Project Zomboid
Project Zomboid
Game
Game2018
Northgard: Definitive Edition
Developer Shiro Games
Northgard is a 2018 real-time strategy video game developed and published by Shiro Games for Windows, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Android, iOS and MacOS. Northgard received generally positive reviews upon release. Its continued success inspired a 4X board game called Northgard: Uncharted Lands (2022). From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
402 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon, Lemmy) · newest Nov 5, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
62
Fresh
174 positive · 108 negative
95% range 56–67%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 174 | 108 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 30 | 1 | 46 |
| Mastodon * | 4 | 1 | 18 |
| Lemmy * | 5 | 0 | 15 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
24,846 of 29,553 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
63% recommend · 154 yes, 92 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 246 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (58,659 of 68,824 positive).
Players praise the unique blend of RTS and resource management with a Viking theme. [1][2][3] Some reviewers note the game suffers from bugs, poor AI, and performance issues. [4][5][6] Many enjoy the variety of clans and game modes, though DLC balance is criticized. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [8]
I have over 900 hours in Northgard, so this isn't a review from someone who just lost a few matches. I've played this game for years because I genuinely enjoyed it, but the current state of the game is incredibly disappointing. The clan balance is a complete mess. Instead of properly balancing existing clans, it feels like every new DLC clan is released overtuned just to drive sales. Then it takes forever to address …
- [6]
❌ NOT RECOMMENDED (after Definitive Edition) What happened to the game? I've played Northgard for over 200 hours and the game was excellent. But after the Definitive Edition update (December 4, 2025), it became a technical nightmare. Main issues: Freezes and stutters — the game regularly freezes for several seconds, especially during large battles or on maps with 7-8 bots. Everything used to run smoothly on max …
- [1]
One of my most favorited games. Very fun game. Everyone starts on different areas of the map and you claim lands to expand your territories and build up and army and smash the enemy. Some of the clans you can play as are harder than the others. The AI is goofy sometimes but its still fun. With friends is better
- [3]
Super satisfying Viking RTS where you manage clans, survive brutal winters and expand your settlement with real strategy depth. Love how Norse myth and resource juggling keep every game tense and fun — perfect for slow tactical play or co‑op with friends.
- [2]
Pros Zone based strategy game. Lots of variety and bonuses or challenges in maps and clans. Very pretty fantasy aesthetic. Slow paced, good for casuals and older players. Cons Poorly optimised, can lag in mid to late game. Isn't clear when a clan is strong early, mid or late game, requires a lot of trial and error.
Summarised from 34 of the 354 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
63% of the 246 Steam reviewers we collected recommend Northgard: Definitive Edition. The complaint that keeps coming up: aI cheats and is poorly balanced. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Critics, per Wikipedia
The game received generally positive reviews upon release, according to review aggregator platform Metacritic. Fraser Brown from PC Gamer compared the game favourably to the Age of Empires series and The Settlers series. He liked the unique gameplay systems, though he found the story to be uncompelling. He concluded his review by saying that "Northgard is a surprising, elegant RTS that's laden with a very dull story." Writing for Rock, Paper, Shotgun, Max Cox wrote that Northgard was "easy to pick up but difficult to master", and one of the best real-time strategy games he had played. The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Northgard for "Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year"…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 402 · most liked firstOne day I'll make a mod for @shirogames.com 's Northgard I just need to learn everything about how to make mods Also more people need to play Northgard so that I can play multi with them #art #argousine
positive · AI labelView post →They need to seriously fix AI cause the fact that they can have no economic stress, build an army instantly and ontop of that, GANG up on you is just insane.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have over 900 hours in Northgard, so this isn't a review from someone who just lost a few matches. I've played this game for years because I genuinely enjoyed it, but the current state of the game is incredibly disappointing. The clan balance is a complete mess. Instead of properly balancing existing clans, it feels like every new DLC clan is released overtuned just to drive sales. Then it takes forever to address the obvious issues, if they get addressed at all. On top of that, my recent…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hi ! I’m Ramo. I make video essays that are too long on subjects that are too niche. In the daytime, I'm designing some narratives for 2 unannounced games after working on Northgard, Wartales and Dune: Spice Wars. You’ll often see me exploring non-gamey crafts because I'm addicted to amateurism.
neutral · AI labelView post →TL;DR: NEW PLAYERS, this game and all games from this studio are bugged as hell and seldom fixed 8 years.... 8 years and they call this bugged game a "definitve edition" !? How dare you spit in the face of all your player base and calling this bugnest with such a name ? You're now saying officially that you won't fix any bug (and they are legion!!) remaining in this game.... I've been supporting your studio since the beginning of Northgard... I've played WarTales which is as bugged and in…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A.I cheatings have ruined the game. Instead of making them play better and smarter at harder levels, they make them cheat better. What a shame!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Played this game for 1852 hours and all of a suddent, it is impossible to even start the game. Made a ticket almost a month ago, had 0 answer. Dev team is facing massiv bug since last updates while the game is supposed to be in it's definitive edition now. It was never flawless, but the game was clearly stable enough to enjoy countless hours of fun, now I am left with no option to solve the problem and I find it quite upsetting. I will change my comment if my situation find a positive end.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really loved this game, but the constant bugs disappointed me. I bought all the DLCs a long time ago, then when the Definitive Edition came out, those who had the regular version got 4 paid DLCs for free, which was unfair to those who bought all the DLCs, like me, because fans got nothing for their loyalty. This was the first sign of the developers' attitude towards fans. And now the game refuses to work, meaning I spent a lot of money on a game I can't play. For example, I start a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's rather interesting to me how nobody puts any value on the Deck trackpads in comparisons like these, and yet they are basically essential if you want the device to be able to play anything but console-optimized games / games that are built for gamepads first. Playing something like Skyrim on one of the alternative portables can certainly be done, but being able to comfortably play games like Against the Storm, Anno, Civilization, Dwarf Fortress, Factorio, Homeworld, Northgard, OpenTTD,…
neutral · AI labelView post →❌ NOT RECOMMENDED (after Definitive Edition) What happened to the game? I've played Northgard for over 200 hours and the game was excellent. But after the Definitive Edition update (December 4, 2025), it became a technical nightmare. Main issues: Freezes and stutters — the game regularly freezes for several seconds, especially during large battles or on maps with 7-8 bots. Everything used to run smoothly on max settings, now it stutters even on medium. Even worse, after these freezes units…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A friend and I got this many years ago to play as a non-standard kind of RTS. In some ways the game was great fun and in others very frustrating. As the game picked up years and new DLC were released, issues with connectivity were not fixed, balance issues around new clans were constant, and the core mechanic around the game stayed the same, i.e. you need to econ or you will fail. You could call this game an RTS, but that would be mistaking how slow this game can be and how clans can go…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Goodbye Northgard. It was good while it lasted. But these developers clearly don't understand what made you so much fun in the first place. What made this game so much fun in the past: While I struggled a lot at first, once I learned how to manage the AoE like economy of this game, things truly kicked off from there. I started buying some dlcs to mix things up a little, some better than others ofc - looking at Eagle clan mostly... One game would always take just about one hour to finish,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Full disclosure that this is a game I'm helping out on PR for, but Northgard Battlegrounds has a beta running through Wednesday and it's super fun store.steampowered.com/app/4487060/...
neutral · AI labelView post →Only played the Singleplayer/Coop-Gamemodes and they have become so ridiculous that it just doesnt make sense or fun. For example, the AI cant use their troops, which leads to them just having 14 villagers standing around in their base. New Clans (which you pay money for) have Conquest Maps tailored against them in such a way that they are unplayable. Many more issues and bugs, some so obvious that i dont think they playtest their content.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →[Upcoming space game] SpaceCraft (2025) An online space exploration experience by @shirogames.com (Northgard, Dune: Spice Wars). "Design and engineer your own spacecraft, extract and exploit resources, automate bases and interplanetary logistics. Together, with friends."
neutral · AI labelView post →Weekend PC Game Deals: Sony hits, strategy festivals, bundled dinos, and more. Game Deals - Hogwarts Legacy – $35.69 on GreenManGaming - God of War – $24.89 on Gamebillet - UNCHARTED: Legacy of Thieves Collection – $24.69 on Gamebillet - Demeo – $23.99 on Steam - Marvel's Midnight Suns – $23.99 on Steam - IXION – $20.99 on Steam - I Expect You To Die Bundle – $20.38 on Steam - Timberborn – $19.99 on Steam - Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition – $19.99 on Steam - X4: Foundations – $19.99 on…
neutral · AI labelView post →today in Northgard achievements very weird clan, but I had fun with them once I figured out how to keep everyone fed
positive · AI labelView post →After 35 hours, I can't really recommend this game. Not as an RTS. The Pros: Nice Visuals Distinct Factions The Cons INCREDIBLY Slow Paced Poor Resource Management System Lacking Tutorials Firstly, the promotional videos will lead you to believe this game is action packed. It's not. The pacing is incredibly slow. You'll spend most of your time just waiting on things. There's a LOT of downtime just waiting on resources, which sucks, because 90% of the game is resource management, and the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Impossible to play the last mission on Bifrost even on a good PC, FPS drops to around 15, and ranged units often refuse to attack. It’s disappointing that a game which has been out for years is still in this state, with so many bugs and technical issues. Do not buy this game until these problems are properly fixed.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The definitive edition has introduced bugs that crash and destroy the game! Unbelievable!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of my most favorited games. Very fun game. Everyone starts on different areas of the map and you claim lands to expand your territories and build up and army and smash the enemy. Some of the clans you can play as are harder than the others. The AI is goofy sometimes but its still fun. With friends is better
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a very interesting and visually striking strategy game, but unfortunately, it’s severely hampered by functional bugs and questionable design choices. On paper, the concept is great you manage which buildings to place in each region you control, expand your territory, and defend your lands from invaders. Sounds promising, right? Unfortunately, in practice, it falls short. Even a simple threat, like a lone wolf, can wipe out multiple villagers because the defensive systems are poorly…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hello, I've had this game from pretty much the very beginning. Big fan of Shiro overall (especially Wartales). The game used to work great before they rolled out the ''Definitive Edition''. To add, I was a bit displeased that they gave out several dlc's for free while we, the og's, paid but oh well - gotta sweeten the pot to sell the product what can I say, which is understandable to some degree. Now, constant freezes/crashes and missions not loading in conquest mode was very annoying, but at…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →staying on that Northgard achievement grind 💪
positive · AI labelView post →Had a very normal game of Northgard in my conquest playthrough to start off the afternoon. Those bonuses do stack up uh.
positive · AI labelView post →I've played this game for 2,900 hours. I've been playing for several years and used to love it. But the update that changed the ranked game system is a real nightmare. You used to choose the lobby you wanted to play in, you chose your team, and players usually managed to balance the ranked clans themselves. The new system is terrible. If you didn't like the clans or players, you'd simply leave the lobby. Now, after choosing your clan, you can't leave the lobby, which causes people to quit the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →before i forgot. here is my games finished in 2025 final list. GAMES FINISHED IN 2025 1. Yakuza Kiwami 2. Monster Hunter Wilds 3. A game about digging a hole 4. Slay the Spire 5. Brigandine: Legend of Runersia 6. Northgard 7. Slain: back from hell 8. Valfaris 9. Titan Souls 10. Ale & Tale Tavern
neutral · AI labelView post →This is not CoC. AOE, Warcraft, Dune or anything like pure RTS. Tile mechanics (limits to building count and types, discovery, no trespassing for workers) and certain life simulation aspects will otherwise annoy you to no end. There are also eyebrow raising things like AI getting 0->20 workers, 0->6 warriors in a minute just after I wiped them all by raids (in a campaign though), guaranteed lag during long games after certain time or quite a few clans being locked behind paid content (not…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →ok team it's been a while, but we're back on our Northgard achievement grind 💪
positive · AI labelView post →Like: +Nordic theme +Challenging resource management +High replay value, thanks to multiple game modes and a lot of clan (most are available via DLC) +Unique abilities and bonus for each clan Dislike: –Too many clan DLC
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Bifrost game mode doesn't give rewards. This is a known bug that has been present and prominent for more than a year, and the devs have not fixed it yet. Superb game, but it feels abandoned.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As much as I wanna recommend this game, I just can't. The company keeps updating the game and nerfing the gameplay years after release. It's not for the better either. It's not simple graphic overhauls. They're game-changing overhauls. I bought Northgard years ago and the game is nothing like what it once was. It isn't right to change the game I paid for like that with no way of going back. Their practice sucks for the consumer. Also the AI is terrible, as other commenters have said. PvP is…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →scoring some RARE Northgard achievements, baby! 'Power to the People' might be the least common one I've earned so far
positive · AI labelView post →FYI, there are a handful of games that put unique spins on the genre out there. Most of the ones I can think of off the top of my head put you in control of a "cursor character" that's like a commander. It puts a speed limit on APM, which I think gets the genre back to focusing on strategy. There's also Northgard, which is like a cross between an RTS and a 4X game, and pieces of the map are tile-like, so rather than this unit moving to these coordinates, you're commanding a unit to move from…
neutral · AI labelView post →I've played this game for quite a few hours, and despite the amount of enjoyment it's given me, I can say quite clearly that I hate it. Why? Because the incompetent, greedy developers don't know how to fix anything, only how to ruin it. Clan Kraken was corrupted to the point of being completely unplayable several years ago, and despite numerous requests, nothing was fixed or returned, so people simply stopped playing the clan. That damned announcement about achieving combat experience…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →today's Northgard achievement is a fitting tribute to maintaining a proper #grindset #gaming
positive · AI labelView post →UPDATE: Patch downloaded on Jan 22, 2026 fixed this problem so far. I've put another 12 hours on the game and haven't had this problem. Thank you for the fix. Original Post: I've begun playing Conquests and have run to a problem of the Application Crashing at the point of a final Win or Lose, of a conquest. I checked my event logs and am getting the error below. I've tried all the steps to get around it, i.e. , run as administrator, uninstall/reinstall, force running in both OpenGL…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pros Zone based strategy game. Lots of variety and bonuses or challenges in maps and clans. Very pretty fantasy aesthetic. Slow paced, good for casuals and older players. Cons Poorly optimised, can lag in mid to late game. Isn't clear when a clan is strong early, mid or late game, requires a lot of trial and error.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →gamers I have a dark confession to share- my unholy thirst for Northgard achievements led me grab their 4th anniversary bundle sale in the name of mining the clans I didn't already own 😭
positive · AI labelView post →That line about "only 20% stick around for the multiplayer" isn't exclusive to RTS. Usually I hear a number like 30%, even for other RTS games, but that's the case across every genre, even for games like fighting games that you think are only there for multiplayer. Only about 30% of people of any game's player base will stick around to play online matches against other people. StarCraft II is one of my favorite games, but to get back into RTSes, for me personally, I'm looking for two…
neutral · AI labelView post →Gameplay is meh, it brings nothing unique over the many other RTS games. the game is overpriced and the devs have begun to spam it with DLC just to play other factions. the enemy AI is terrible. Score: 3/10
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →08.29.26 Review: Current meta is absolute garbage. Variety of units? Variety of strats? Forget it! Spam ranged units + abuse tiles to clear early. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ online gameplay
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I loved this game, but shiro still has not fixed online bug for over 2 weeks, and no response regarding it. look at my hours, and now it is clear, another company who does not care about its player base.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Her is my list of games so far. 2025 GAMES FINISHED 1. Yakuza Kiwami 2. Monster Hunter Wilds 3. A game about digging a hole 4. Slay the Spire 5. Brigandine: Legend of Runersia 6. Northgard 7. Slain: back from hell 8. Valfaris 9. Titan Souls 10. Ale & Tale Tavern 11. Final Fantasy 7 Remake 12. Raft
neutral · AI labelView post →StarCraft II. It's on Battle.Net though so you'll have to download it through Lutris. The first campaign is free and there's a coop mode for casual players. Entirely free except for cosmetics, some coop commanders, and the other campaign episodes. It's easy to pick up IMO but VERY HARD to master. Graphics still hold up better than a lot of games despite being 13 years old. Despite its age, I believe it's the peak of the RTS genre. There's are a lot of community-made mods/maps that you can play…
neutral · AI labelView post →been quiet on the Northgard Achievements front lately but we're back, baby! #gaming
positive · AI labelView post →This game is actually awesome. I read that it was a cross between Civ and RTS games and I went.... huh? what does that even mean? Then I bought the game for like $5. I have around 140 hours in it (a couple of days I was in offline mode) and have found that the solo player stuff alone is definitely worth it. I dont play online games so I have no idea about that department but if you are looking for a good RTS game I recommend this one. The factions are almost all entirely unique and play…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is decent. Not great, not bad. Just decent. I do get some enjoyment out of it but thats mostly due to boredom tbh. The reason for the negative review is the insaine amount of DLC and what little you get back for it. This is a cashgrab, and they do not even care about balacing or anything after they release a new clan DLC. Meaing some missions are broken and it has been like this for ages now.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →another day another Northgard achievement this clan is very weird to play if you're used to the traditional style, but I pulled it off
positive · AI labelView post →I have over 100 hours, because I have been with this game for a long time. I always treated it as early access, that one day they will get it figured out. It's clear they completely stopped development years ago, and instead just release DLC. Not even a Save and Quit option to continue a play through later. It's insanely poorly featured and buggy. Sad misguided studio.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Northgard achievement grind update
positive · AI labelView post →pretty sure this is my rarest Northgard achievement thus far 💅
positive · AI labelView post →A great example of how a game recieving continual updates and content, produced for the wrong reasons, can bring down an otherwise great title. There is still fun to be had here, but don't be suprised by bad performance, blatant bugs and poor design.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game stopped launching with update in August 2026
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is the defining version of the game? Single player I had no issue, but once you get into Bifrost with multiple friends, just hope you are ready to waste an entire hour just to get to the end of one mission to have a bug completely freeze the game and make it unplayable, so you lost all of your progress and have to restart. My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined. Uninstalling and removing from my account. This has happened far to many times for me to handle. G G
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Northgard started as a "simple but funny" game and I think I've started to play it on early, never touched it too much. But now that it reached the milestone of the "Definitive Edition" exactly while I was grinding some achievements, I still see it as a "simple but funny" game, and I'm glad it got so far. Well done, Northgard! (Just noticed I've never written a review for this game and I thought it was a good time to do so!)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →failed in my efforts to get 4 hunting lodges in one game, but I did grab this achievement so W anyway #gaming #northgard
positive · AI labelView post →it's been quiet on the Northgard achievement front, but u know I am staying on that #grind
positive · AI labelView post →two more Northgard achievements for the mantlepiece
positive · AI labelView post →My internet died in the middle of a game of Northgard with my friends. My beautiful bear guardian is gone. 😭
negative · AI labelView post →
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