I Expect You To Die 2: The Spy and the Liar
I Expect You To Die 2: The Spy and the Liar
Game
Game2023
I Expect You To Die 3: Cog in the Machine
Developer Schell Games
I Expect You To Die 3: Cog in the Machine is a virtual reality action video game developed and published by Schell Games and released for Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro on August 17, and Windows on September 28, 2023. It is the third game in the I Expect You to Die series and follows Agent Phoenix, who survived the events of the previous game and must once again confront Zoraxis, which has teamed up with Dr. Roxana… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
224 reactions from 2 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky) · newest Oct 28, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
83
LovedLoved
146 positive · 29 negative
95% range 77–88%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 146 | 29 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 7 | 0 | 42 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
476 of 518 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
84% recommend · 146 yes, 28 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 174 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (594 of 650 positive).
Some reviewers consider it the weakest entry in the trilogy. [1][2][3]
Liked
Representative posts
- [3]
I have mixed feelings about this one. There are just six short levels, just like the last game, but the quality is not the same. I loved the last two games, and even with that in mind, the first three missions of this one are the best in the series, especially the third mission. The fourth, fifth, and sixth ones, though, are nowhere near the bar set by the other levels and the other games. The fourth mission is …
- [6]
Another banger game in this banger franchise. Ive seen a lot of people say this is the weakest game out of the trillogy but i honestly prefer it over the first one, if your hesitating buying it due to the reviews just buy it its really fun
- [2]
Just like IEYTD and IEYTD 2, IEYTD 3 is a spy-themed puzzle box / escape room with humorous elements. Like the other games in the series, it's a fun, albeit short game that you can finish in a few hours and 100% in a few hours more. The intro is great and it's satisfying to unravel the puzzles in each scenario. However, this recommendation comes with a big asterisk because to me this was easily the weakest game in …
- [1]
I recommend this because the trilogy is a great demonstration of how VR can be fun and how this sort of puzzle game translates very well into the platform. Schell Games are innovators in the genre. However, it's also the weakest entry in the IEYTD franchise. I felt that most environments weren't very inviting or original, and that there wasn't much sense of urgency or "saving the world" the previous games had. The …
- [11]
This series is the best VR experiences I’ve had. Fully immersive, I feel like an agent every time i’m sat at the desk shuffling through mission materials. Every other game I play I catch myself trying to use those smooth and fluid telekinesis powers. The humor is never over the top cringe, instead just charming. The feeling of discovery then mastery of each mission is so perfect that I cant get myself to do the last …
Summarised from 34 of the 223 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 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
84% of the 174 Steam reviewers we collected recommend I Expect You To Die 3: Cog in the Machine. The complaint that keeps coming up: weaker than previous games in the series. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Critics, per Wikipedia
I Expect You to Die received positive reviews from critics, garnering "generally favorable reviews" according to review aggregator website Metacritic, as well as "Very Positive" user reviews on Steam.
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 224 · most liked firstOne of the devs celebrated the murder of Charlie Kirk. Do not buy.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have heard some people are under the impression I don't dev games anymore. This couldn't be further from the truth. Check out Among Us 3D, Party Versus, I Expect You To Die 3, for some recent examples. I've been devvin games like y'all wouldn't believe
neutral · AI labelView post →holy moly in the span of less than a year, at least 6 games I've done graphics work on have shipped: Waves of Steel Slay The Princess I Expect You To Die 3 Sunshine Shuffle Among Us VR Dungeon Golf my work on Dungeon Golf was completed in 2019. My work on IEYTD3 in April this year. dat spread
neutral · AI labelView post →we need a 4th game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have mixed feelings about this one. There are just six short levels, just like the last game, but the quality is not the same. I loved the last two games, and even with that in mind, the first three missions of this one are the best in the series, especially the third mission. The fourth, fifth, and sixth ones, though, are nowhere near the bar set by the other levels and the other games. The fourth mission is extremely difficult and unclear, and not in a satisfying difficult-but-fair-puzzle…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love the first 2 games, but this one is a mess, sorry. What happened here? The controls (not sure if it is Index related) are horrible, trying to grab and open things comes down to hit or miss... If you are in rush, and we all know that will be the case in this series, good luck with handling stuff. Maybe it works better if you can disable the grabbing on the Knuckles somehow as this could be part of the problem that the grabbing is interfering, but I am already done with the game to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →as someone who has purchased all 3 games in the series, cog in the machine feels incredibly stale especially in comparison to the first and spy and the liar the story is bleh, the villain doesn't hold her own (especially not in comparison to John Juniper. can't even remember her name) and the puzzles, while fun, are missing something, relying more on spectacle than interesting ideas. and the little things too- the opening credits sequence isnt nearly as entertaining or good sounding as the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game just keeps on having unnecessarily banger openings
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've LOVED the first two games, but this one seems significantly worse in terms of user experience. It feels like there's WAY more unnecessary ways to die throughout this game than in the previous two. Pull that lever that has no context clues? Poison gas, die instantly. Press that button on the dash? Die instantly. Oh, and several of the "die" buttons have no real purpose to the mission other than killing you. Sure, the title is "I Expect You to Die", but it's gotten kinda ridiculous. It…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I loved the first two and would recommend those, but this one fell a bit flat. It added some cool stuff like driving cars and such, but the puzzle aspect didn't feel as satisfying as the previous, the humour seemed lighter, and the story also felt pretty average.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This was a really strange downgrade from the last game. The mechanics have really not gotten any better (if anything, they feel a bit worse but maybe that's just me), the story was lackluster, the gameplay was really more frustrating than the fun that was the original two games. These are the hardest puzzles of the 3 games. Combined with quite long levels it becomes frustrating. For example, the ENTIRE first game WR speedrun is under 8 minutes. IEYTD 2 was done in under 10 minutes. IEYTD 3? 24…
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 ☐ Rich boi ☐ Ask NASA…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Another banger game in this banger franchise. Ive seen a lot of people say this is the weakest game out of the trillogy but i honestly prefer it over the first one, if your hesitating buying it due to the reviews just buy it its really fun
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →quick review of all vr games i got in a bundle After The Fall: left 4 dead Guardians Frontline: no Saints & Sinners: fell asleep A Fisherman's Tale 2: didnt play it Z.O.N.A: Origin: BAD Metal: Hellsinger VR: didnt play it I Expect You To Die 3: didnt play it Ghosts of Tabor: suck Hellsweeper VR: ❤️💕❤️
neutral · AI labelView post →Really good like the first two, granted nothing will beat the second games' intro but this takes second. Unfortunately the achievements weren't idiot proof as the soda was a headache to get to work sometimes and other levels were a breeze in terms of requirements. This game also takes crown for hardest which times just makes it annoying but that's probably on me in some places. One thing for devs as I hope you read these, but for next game, because obviously you'll make another these are great,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Spell your name with Video Games!! L - Lethal Company I - I Expect You To Die L - Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga I - I Expect You To Die 2 T - Terraria H - Hat in Time I - I Expect You To Die 3 A - A Little To The Left N - Neon White Quote or reply with yours! #vtuber #ENvtuber #vtuberEN
neutral · AI labelView post →I recommend this because the trilogy is a great demonstration of how VR can be fun and how this sort of puzzle game translates very well into the platform. Schell Games are innovators in the genre. However, it's also the weakest entry in the IEYTD franchise. I felt that most environments weren't very inviting or original, and that there wasn't much sense of urgency or "saving the world" the previous games had. The soundtrack is high quality but wasn't as memorable, the villain is kinda bland…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game is a blast! I never achievement hunt, but this game makes it fun (except some of the speed runs are rough). Highly recommend, support this studio so we get the fourth edition!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm so sad that I finished all 3 episodes already. When is part 4 coming out?!?! Reader - buy all 3 of them!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Another brilliant installment in the series, unfortunately there was significantly less booze to drink. Regardless, a riot of a game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As someone who has 100%'ed every game so far, I just have to say it. Its criminal that we don't have a casino level yet.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Charming as hell. I still prefer the story and themeing of 2, but the locals in this are fantastic
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Next week's schedule is up and ready! Sunday 4/6: VRChat Fate of the Irrbloss w/ friends Monday 4/7: Sonic Frontiers Thursday 4/10: The final 3 missions of I Expect You To Die 3 Friday 4/11: The bike races on Riders Republic
neutral · AI labelView post →Just like IEYTD and IEYTD 2, IEYTD 3 is a spy-themed puzzle box / escape room with humorous elements. Like the other games in the series, it's a fun, albeit short game that you can finish in a few hours and 100% in a few hours more. The intro is great and it's satisfying to unravel the puzzles in each scenario. However, this recommendation comes with a big asterisk because to me this was easily the weakest game in the series. The levels are all broken up by lengthy cutscenes which are not…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i love all the i expect you to die games, this one feel a lot harder then the first 2 games i died way too much. I had fun while playing the game and i would recommend to anyone to check this out if they are interested in any spy stuff.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I Expect You To Die 3: Cog in the Machine is the latest entry in Schell Games’ acclaimed VR puzzle series, and it represents a confident refinement of everything the franchise does best. From the moment the opening theme plays, the game reestablishes its distinctive identity: a stylish blend of spy fiction, dark humor, and cleverly designed escape-room scenarios built specifically for virtual reality. Rather than radically reinventing the formula, this third installment deepens it, delivering…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As always fun and very short, though cocktail antidote really got me mad because i couldn't drink it (bugged).
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ehhhhhh. I finished the first and second games in one sitting and enjoyed them thoroughly but something didn't land on this one and it took me months to getting around to actually finishing. Maybe it's that I hated the new antagonist and the focus on her. Maybe it's that the last 2 levels sucked and all but the car level were just a passing grade to me. Maybe I was just tired of the formula. The first and second games to me felt like real highlights of VR gaming, some of the best the medium…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →When your friends ask you if you play any VR games, they're really asking if you play any Schell Games. From "Until You Fall", to all three of the "I Expect You to Die" games, Schell has proven time and time again that they are the masters of this relatively new craft. The games get better and better with each installment, and I recommend all three IEYTD games equally. And yes. You will die.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The first two games are my favorite VR titles of all time but this third game is terrible. Missions would often softlock for no reason, the mission dispenser thing takes too long and the puzzles are just frustrating.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Due to a broken base station, I will not be able to commit to I Expect You To Die 3 on Thursday as I planned. Instead, I'll be playing 2 short games: Play Twice, and THE IMPOSSIBLE. One is based off a Game Jam winning browser game, while the other is a Non-Euclidean with horror elements.
neutral · AI labelView post →Thanks for joining tonight's stream! The first half of I Expect You To Die 3 has already gotten really interesting. Hopefully the long winded second half can give us better! Also, this is one interesting soda can! www.twitch.tv/jalenbarks/c...
neutral · AI labelView post →The best of the trilogy by far. The issues I had with the second game are gone with much MUCH better puzzle design, where there were only a few parts that I died and they were at the immediate start of stages so restarting was painless. Each of the stages felt like a setpiece action scene not just some cockpit VR puzzle room, and the final stage was so satisfying and cool!!!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →🌟 Exciting News! 🌟 I Expect You To Die 3: Cog in the Machine is the 2024 Independent Game of the Year! 🏆🎮 Celebrating innovation in gaming and unforgettable experiences! 🚀 Have you played it? Share your favorite moments! schellgames.com/blog/nyx-i-e...
neutral · AI labelView post →While the other two IEYTD games are solid VR puzzle games, the third entry is a chore to play. Between levels lasting longer than they should and each one trying to juggle too many mechanics that don't mesh well together, I couldn't make it past level 4 without calling it quits.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This month's VR column on RPS is all about I Expect You to Die 3, and mostly marvels at a VR series that managed to reach the hallowed "trilogy" status. www.rockpapershotgun.com/reality-byte...
neutral · AI labelView post →i need a 4th game right now
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →inspired by the title theme of I Expect You To Die 3: Cog in the Machine <3
neutral · AI labelView post →This series is the best VR experiences I’ve had. Fully immersive, I feel like an agent every time i’m sat at the desk shuffling through mission materials. Every other game I play I catch myself trying to use those smooth and fluid telekinesis powers. The humor is never over the top cringe, instead just charming. The feeling of discovery then mastery of each mission is so perfect that I cant get myself to do the last mission, knowing I may never find a game like this again. 10/10. And for my…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →More of the same. If you enjoyed the first two games (which I did), you'll enjoy this one. What you won't enjoy is the ludicrous number of bugs you'll encounter. I'm usually pretty lenient when it comes to bugs here and there, but this one is absolutely riddled with them. From disappearing items, to out-of-order puzzle logic, to wonky and irritating controls, this entry in the series was often more frustrating than fun, and I'm glad to see the end of it. Ironically, the one saving grace of this…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Original scenarios keeping a winning formula fresh! Runs great on vive pro 2 with wands. 6 hours to finish main missions without optional side objectives. Many more hours to 100%.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this series has always been amazing. the voice acting, the music, and the quality of animation they put into the openings is an incredible experience.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Honestly I am surprised this game got three entries (a VR game getting TWO sequels), but playing all three throughout the releases was a blast, and if you’re just getting into VR games, or you enjoy puzzle games, this one is among first game series you should try. Story is just good enough for a puzzle game, game tricks you into funny failures, THE MUSIC is PEAK! If you think VR is dead, if you have a headset collecting dust, it’s worth a shot, good game done with passion.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I need a device to play I Expect You To Die 3 on, because I’m a freak for escape rooms
positive · AI labelView post →New #1 run in I Expect You To Die 3: Cog in the Machine - Operation: Hot Water - Any% (Normal) By maxig in 3m 48s Run link: http://www.speedrun.com/I_Expect_You_To_Die_3_Cog_in_the_Machine/run/z17jqqwz #iexpectyoutodie3coginthemachine #worldrecord #wr
neutral · AI labelView post →Pros, intro song, music, and art is incredible. Graphics are beautiful retro. Acting is spot on and hilarious. Physics are great and interacting with objects is great fun. Cons, Puzzles in IEYTD 3 do not make sense, you just have to try everything, no matter how rediculous and hope you accidentally do the right thing so you can proceed through the chapter. (I.E. Light up 3 logs on the fireplace instead of 2 to distract the robot so you can steal a key. ) When you perform 100 steps correctly to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I Expect You To Die 3 - Virtual Reality Review I Expect You To Die 3 is as far as we know the final game in the trilogy in the series although it could return , but its unlikely but what a bang to end it on. Like the previous games have done the intro credits are once again cinema , they're SO GOOD and incredibly well made, the singer always brings the main villain to life and i can't fault anything with any of the intros. This puzzles and missions are the biggest of the series yet ,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →They tried more experimental puzzles, but I can't say they were successful experiments. Plus I personally don't care for the way the plot is starting to go. Less emphasis on humor in general and fun pokes at 60's era spy fiction and more "checking the right boxes" humor, as it were. I finished this one as I finished the previous two on Quest. I will not even start the next one.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →left index controller gets stuck grabbing which means i cant use my left hand at all
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this game is so fun but its so ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ frustrating with the lack of checkpoints
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great VR game 10/10 all I Expect you to Die saga, great story. be aware of all secrets.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Simply amazing! (Wish you could get the cocktail machine as a souvenir though)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you like repeating the same mission over and over because you die in the last moments of it, this is for you. I like the other two games as the amount of missions that suddenly kill you at the end if you can't figure out a puzzle were minimal. Unfortunately that happens right on the first mission in this game. I love the setting and puzzles for the most part, but having to replay the whole mission over and over because I can't deactivate a damn robot fast enough is just not fun for me.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →More of the same as previous two games, but this one feels worse. Pretty much every level has an unintuitive puzzle mechanic that had me stumped for way too long, to the point of having to look up guides. (For example: Mission 5 - the second snow machine and having to break the snow globe) This kinda made the game into a chore rather than a fun puzzle game. Not much else to say, if you liked the previous two, you will most likely like this one as well.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →ridiculous first two peak this one "modern" 2/10 ah ofc credits tell the story
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My first ever PCVR game that I completed! This game is so good and made me feel like a real secret agent!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I like that you can eat screws
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really really wanted to like this game, and play it on stream like I have the other 2 games in the franchise but every time I've tried I'm been stuck with broken mechanics, game freezing and more often than not my controls freezing up forcing me to have to reboot my entire pc just to fix it, this game was not ready for launch at least on steam and I doubt judging by the fact I haven't seen updates that it will ever get the fix I need, if the update ever comes that fixes the framerate and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A lot of little bugs... Level 1 physics based jitter and if u tilt ur head back even a tiny bit u go out of playspace. On level 2, the cart just vanished instead of coming to me for cooling. Haven't been enjoying the game so far because there seem to be constant bugs that ruin the immersion of the game. Shame cause i thoroughly enjoyed the previous 2 games.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hey, I'm presenting a talk at #GDC2024! 😱 I'll be in Room 301 on Monday, March 18 at 1:20 PM to delve into designing 'I Expect You To Die 3: Cog in the Machine'. Join me on a mission to uncover the secrets of crafting captivating set pieces in virtual reality! schedule.gdconf.com/session/futu...
neutral · AI labelView post →
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