L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files
L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files
Game
Game2011
L.A. Noire
Developer Team Bondi, Rockstar Leeds
L.A. Noire is a 2011 action-adventure game developed by Team Bondi and published by Rockstar Games. Set in Los Angeles in 1947, the game follows the rise of detective Cole Phelps through the ranks of the Los Angeles Police Department as he solves a range of cases across various bureaus. When he is tasked with investigating a morphine distribution ring involving several of his former squadmates from World War II,… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
453 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Nov 5, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
76
LovedLoved
247 positive · 79 negative
95% range 71–80%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 247 | 79 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 28 | 2 | 61 |
| Lemmy * | 1 | 2 | 18 |
| Mastodon * | 1 | 1 | 13 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
16,140 of 19,252 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
74% recommend · 187 yes, 65 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 252 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (31,801 of 37,051 positive).
Players praise the game's atmosphere, storytelling, and unique detective work. [1][2][3] Many complain about the mandatory Rockstar launcher and DRM, which they say makes the game unplayable. [4][5][6] Some note the game's period-accurate racism and homophobia, which they find authentic. [7][8]
Liked
Representative posts
- [4]
the game is great but man, fukc rockstar with their launcher.
- [7]
Fantastic game...But be aware of the time period you are operating in. Always pin the crime on the Jew, the black, the communist or the homeless for maximum score and props from the Captain. 10/10
- [9]
I went into L.A. Noire expecting more action than I actually got. It's a much slower game than people might think, and that's really the point. Most of the time you're not shooting. You're listening. Watching faces. Trying to figure out who's lying to you. Sometimes you get it wrong and it doesn't feel great. The cases feel grounded and the city has this tired, almost heavy atmosphere. It doesn't feel heroic. It …
- [3]
L.A. Noire is one of those games that really stands out for doing something different, even years after its release. It blends detective work and a cinematic presentation in a way that still feels unique today. The strongest part of the game is its authentic atmosphere. The recreation of 1940s Los Angeles is incredibly immersive, from the music and fashion to the architecture and overall tone. It genuinely feels …
- [13]
Before playing, make sure to install the V-Patch mod in the game folder. This will fix many of the bugs that old Rockstar titles often ship with, such as the FPS cap and broken widescreen and fullscreen. It's available on GitHub under VaanaCZ/LANVP. Bear in mind that even with V-Patch, there is still the chandelier bug in The Quarter Moon Murders. You may need to cap your FPS on that mission. Other than that, all …
Summarised from 34 of the 372 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 11, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Players who liked L.A. Noire talk about great atmosphere and period recreation; those who didn't talk about rockstar launcher and DRM issues. Which matters more to you?
Critics, per Wikipedia
L.A. Noire received "generally favorable reviews" from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic. It was praised for its facial animation, narrative, characters and performances, music, world design, and interrogation gameplay, though responses to the shooting and driving mechanics were mixed. The Guardian's Steve Boxer described it as a "breakthrough for games"; Edge felt most elements are achieved better by other games but "few developers have brought such a diffuse set of genres together so atmospherically, stylishly or cohesively". GameTrailers wrote it "sets a new standard for storytelling in video games", though noted some overall limitations compared to other games.…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 453 · most liked firstthe game is great but man, fukc rockstar with their launcher.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fantastic game...But be aware of the time period you are operating in. Always pin the crime on the Jew, the black, the communist or the homeless for maximum score and props from the Captain. 10/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's awesome and has great atmosphere You'll want to download the V-Patch to fix the game and to remove the framerate cap https://github.com/VaanaCZ/LANVP The L.A. Noire PcGamingWiki has more info
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Happy Yuyuko Tuesday! The current vibe is thinking about L.A. Noire! ngl L.A. Noire was an incredible game! The game had such a unique vibe to it, and the shootouts and chase scenes were absolutely thrilling! It was awesome 🥹 I hope you have a wonderful day, I send love and positivity your way 💛☺️
positive · AI labelView post →Rockstar launcher is a useless piece of bloat that I never agreed to, I can no longer access LA Noire or RDR2, that is called theft, I am owed a refund on both products for breach of terms of sales agreement, welcome to the wonderful world of modern greed, where your gaming experience is not guaranteed and you will just be left with regret and more bitterness towards the industry of greed and lousy bloatware.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great writing. Everyone is racist, homophobic, or misogynistic. Even the main character and the player.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Cannot play this game without connection to online DRM. I have no access to the internet 90% of the time and makes the game I purchased legally unplayable (I am just trying to play single player no multiplayer). Do not support this practice.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Day 35 of posting a Daily Screenshot from the games I’ve been playing until I forget to post Screenshots. After making a decent chunk in 100% L.A. Noire, i went back to (Modded) Skyrim to take a break. I took this while walking from solitude to Winterhold to start the mage's guild quest. I believe it's right outside of Solitude
neutral · AI labelView post →Day 33 of posting a Daily Screenshot from the games I’ve been playing until I forget to post Screenshots. Today's game is L.A. Noire (also probably the last screenshot i'll take of it unless 100% takes longer then expected). I was up way later than i thought i would be completing it (Nicholson Electroplating didn't help), but i can proudly say i completed the story. ::: spoiler spoiler I took this screenshot in the tunnels in the final mission. I loved the last few chapters. It feels like it…
neutral · AI labelView post →Great game. ♥♥♥♥ the launcher though. ♥♥♥♥ every launcher every AAA company is trying to push out.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Day 34 of posting a Daily Screenshot from the games I’ve been playing until I forget to post Screenshots. It's L.A. Noire (again). I thought 100% would be easy business, just grab the cars i'm missing, wrap up the street crimes. I'd be finished by noon today and could finally figure out what New Vegas's issue was or go back to Skyrim or Fallen Order. Nope, i completely forgot about the Star System. Anyways, here's a screenshot of my 5 star run through Nicholson Electroplating, for the second…
neutral · AI labelView post →fk off with your rockstargames launcher requiring email verification need to sign in to play the game what kind of dystopian surveillance social credit score system is this ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ I honestly hate rockstargames this company is a failure i should pirate this game outside of steam fk u rockstargames
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Day 721 of posting a Daily Screenshot from the games I've been playing. Today's game is **Assassin's Creed**. The first one Specifically. I have played and enjoyed most of the Assassin's Creed games. Specifically: 3, Black Flag, Rogue, Unity, Syndicate, Origins, Valhalla, and Shadows. With Black Flag Resynced on the horizon, I would be lying if i said i wasn't hyped about it having grown up with the franchise the way i have. I'm hoping to wait until launch to hear about it to even consider it…
neutral · AI labelView post →L.A Noire is such a good game. Rockstar created something special and it deserves a sequel.
positive · AI labelView post →Day 616 of posting a Daily Screenshot from the games I've been playing. Today’s game is **The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark** (which I’ll just be shortening to The Darkside Detective). I played the first one back in January after me and my friend did a game exchange. I gifted him Oneshot (which I absolutely fucking loved) and in return he gifted me this. I loved the original and he ended up gifting me the sequel (unfortunately there’s Oneshot 2 I could gift him).…
neutral · AI labelView post →Once you realize that L.A. Noire might never get a sequel, you'll never stop wanting to beat Rockstar to death with your bare hands. 10/10.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Before playing, make sure to install the V-Patch mod in the game folder. This will fix many of the bugs that old Rockstar titles often ship with, such as the FPS cap and broken widescreen and fullscreen. It's available on GitHub under VaanaCZ/LANVP. Bear in mind that even with V-Patch, there is still the chandelier bug in The Quarter Moon Murders. You may need to cap your FPS on that mission. Other than that, all other issues are fixed by the patch.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm sure it's a great game but if you don't have access to the R* account you've previously used on steam you have essentially no chance of getting it to start
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I hope so. 'LA Noire' is a great game and had better cars, music and fashion than GTA ;) metro.co.uk/2026/09/28/l...
positive · AI labelView post →lost access to rockstar account my steam is linked to and rockstar support won't help so I just can't play rockstar games on my steam ever again
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game is great. HOWEVER! After a decade, decided to redownload to play again. To my surprize, 3rd party DRM and Account needed. Nope. Don't like to go thru the effort of creating a new account and install additional useless app. And yes, I did not buy GTAV nor will I ever buy GTAVI with these 'features'.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →rockstar support sucks. i grew up with rockstar games, and they royally f'd me. i got locked out of my account. i made like 20 tickets to try and disconnect my rockstar account to connect a new one. sent countless screenshots proving i bought the game and it's my rockstar account. no human contact, just ticket closed each time. bs. complete fricking bs and unacceptable.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a great game but it's unplayable in this state. A few months ago I bought the game and played the first five missions. They were great but I had to replay two of them because it doesn't save your mid mission progress. I put it down for a while, now today when I go to pick it back up, all my progress is gone. Only the first two missions were available from the main menu, so I lost all my progress, and then when I recompleted those first two missions, the next mission never showed up so I…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ahead of LA Noire's 15th anniversary, I spoke with Tim Rogers @108.bsky.social! Tim opens the hood of the game and explains how everything works. Plus, we get into the behind-the-scenes history of its dev. And Tim shares how he adapted the game into a TV-length experimental video essay/playthrough
neutral · AI labelView post →cool game I am literally too autistic to read any of the faces and couldn't get past the first interrogation
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 →The game requires a separate launcher and online login. I literally own and paid for the game and I'd rather download a cracked version than put up with this.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Post Games is available for $1 until Monday at midnight! + 5 episodes of the gaming history series Past Games, including Tim Rogers on L.A. Noire + Audiobook history of Street Fighter: The Movie! + 5 videos of Video Game Journalism 101! + Nearly 50 bonus segments! + No ads! + Early access!
neutral · AI labelView post →Oh sweet, the @gamehistoryorg.bsky.social archive tool has the ad we printed for a bunch of exclusive L.A. Noire online content that we never actually got access to. Instead, they just flew me out there to put me in the game.
neutral · AI labelView post →Nothing much to say but it's an absolute classic. I wish there were more of this style of game! Heavy influences from LA Confidential (great movie) and period-accurate, fantastic work. Also the building blocks for a lot of later Rockstar games can be seen in it. Don't press X to doubt, press Y to pay respect for this masterpiece.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game won't start, forced Rockster Launcher added on 24/06/2026. 1h of troubleshooting to no avail.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →10+ years old and still hold up as a great game till this day
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I will never forget when during LA Noire crunch one dev tried (and actually did improve) team morale by baking cakes weekly + more bugs seemed fixed on Cake Days. It got banned because it made people "slack off". Glad she's better off now (must read) - www.rockpapershotgun.com/how-rockstar...
neutral · AI labelView post →10/10 game, apparently i'm bad at telling if people are liars or not. I am good at shooting suspects down like a dog in the street tho
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I fell asleep sick this afternoon and had a fever dream where I was in an Alan Wake/L.A. Noire style surreal detective game within which I had to investigate whether these people were a Cthulhu-sque cult. I ask the jury to decide how much Cooper owes me.
neutral · AI labelView post →They added DRM and 3rd party launcher after the fact. Constantly lose save data, have played the first few desks several times and yet never able to beat the game because all my saves get deleted. Just sail the seas for a better experience.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm sure this game is good but if you have a console or access to pirating, probably opt for that. If you've ever linked your Steam account to a Rockstar account, you'll need access to that email address in order to play this game and any other Rockstar game for that matter. Also if you try to resolve the problem through R* and submit too many tickets, they'll IP ban you from submitting any more. I submitted a ticket, was told to submit another, so did another, was told to do a 3rd but…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sunday Morning Setup 🎮☕ I'm in no rush to grind for the last L.A. Noire achievements, unsure which game I'd even play next, but some progress would be nice. Went to the gym this morning because my back needed it. 😅 Cookies are store-bought, but chocolate is chocolate. Enjoy your Sunday, friends!
neutral · AI labelView post →Rockstar has acquired Sydney based Dev Video Game Deluxe (L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files). The studio will be renamed to Rockstar Australia. The Studio was founded in 2013 by former devs of Team Bondi (L.A. Noire). www.businesswire.com/news/home/20...
neutral · AI labelView post →It's quite disappointing when a multi-billion dollar company has a game which when you press ALT+TAB and then try getting back into the game, all you see is a black screen which you can't escape from and after trying many things the only solution is to logout...
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this game is incredible! it's in my top ten story games of all time for sure. the environment is incredible, the acting is on point, animations are clean, and characters are memorable. i love the detective work and the developing story, plus some of the side content is fairly cool however! the game takes a considerable hit in quality after the homicide desk. not sure if it's because roy earle is very unlikable, but the cases afterward felt like a bit of a downgrade. the ending was also…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →He was a lovely man -- dedicated to excellence but without a hint of intellectual snobbery. We asked him to review the video game L.A. Noire once for Saturday Review (among other things) and he was so engaged and intrigued by that way of telling a story. www.thetimes.com/uk/obituarie...
neutral · AI labelView post →#BlueZicos 🦋 #MusicChallenge 🎶 #JourneyAroundOST 🧳 Thursday : A noir-style game or movie 📽️🕹️ L.A. Noire 🗣️Claudia Brucken ft. the Real Tuesday Weld 🔊Torched Song
neutral · AI labelView post →I didn't even get to play, sounds and looks like a great game. But we shouldn't need a rockstar account to play a 15 year old single player game
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976) 🎬 A Texas documentary style slasher. The heavy voiceover & score felt like a detective video game (L.A. Noire vibes!). Quirky, fun & a good time. Next time Sidney name-drops this in Scream, I can finally do the DiCaprio pointing meme! 😂 #100DaysOfHorror #Horror
neutral · AI labelView post →Feels like I'm not toooo far out from having to decide which game from my backlog to play after Rebirth. (Or after my post-game depression after Rebirth. 🫠) Right now I'm thinking L.A. Noire... 🔍 Happy to hear pros and cons!
neutral · AI labelView post →"Should Australians be allowed to make videogames" - the greatest thread in the history of forums, locked by a moderator after 12.239 pages of heated debate. A 10/10 idea with 5/10 implementation. The Good: The Noire part of LA Noire is the good bit. When the detective intrigue part actually fires properly, it commits to the fantasy very well. Even though it's a bit on the rails (in many ways it's similar to Phoenix Wright in the sense that while your performance is measured, it's…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A unique game where you interrogate people, find clues and try to solve mysteries in a GTA Style world, a must play for every gamer that enjoys this kind of content
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is nothing short of a masterpiece. There's literally been NOTHING like it since it was made back in 2011. LA Noire 2 needs to be made. Badly.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I went into L.A. Noire expecting more action than I actually got. It's a much slower game than people might think, and that's really the point. Most of the time you're not shooting. You're listening. Watching faces. Trying to figure out who's lying to you. Sometimes you get it wrong and it doesn't feel great. The cases feel grounded and the city has this tired, almost heavy atmosphere. It doesn't feel heroic. It feels human. The interrogations aren't about solving a neat little puzzle either.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Why isn't anyone talking about L.A. NOIRE these days❓ If you enjoyed the game, then you might also enjoy this collection of short stories from some incredibly talented authors. Check it out here: 👉 www.thevideogamelibrary.org/book/l-a-noi...
neutral · AI labelView post →Needs a sequel. Imagine what next gen could do for facial expressions Solid Story Great Graphics "for its time" Detective aspect of it is really nice (search for clues, question suspects and read their facial expressions, plus the daily beat)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love this game and got it to go down memory lane. The rockstar launcher is a nightmare and makes the whole experience awful. Cant get it to work on steam deck or steam machine and is the only game in my library that loves to play whack a mole with which monitor it decides to boot on. Is this all fixable, probably. Is it worth the effort to give a game from 2011? nope.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Unfortunately, L.A. Noire is practically unplayable on the Steam Deck in its current state. While the game appears to be locked at 30 FPS, the actual performance feels significantly worse—closer to 20 FPS or even lower at times. The experience is extremely stuttery and inconsistent, which completely breaks immersion. What makes this even more disappointing is that this is essentially a port of a Xbox 360 / PlayStation 3 era title. Despite its age, the level of optimization is shockingly…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →539. L.A. NOIRE: THE COLLECTED STORIES 👉 www.thevideogamelibrary.org/book/l-a-noi... #LANoire #Rockstar #Gaming #Booksky @littlebrown.bsky.social #Gamesky
neutral · AI labelView post →L.A. Noire is a masterpiece of storytelling replaying this in 2026, and honestly, it's aged better than I expected. The detective work is top tier the facial animation technology is still impressive when you remember just how old the game is. if you're into crime stories or detective games then this game is a must play!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →L.A. Noire is one of those games that really stands out for doing something different, even years after its release. It blends detective work and a cinematic presentation in a way that still feels unique today. The strongest part of the game is its authentic atmosphere. The recreation of 1940s Los Angeles is incredibly immersive, from the music and fashion to the architecture and overall tone. It genuinely feels like stepping into a classic noir movie. That immersion is supported by the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →After downloading an installer on every single launch, sign into your email to play an offline single player game. Don't expect the bare minimum of graphics settings though. Oh, and set the framerate to 20 fps through the Nvidia control panel so you can pick items up properly. Edit: This game is legitimately unplayable without immense troubleshooting. Nearly every case beyond the first few have game breaking bugs that require restart and troubleshooting. Maybe there is mods to fix this, but…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →absolutely amazing game. if i could, i would erase all my memory of it just to play it again for the first time. i really dont think theres anything more to be said, just buy it
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →First playthrough review time. L.A. Noire is an action-adventure game set in 1940s Los Angeles, where you play as a police detective. The main focus is on solving crimes by investigating scenes, collecting clues, and questioning people. There are also chases, fights, and gunfights during some parts of the game. The game gives help if needed, like hints or ways to make hard parts easier, and you can check a journal to keep track of all the information you find. Interrogating people is an…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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