 20hrs into playing the game and I love that I literally have 4 SPECs which make my character feel unique. I'm guessing this game flopped because of all the weird L4D nostalgia Andy's review bombing it, because that game feels like a relic compared…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Me and my friend liked this game, no matter how this game was hated. We really did. But as of 1/19/26, we can't join a lobby together. I have literally no idea why. No solutions work. It just says something like 'Lobby is full or currently unavailable'. It's fluffing frustrating! TRS, please, fix it (I mean, if you still care lol) I don't think it's client-side problem, since it happening in both directions, me and my friend. But I may be wrong.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Underrated and gets unwarranted hate. This game is so fun and well optimized its really special. We aren't getting LFD3. Valve screwed the pooch on that idea so honestly go for this. It's worth it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I don't know what state this game has been in the past but having finally tried it, it's a blast. I don't understand why it got hated, guns feel great, lots of quirks and things that makes the gameplay more advanced. If one liked L4d1 and 2 there's no way this wouldn't be liked. It's an upgrade. Sure it might not feel the same, but I like the fluidity of the gameplay. I recommend it on sale. At this point, there's no reason to pay 60 euro for it. Highly Recommended (If these reviews even…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Back 4 Blood gets Denuvo Anti-tamper removed and an anti-cheat fix for Steam Deck https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2024/05/back-4-blood-gets-denuvo-anti-tamper-removed-and-an-anti-cheat-fix-for-steam-deck/ #Denuvo #SteamDeck #Linux #Back4Blood
neutral · AI labelView post →I'm reminded by a video of Back 4 Blood and man that game was so disappointing so much unnecessary additions that failed to be interesting and felt more like pointless bloat added for the purposes of bloat why was there a fucking card collecting system
negative · AI labelView post →Good on sale game, would never buy full price I can see why people dont like but with friends its good fun
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Gets gun, shoots zombies, Gets down, GG
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Received this game as a gift for Christmas. My friend and I both tried to play together and we both could not start a campaign because of an easy-cheat violation. We don't cheat. Looked up possible fixes online and saw players having this same exact issue FOUR YEARS AGO! This not being fixed in that time is a testament to how much the developers actually care about the player base. At $99 dollars for the game and all the DLC, this is a scam. Don't walk, RUN away from this game. Shameful.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Cannot play because of a false anti-cheat violation. Never got to play the actual game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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