Dead Island: Riptide Definitive Edition
Dead Island: Riptide Definitive Edition
Game
Game2016
Dead Island Definitive Edition
Developer Techland
Welcome to the zombie apocalypse experience of a lifetime – and now more beautiful than ever. Caught in the midst of an epic zombie outbreak on the tropical island of Banoi, your only thought is: Survive! From the Steam store page
342 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy) · newest Nov 5, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
76
LovedLoved
224 positive · 70 negative
95% range 71–81%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 224 | 70 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 3 | 2 | 39 |
| Lemmy * | 2 | 0 | 2 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
9,377 of 11,574 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
77% recommend · 192 yes, 56 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 248 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (23,257 of 28,410 positive).
Many note the game feels dated, with clunky combat and repetitive quests. [1][2][3] Some reviewers criticize the definitive edition for technical issues and poor optimization. [4][5]
Liked
Representative posts
- [2]
This had to be designed by a postman. The amount of fetch and escort quests is just staggering, but if you like these types of missions the most, then you will love this game. You constantly backtrack through the same three locations, and you don't have fun parkour movement like in Dying Light to accommodate for that. Combat is also very wonky. It's easy to miss hits, and the stamina bar is just infuriating. It …
- [13]
Back when games were about having fun and not paying for loot boxes and cosmetics... I wish we would go back but I'm afraid its far too late.
- [1]
I'm only giving this a positive review because of it's impact on gaming. Without Dead Island, there would be no Dying Light franchise or Dead Island 2, both of which are fantastic. Like I bet for it's time this was a great game, but now it's incredibly outdated. Who thought it was a good idea for there to be no dodge or block in a melee focused game??? You can jump out of the way, but no way to quickly move left or …
- [9]
Dead Island Definitive Edition is a solid remaster of a 2011 classic that still holds its ground, even if its age shows in the corners. It’s a polarizing experience - some find it generic due to a decade of zombie-genre oversaturation, while others find its specific loop addictive. If you can look past the dated tropes and bring a full squad along for the ride, it’s a total blast. Pros: Awesome in co-op. Visceral …
- [6]
The Voodoo is good but not great. This review will be a little biased, as I am very nostalgic about this game; it pretty much got me into the RPG action genre, and I really loved the original version, even with its flaws. But coming to this version after so many years, it holds up in most places but fails miserably in others. The game is mindless zombie killing, the story is boring, the animation can be janky, and …
Summarised from 34 of the 293 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 10, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Dead Island Definitive Edition sits at 76% positive across 294 opinionated reactions from 3 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Reactions
60 of 342 · most liked firstBack when games were about having fun and not paying for loot boxes and cosmetics... I wish we would go back but I'm afraid its far too late.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →---{ Graphics }--- ☐ You forget what reality is( for its time) ☑ 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 ☐ Rich boi ☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for October: Gotham Knights, Disco Elysium: The Final Cut, The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes. Also included are Alien: Isolation, Dead Island Definitive Edition, Outlast 2, and more.
neutral · AI labelView post →This had to be designed by a postman. The amount of fetch and escort quests is just staggering, but if you like these types of missions the most, then you will love this game. You constantly backtrack through the same three locations, and you don't have fun parkour movement like in Dying Light to accommodate for that. Combat is also very wonky. It's easy to miss hits, and the stamina bar is just infuriating. It recharges very slowly and kind of randomly, it's hard to say exactly how it works,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →they don't want you to know this, but vehicles are the STRONGEST weapon in the game. they absolutely pulverise any enemy in their path without struggle and have NO durability. you may be thinking, "but vehicles are limited by the roads!". WRONG. vehicles in dead island are limited by no-such trivialities. in fact, they are functionally all-terrain as long as you are dedicated enough. not even the ocean itself can prevent you from driving your pickup truck to glory. dead island is clearly an…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm only giving this a positive review because of it's impact on gaming. Without Dead Island, there would be no Dying Light franchise or Dead Island 2, both of which are fantastic. Like I bet for it's time this was a great game, but now it's incredibly outdated. Who thought it was a good idea for there to be no dodge or block in a melee focused game??? You can jump out of the way, but no way to quickly move left or right. Like wtf were they smoking? This becomes especially annoying when…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →dead island. there are zombies. sam b is there too and he does the voodoo. there are other characters but why bother. sam b is the only real one. who do u voodooo binch
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Voodoo is good but not great. This review will be a little biased, as I am very nostalgic about this game; it pretty much got me into the RPG action genre, and I really loved the original version, even with its flaws. But coming to this version after so many years, it holds up in most places but fails miserably in others. The game is mindless zombie killing, the story is boring, the animation can be janky, and the pacing can be slow and repetitive, but it has good weapons and enemy…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I remember watching my brother play this game on Xbox 360 back in the day, so i decided to finally give it a try myself. I had already played Dying Light and knew this game was its predecessor, and damn, you can really feel the DNA that later made Dying Light so great. The game still looks good and is super fun to play. It’s much closer in quality to Dying Light than i expected, especially since a lot of people tend to disregard it just because Dying Light is the better game. The gameplay is…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →a game which started the funny horror montages trend on youtube during 2011. i still remember the e3 trailer like it was yesterday. peak characters and gameplay. HOWEVER it is somewhat outdated. don't be surprised that after playing dying light and coming into this you'd probably hate it. just appreciate it for what it is. a great game for it's time. a staple in culture
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →good game but bad ending, and Jin is scammer, she take my inventory go to hell with her
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Is it worth buying with the original price? I dont think so - just wait for a discount and then buy it. This game isnt as perfect as it should be. In some moments its quite annoying to play. There is a huge difference between Dead Island 1 and 2, which DI2 is much much better I also want to mention a Good Samaritan whose nickname was only two letters long. He joined me, helped me quickly finish Act I, and didn't write a single word in chat. He also wanted to give me an M60, but I didn't need…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Came for the zombie horror, stayed for the weapon duct tape simulator and accidental cardio on a tropical island. 🧟♂️🏝️
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Dead Island Definitive Edition is a solid remaster of a 2011 classic that still holds its ground, even if its age shows in the corners. It’s a polarizing experience - some find it generic due to a decade of zombie-genre oversaturation, while others find its specific loop addictive. If you can look past the dated tropes and bring a full squad along for the ride, it’s a total blast. Pros: Awesome in co-op. Visceral combat. Good enemy variety. Very atmospheric at times. Great soundtrack.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is a very meh time. The gameplay feels kinda dated and the story is truthfully one of the least interesting or engaging stories for the genre also many minor bugs that become random annoyances. I'd recommend getting the game on sale.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is quite the immersive zombie apocalypse game, and for a game from 2016 the graphics are awesome. Best played in the middle of the night, with headphones on, and by only the glow from a desk lamp's 40-watt bulb. It's an adreneline rush hearing zombies breathing in the dark shadows surrounding me while I desperately try to figure out where exactly they are before they grab me. If you only focus on the main campaign tasks and ignore the side quests, you could probably be done in 10 to 15…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Took a while to realize you need to throw your weapons if you want to get anywhere. After that it pretty much rinse and repeat. Not bad but not great either. There's definitely a lot of game in here if you want it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Legendary game back on the 360. The definitive edition is actually worse than the og though. This really started the trend of "definitive" just meaning brighter and overblown with post FX. Mods can disable those though, but the worst offender is the head-bob. Game is unplayable for many people because of the impossible to disable head bob. Its hurting my eyes so much I cant take it anymore. This game probably contributed to ruining some of my days in childhood because of it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Just got it on sale.... I played it back in 2011 on 360, hell I think I rented it from Blockbuster lol, but I knew at the time the combat was extremely gory and visceral but the game never stuck on me. Years later, I'm actually a big fan of Dead Island 2's fun factor which brought me to buy the game during the Winter Sale and yep, I simply like this gameplay. It's pacing is perhaps a bit slow but....*shrug, I like it. It's interspersed with very in-your-face zombie combat that gets the blood…
positive · 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 ☐ Rich boi ☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer ---{…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →*Game is released in 2016 but experiences performance issues on a gaming laptop built to be spec'd for games like Cyberpunk 2077; this is a very poorly optimized game, unless you enjoy frequent frame stuttering I advise getting this game for free or not at all. *This version of the game released in 2016 the original came out earlier
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Who do you voodoo...? Still a really fun game, definitely use a visual mod to remove classic urine filter and blurring.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Dead Island is a deeply frustrating experience driven by an utterly incoherent story and an incredibly unlikable cast of awful protagonists. Instead of drawing you into its world, the game actively pushes you away. The soundtrack is so grating and annoying that it makes you want to bash your head against a wall for spending money on this. The gameplay loop entirely fails to redeem the narrative. The melee combat is limited, and the gunplay is extremely frustrating, especially since almost all…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this is a pretty nice thing to do. here's some decent ones i already played but have extra steam keys in my humble bundle account, all ? should be replaced with a capital I A Plague Tale: Innocence (taken) Dead Island Definitive Edition (taken) The Sexy Brutale J7N99-N08QT-MJG2? enjoy :)
neutral · AI labelView post →really fun game loved it on xbox, tip for linux users use "proton experimental"
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Honestly, I don't understand how this version is supposed to be the definitive way to experience Dead Island. Sure, the textures, character models and environmental assets have been upgraded, and at first glance the game looks noticeably better. But once you actually start playing, you realise just how much of the original experience has been lost. The most disappointing part is the gore and overall brutality. The original Dead Island had much more satisfying damage effects, dismemberment and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →In alot of ways, this game is a mess. But the combat is quite fun, which is the most important thing. I love the stamina system
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Already owned, and have played the original version (meanwhile delisted and no longer on the store). It's pretty obvious the game wants us to play in co-op, something I dont really do or like, but even in singleplayer it's a fun ride with very enjoyable melee combat. Story is mighty silly, but in a B Movie kind of silly, it's fun. This version is basically the same apart from some visual looks and weapon designs, it's a matter of personal taste, but I dont like (and never will) that the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A supposed childhood favourite of mine that turned out to be garbage when I replayed it all these years later. The novelty of hack & slash wears off after about an hour and the 7 predictable zombie variations that are spammed throughout the whole thing don't make it any better. The game starts off okay but by the end of the game they're DESPERATELY trying to drag out the run time by having you travel back and forth between the 3 different maps doing practically nothing and following NPCs…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The first act of the game is brilliant. The map is amazingly well designed, and so are the quests, which are very well tied together. The difficulty though was non-existent and one could breeze through the whole act without putting a single brain cell to use. The second act is good. The map is still well designed and atmospheric, but the quality of quests kind of start to drop. Thankfully, the difficulty ramps up here and the game is no longer brainless. The human enemies would've been fun…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →no reason to complain, good graphics, runs at 120 fps
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a very soft recommend, because the game is honestly terrible, but it's also kind of enjoyably bad. This really feels like a game where the dev team had never seen a zombie game or movie before, but the execs saw how well Left4Dead was doing and demanded a clone. Then they saw Borderlands and demanded the loot system be added. They they saw how World of Warcraft was doing, and demanded that it be a MMO. Then they got cold feet, cut the MMO part (but left in the foundations for the combat…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is not a bad game, I really like it, however the combat and movement are janky, sometimes when i want to sprint it just stops after 1 second or flat out refuses to work, when attacking zombies they take my attacks like nothing and then attacks me multiple times pushing me down. Aiming is not right on controller, the assist overpowers my control and even attaches to a target behind a wall. The game outright has subtle lag spikes even when my specs surpass their recommended requirements.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Oh man I remember this game being advertised as the next big thing because of the layers of flesh system. Great game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The co-op mode enhances the game's appeal, allowing players to tackle challenges together while exploring the island's dangerous environments.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →its kind of a broken mess bad controls and bad limited options, also freezes the other applications even after closing the game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Dead Island is a gory and juicy horror adventure for the whole family, where a group of cheerful survivors—and a Māori Al Pacino—team up to survive the most expensive hangover of all time, in a beautiful resort on a paradise island packed with the best zombies the seventh gen could offer. The game consists of wandering around chugging truckloads of energy drinks, taking in the beautiful and immersive environments (sometimes), smashing some heads, chopping off some limbs, and looting everything…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of those games I tried back near release, hyped by the awesome trailer and well into Robert Kirkman's Walking Dead comics. Played a bit, was slightly disappointed it was not the mix of Fallout 3 and The Long Dark in a zombie apocalypse setting I'd imagined in my head. Coming back years later, with lowered expectations, I had a load of fun. It's basically Borderlands with a different setting/vibe and more focus on melee. Graphics actually look great still (well, except NPC face's, some are…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →played through this game years ago on console when it first came out, and it still doesn't disappoint. the storyline is super fun and rich, plus the questline is engaging - never a dull moment. will always be a 10/10 game for me.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Og game i played when i was younger, its just as buggy as i remember lol
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is a legend a foundation and skeleton for the dying light games. It's not as good as dying light but the zombies are still very creepy even on the final stages of the game. Overall i'll rate this game 8.5/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As it stood in my library for a long time I said that I'll give it a try. As old as it is I can say that you should try it too. The gameplay and the combat are pretty good. The story was, in my opinion, well made by the time this game was released. It can feel somewhat hard at times, given the search for mods, components and weapon durability that it's low, but you can try to drive more often and that will help. The aftermath surely feels rewarding. Give it a try. even after all those years!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Today I'll be going live with Gov and @mrteakettle.bsky.social as we mow down MORE zombies in Dead Island Definitive Edition! 1PM EST// 1.5HRS from now. Hope to 👁️ SEE you there! twitch.tv/hermitairi
neutral · AI labelView post →Loved this game when it came out.. Still remember going through the sewers the first time. This edition is obviously polished up and the game looks and plays great. It's been over a decade since I played the original so it's nice re-experiencing it all. This was THE game before Dying Light came out a few years after, both games were on another level but DL kind of took the cake. Still super fun though to this day.. If you haven't played this game grab it next time it's on sale and have…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I watched my dad play this game when it came out. I had also messed around in online mode back then aswell but i was like 8 so I didnt actually play it. I got it on sale and am in LOVE with it. Its so nostalgic and I adore the island aesthetic. I definetly reccomend this game!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Love this game to death first tried playing when I was a little kid on the xbox 360 and got scared and decided to come back when I was older and completely fell in love and is one of my top 10 games I've played none stop. Got to love the game that has certain noises that has ingrained into your mind so bad that when you hear it irl it gives you a scare.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not well optimised for PC and something about this game makes me extremely motion sick which is strange because I almost never get motion sick in games.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →While the Nostalgia is there, The game is woefully optimised for anything past the year 2020. Getting it to run happily without hud issues on anything beyond a 1920 x 1080 monitor requires a lot of song and dance. And online fixes stopped being helpful near a decade ago. How i made it playable: Change your Computers resolution through AMD or Nvidia down to 1080p, Find the Screen file in Dead island De's documant files, Tell that to be 1920x1080. Then change it again IN game and maybe, JUST…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I played this multiple times over on XBOX 360, one of the best zombie games ever, and it obviously heavily inspired the Dying Light series which at least for the first game is also one of the best.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Dead Island is still one of the best zombie games I've played, and somehow more than the sum of its parts. + It's very atmospheric and the setting in general is quite original + Action and movement are both appropriately weighty + The melee action is especially good with its hit modeling, dismemberment and other mechanics. Very fulfilling. + The semi-open world is big, varied and fun to explore + The campaign is long + The characters and their skill trees are varied enough (though nothing…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Dead Island Definitive Edition: Brutal, Messy and Best Enjoyed With Friends Melee Combat & Weapons: 8.5/10 The melee combat is satisfying and really cool, especially for the year it came out, and killing zombies with all kinds of butchering tools gives you a genuinely rewarding feeling. The firearms are a different story. They aren't very interesting, and they're mostly good for long-range shots or blowing up barrels and gas canisters. Other than that they're just an extra weapon, and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A very enjoyable classic zombie game and still a great reference for the genre. The game is accessible and fun, especially in co-op, with plenty of exploration and challenges to keep you busy. Definitely worth playing, especially when you can get it cheaply. 100% steam achievements Time : 63.4H Completion Difficulty : 4/10 Playthroughs : 1 Missables : None Online Recommended : Yes - several co-op achievements Notable requirements : complete the game, explore the island, use all characters…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Man this game is so good. I constantly find myself coming back to this classic such a great game and the nostalgia when i first loaded back in was just epic! Wowsers!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game just brought ol' days memory when it first launched. This definitive edition brought newer graphics for its time but unfortunately still has some bugs specifically a door closed on itself and soft locked your progress, that being said exiting your game and retrying the area will fix the issue. As for the story nothing really stood out aside from certain characters, techland shoul've had explored each playable characters background for us to care but they didn't and there are no…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Dead Island is a game with satisfying core mechanics to its combat but everything that's built around it doesn't add to that experience. It's worth stressing before I start that I did play this game in singleplayer. I think this knocks the enjoyment substantially as I could imagine how playing with others would improve the game a bit. To start with the good, I think the melee combat is quite fun. There's a good variety of weapons and the upgrade and modding mechanics play well into this. I…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Dead Island is one of those games that will always have a special place in my heart. I've been playing it since my childhood, and even after all these years, it still brings back amazing memories. What I love most is the atmosphere. The beautiful tropical island combined with the constant danger of zombies creates a unique experience that few games can match. The combat feels satisfying, especially when using different weapons and upgrading them to become even more powerful. The co-op…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Well, good game, thx for coop company 8/10 Bad company policy (that's why negative review)
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →fun game with funny physics until a zombie throws a pipe at your head and you die in one hit only problem is there is an achievement where you need to play with 10 different people for 15 minutes
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For its age, this game still holds up incredibly well, and that's not just nostalgia speaking either. Feel like this was made in an era when games pure focus before anything was just fun. Lame story, forgettable characters (not including you Sam B) but just really enjoyable hacking and slashing fun. Definately a more enjoyable experience with friends if you have any, losers. If you want a zombie killing experience, refund Dead Island 2 and buy this game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I finished the game. It doesn't hold up today. Honestly I don't think that it holds up at the time it came out as well LOL
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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