The Temple of Elemental Evil
Developer Troika Games
The Temple of Elemental Evil is a 2003 role-playing video game by Troika Games. It is a remake of the classic Dungeons & Dragons adventure The Temple of Elemental Evil using the 3.5 edition rules. This is the only computer role-playing game to take place in the Greyhawk campaign setting, and the first video game to implement the 3.5 edition rule set. The game was published by Atari, who then held the interactive… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
260 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy) · newest Nov 1, 2026 · last updated Nov 4, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
158 positive · 72 negative
95% range 62–74%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 158 | 72 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 3 | 1 | 18 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 8 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
What players are saying
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 227 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mostly Positive (262 of 369 positive).
Players appreciate this re-release for bundling community bug fixes and making the game run on modern systems. [1][2][3] Some reviewers warn that the game still has bugs and clunky UI, with new issues introduced by the re-release. [4][5][6] Fans of classic D&D and old-school CRPGs recommend it for its faithful adaptation and low price. [7][8][9]
- [19]
I waited a long time for this Steam re-release of Temple of Elemental Evil. Originally announced for September, then delayed at the very last moment to December, I assumed the extra time meant we’d finally get a respectful, properly updated version of this classic. What we got instead is the absolute bare minimum effort—and frankly, it’s shameful. This release feels like a quick cash grab riding on nostalgia. The …
- [4]
It's really getting ridiculous how incompetent the people doing "enhanced" editions and re-relases are. After finishing the games I read the comments on this version and realized that nearly all of the two levels of the temple were broken for me because of whatever SNEG did to the AI system. On the earth temple level everyone was instantly hostile AND clumped in just a couple of very large mob groups, with the …
- [18]
Game is good. I have a ton of time in the GoG version and have long since lost my disc copy. Good to see a game that could literally only be considered a gift for fans of the original, because we all know there isn't likely to be a lot of money in it. Ignore the whinging of people who couldn't even bother to open the manual before complaining that the game wasn't holding their hands, or that a UI from 2003 was a …
- [21]
Alright. The Temple of Elemental Evil is done and dusted. I'm sure I'll play this a few more times in the future to see more variations of what is possible, but for now, I played a good-aligned run and saw two endings; an ending where Zuggtomoy is banished and the ending attached to destroying a specific golden item. :) https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3642461801 As someone intimately familiar …
- [1]
only installed, and quickly ran through the tutorial. the old version on GOG used to be such a PiTA to install and get working even with all the fan mods so I am thankful for this version. Do Arcanum next please!
Summarised from 34 of the 257 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
Players who liked The Temple of Elemental Evil talk about bundles essential community mods for a smoother experience; those who didn't talk about still has game-breaking bugs that can halt progress. Which matters more to you?
Critics, per Wikipedia
With sales of 128,000 copies and revenues of $5.2 million by February 2005, The Temple of Elemental Evil was less commercially successful than Arcanum, Troika Games' previous release. GameDaily characterized both games' commercial performances as substandard, and as contributing factors to Troika's closure in 2005. The Temple of Elemental Evil's critical reception was "mixed or average", according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. The game was reviewed in 2004 in Dragon #321 by Clifford Horowitz in the "Silicon Sorcery" column. Horowitz comments that The Temple of Elemental Evil is a classic Dungeons & Dragons game as the players can get. PC Gamer's Desslock called it "a game by…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 260 · most liked firstonly installed, and quickly ran through the tutorial. the old version on GOG used to be such a PiTA to install and get working even with all the fan mods so I am thankful for this version. Do Arcanum next please!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game is good. I have a ton of time in the GoG version and have long since lost my disc copy. Good to see a game that could literally only be considered a gift for fans of the original, because we all know there isn't likely to be a lot of money in it. Ignore the whinging of people who couldn't even bother to open the manual before complaining that the game wasn't holding their hands, or that a UI from 2003 was a little wonky. You get used to it if you just get over yourself, I promise.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game will not hold your hand. That is the absolute first thing you need to remember if you are going to play ToEE. That goes for new and old RPG players alike. This game was made during an era where game design was a guessing game, balance was 'We're shipping it and never thinking about it again' and bugs were just there forever. Troika Games did not do good QA work, their games were a mess. It is only through the work of hundreds of modders and dedicated community members that this game…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I waited a long time for this Steam re-release of Temple of Elemental Evil. Originally announced for September, then delayed at the very last moment to December, I assumed the extra time meant we’d finally get a respectful, properly updated version of this classic. What we got instead is the absolute bare minimum effort—and frankly, it’s shameful. This release feels like a quick cash grab riding on nostalgia. The developers did not meaningfully update the game. They simply bundled…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →People are going to complain about small things, because people; but this is Temple, free of bugs, with the quality of life mods installed, for less then 10 dollars. I fail to see how this is not an instant buy.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There is an update coming to all GOG users with regards to this version of the game, if you have the OG on GOG then this will be a free update on GOG to bring the versions as the same on steam.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a rerelease of the 2003 video game that was itself an adaptation of the 1985 D&D module by the same name. It is a turned based CRPG using the 3.5 D&D rules. This version mostly just fixes bugs and makes the 2003 game playable. The old version is basically unplayable without mods as of right now. So I do actually recommend this game for a very, very specific type of player. If you are ok with (and even seek out) obtuse, old, difficult and unfair CRPGs, AND are familiar with 3.5 D&D (5e…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's really getting ridiculous how incompetent the people doing "enhanced" editions and re-relases are. After finishing the games I read the comments on this version and realized that nearly all of the two levels of the temple were broken for me because of whatever SNEG did to the AI system. On the earth temple level everyone was instantly hostile AND clumped in just a couple of very large mob groups, with the majority of the level being just empty. Since this was my very first playthrough I…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My Initial Experience I love D&D (with 3.5 being my favorite edition), CRPGS, and the other games Troika worked on, so I was excited to play a CRPG set in the famed Temple of Elemental Evil module that I only ever heard about. I had a physical copy back in the day, but the farthest I ever got into the game was completing the first major dungeon (the Moathouse). Baldur's Gate II was my standard for what I expected out of a D&D CRPG. I enjoyed the story and narrative structure, having a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Alright. The Temple of Elemental Evil is done and dusted. I'm sure I'll play this a few more times in the future to see more variations of what is possible, but for now, I played a good-aligned run and saw two endings; an ending where Zuggtomoy is banished and the ending attached to destroying a specific golden item. :) https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3642461801 As someone intimately familiar with 3.5e AD&D, this game is very much second nature to me from a rules…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →55yrs young and did a 10hr long D&D nerd out in my home, alone on PC. Great game, and great work to bring us all the work the community has done for this game over 20yrs of time.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Extremely reasonably priced rerelease of a crpg unlike some other more recent examples. Definitely support the release of more games that were previously unavailable on Steam especially if they are at a reasonable price point like this!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Temple of Elemental Evil, Troika's classic party‑based action focused D&D RPG, first released in 2003, is now available with updates on GOG and Steam. [Steam page](https://store.steampowered.com/app/3843520/The_Temple_of_Elemental_Evil/)
neutral · AI labelView post →If you are like me and run Linux as your daily driver, then you know that getting the GOG version to play properly in Proton is nothing short of a hassle. The Circle of 8 modpak will install OK with some tinkering, but Temple+ has never worked for me (at least stably), so ToEE has always been sort of a gimped experience once I made the switch to Linux 5-6 years ago. So far it runs just fine on Proton, it comes pre-installed with Co8 and Temple+ and that's a huge win in my book. Does the game…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Classic PC RPGs This caught my interest: GOG has the original versions of 3 classic RPGs. Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone The Temple of Elemental Evil Dungeons & Dragons: Dragonshard (a GOG Preservation game) Now STEAM is adding these games in Aug/Sept. -> 2
neutral · AI labelView post →Ladies and Gents, im happy to inform that im having a blast with this game. The Game If youre not aware, this game is the video game version of the famous adventure written by Gary Gygax, on of the fathers of D&D. Its basically a mega dungeons with many levels and layers and intricate factions that you have to interact to, based manly in your partys alignment axis: good/evil and order/chaos. This game actually uses D&D 3rd edition rules combined with fully turn based combat, which…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I played TToEE when it came out in paperback for AD&D back in the 90'ies and have been looking for a CRPG version. I bought it instantly when it came out and played for several hours, but I just couldn't find the vibe I was looking for. The controls and UI were both clunky and unforgiving. And the bugs were game breaking so I finally stopped playing. Seeing the game drop on Steam, I decided to give it another whirl. It is the same game as when I bought it before, and when I hit a game ending…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A beautiful mess This version is a re-release with many bugs reportedly fixed. I am giving this re-release a thumb up because it runs stable and it runs somehow smoother than the GOG version. In addition it supports widescreen resolutions which the GOG version did not, however the max 16:9 resolution is 1080p, which I do not understand. On the other hand I do not think higher resolutions would make this game better because the UI is not scalable so I suppose in like 1440p the UI must be pretty…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Temple of Elemental Evil, Troika's classic party‑based action focused D&D RPG, first released in 2003, is now available with updates on GOG and Steam. [Steam page](https://store.steampowered.com/app/3843520/The_Temple_of_Elemental_Evil/)
neutral · AI labelView post →Temple of Elemental Evil (Steam re-release) – Review This game is still a mess, and not in a charming “old-school” way. You will spend a significant amount of time fighting bugs, clunky systems, and outdated design decisions instead of actually playing. Broken interactions still happen I ran into a chest and stairs that simply would not respond. Reloading didn’t fix it. I had to go back to an earlier save, replay fights, and redo the entire section just to get the game to function properly.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →one of those old school rpgs that really deserves more love and its heavily focused on classic dungeon exploration, turn based combat and a huge amount of freedom in how you build and play your party. the game is based on the d&d rules, so theres a lot of character customization, different classes, spells and strategies to experiment with and the world is full of quests and dangerous encounters. the graphics are definitely dated in a good nostalgic way so its a great choice for anyone who loves…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Almost 2 hours in the Party Creation alone, this is the ToEE I remember. I mean, what else do you want? All the amazing community patches, cloud saving (Leira herself knows just how many save games for this title I've lost over the decades), easy install, works fine on the Deck, all for a fair price. This is a no-brainier for any serious RPG fan. Now all we need is the same treatment for Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor... "hint hint"
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of my favorite CRPGs! So glad this came out on steam with all the bugfixes and some of the co8 upgrades! And it runs great!! I can finally enjoy this running natively without installing all of that extra stuff.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Preface: I own the boxed copy; the GOG copy; now this copy. Some perspective: the game is $10. S-NEG is doing good work making these old, great games readily accessible for modern machines. Yeah, there are rough edges. But consider the value you're getting here for $10... The main message is this: if you like the fact that S-NEG is putting the work into this then show your support. Or, give the so called "triple A" studios another $90 for a retread.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →[url=https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_temple_of_elemental_evil]Buy the game on GoG. ToEE was sold on GoG before Steam. You have access to all other previous versions (avoiding new bugs), offline installers, mod compatibilities and DRM-Free. If you already own ToEE (even the ISO) you don't need to buy the game again. Use TemplePlus to bring the game to modern operating system, with a new game engine and bug fixes. # History The Temple of Elemental Evil (ToEE) was developed by Troika Games and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love playing the games but too many bugs now you cant even pass the 4th dungeon and complete the game. Hard pass until they fix these bugs.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have the original CDs from way back when, and the game is still installed on a very old Windows Vista PC. Out of curiosity, I decided to try the Steam version on a newer PC to see if any improvements were made. I am using Gentoo Linux with the IceWM desktop, 16gb ram and a Radeon RX580 4gb graphics card. Proton Hotfix allows Linux to play this game easily. I have cleared the moat house, so the review is up to this point. Changes/Improvements ------------------------- There is no longer a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game captivated me as a kid, so I was really excited to return to the game with some hopefully meaningful updates to it. So far, it's the same game as before but with perhaps even more bugs? I've been hung up on bugs pretty consistently in the time I've played. So, if not for that, it would be fun to play. I would not recommend it until bugs are less of an issue unless you can go into the game with an acceptance of that condition.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good ol' ToEE. Works out of the box and runs natively on Linux. If you are a veteran, check the pinned thread in the Steam Discussions for the tweaks needed to install mods (especially Temple+).
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Experienced TOEE player here feeling frustrated and disappointed. (Spoilers ahead!) Played this on GOG multiple times and was hoping the bugs would be fixed. Some were, some were not, and somebody's attempts to make the AI harder led to new ones. The unfixed bugs still include your characters being unable to act in the middle of combat for no reason (i.e., no indications character is being affected by a spell , disease, or something else). It does not happen all the time but just enough to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Gary Gygax and Frank Mentzer's immortal D&D adventure, The Temple of Elemental Evil, returned as a CRPG by Troika Games in 2003 Using D&D's 3.5 edition rules, it faithfully followed the blueprint laid down by the original 1985 tabletop module while also wracked with a swarm of game breaking bugs.
neutral · AI labelView post →This is a terrible game. Do not bother. Enemies and objects get hidden behind walls, you cannot rotate the screen or even zoom in. The game boasts of being dnd 3.5 rules, yet it constantly bends the rules in favor of the enemy especially when it comes to attacks of opportunity. The game will frequently allow the enemy to approach without invoking an attack of opportunity, yet provides the enemy with multiple such attacks. The party is ALWAYS flatfooted at the beginning of every battle, even if…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Played the demo of this when it first came out, so when it was re-released I thought for the price, what the hell, I love me a D&D game. This is soooo buggy, and finicky, and has zero QOL features that almost any modern day rpg has. I finished it out of shear spite becuase I paid money for it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →- The game feels like it is made specifically for Dungeons & Dragons fans. - The combat is slow but very strategic, rewarding careful planning and smart use of abilities. - Creating and developing characters is enjoyable, especially if you already understand D&D rules. - However, the game can feel dated and unforgiving. - The interface is not very user-friendly, the story presentation is minimal, and without community patches the game may feel buggy. - For players willing to invest time and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Eight hours in and I've got already got two reproducible crash to desktop errors; whatever Bethesda has must be catching... This game is a lot of fun, and this version of it is a major improvement over the retail version released 20+ years ago, which barely worked and was missing all sorts of content. The integration of the Co8 modpack is nice. There's a lot to do and a lot of ways to do it. Especially at $10 or less, I would absolutely pick it up. I would maybe give it a second thought if you…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Temple of Elemental Evil is a classic computer role-playing game developed by Troika Games and published in its modern release form by SNEG, bringing one of the most respected tactical role-playing experiences back to contemporary audiences. Built directly around the Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 Edition ruleset and inspired by one of tabletop gaming’s most iconic adventures, the game remains a remarkable example of how faithfully a digital RPG can recreate the feeling of a tabletop campaign.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →*Excellent* version overall, really nice work SNEG!! That said, it's a little tricky to get the FULL Circle of 8 mod + Temple+ to work, but once you know how it functions it's not too bad (just follow the guide here in the Guides section, it's a great guide for doing that.) But yeah, bug-free 30 hours in and just having a blast playing, it works great, the WASD camera is beautiful, everything works as expected and it's truly a joy to play this very unique and OOZING with character, atmosphere…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nah. If you have the GoG version,there seems to be no reason to get this one. And on GoG you get this ''update'' for free soon if you have the og game. Couldnt see any difference to the other version. They could have atleast added something like a zoom function. Game itself is great and im sure the patches they talk about are in there. So it gets a thumbs up anyway.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Temple of Elemental Evil, Troika's classic party‑based action focused D&D RPG, first released in 2003, is now available with updates on GOG and Steam. [Steam page](https://store.steampowered.com/app/3843520/The_Temple_of_Elemental_Evil/)
neutral · AI labelView post →Can't recommend this game. The UI is awful to the point of making the game an unpleasant experience. If this is an "improvement" I can't even imagine how terrible it must have been to play the original. The original Baldur's Gate came out years before this game and had a much better UI.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So sad to say this, but after looking forward to playing this again for nostalgia's sake (I'm a gorgnard who ran the original super module back in the day for my AD&D group, and played this game back in 03 when it was first released), I'm disappointed. Constant Runtime errors have made this experience not great.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's dated, true. But They did a pretty decent job fixing the issues of the original as I can see (never played the original so I relay on what other said), it's not perfect mind you and there was a major bug that I got, went on the steam discussion, plused one on the thread, one devs was acknoledging and today (the next day) bang there was an patch with clear info on how to manually correct the problem on an existing save if it's broken - didn't have to do it for myself, patch corrected the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →10/10 recreation of a D&D session where the DM forgot to prepare anything interesting. Played for 10 hours, but the only fun I had was during the hour I spent creating my characters.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's an RPG on a computer? Specifically tabletop, like Dungeons and Dragons or Pathfinder, but on a computer. Example games : Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, The Temple of Elemental Evil, etc.
neutral · AI labelView post →Get the Temple+ and Co8 modpack installed. This game now scratches the itch. You've already played Pillars of Eternity, Pathfinder, and Baldur's Gate, and now you need more. This is it. A throwback to 3.5e that will remind you of what life was like when things were... less bad.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →First of all, I bought this game because I no longer have the hard copy. Did a full install to my hard drive years ago (back then you could do partial installs to save disk space) and have been worried about losing it ever since. The price ($12.99) is definately reasonable. Second, it's a lot harder than I remember. I always seem to be 1 lvl behind on every encounter. I'd recommend a walkthrough guide to help you find the easy quests to boost your lvl. The game heavily penalizes Paladins, as…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Once I reached lvl 10, all Craft Item Feats stopped working because of the "0 EXP" bug.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Many of the reviews I have seen disparaging this game point to it's "niche" status and the need to be familiar with D&D rules. In my view, this is like buying a book in Spanish and then giving it a bad review because you can't read Spanish. Yes, it helps tremendously to know how D&D works, and yes it is "niche" in the sense that it is old school and very hard. It requires patience, strategy, and cleverness to excel. With all that being said, this is the most realistic Dungeons & Dragons…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A faithful and pretty hardcore old school RPG. The turn based combat is deep and the dungeon crawling is satisfying if you have the patience for it. Rough around the edges and not the most welcoming game but rewarding for fans of classic tabletop style RPGs.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The original version of this game released in 2003 teased the ability to play one of the great D&D modules, with an innovative radial UI. Unfortunately, the game was so buggy it was almost unplayable. Now, 23 years later, a remastered version delivers on the promise of the original game. While not completely bug free, the game is very playable and triggers all the nostalgia feelings of the original D&D games of that time. The game is based on the 3.5 ruleset so players of 5th edition need…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →the game is great but there are so many bugs it horrid. I keep trying thing after thing and it still keeps crashing
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The re-release is good. It works out of the box, which is already a considerable achievement for this game, given how infamously broken it was at launch. I had the (mis)fortune of receiving ToEE as a Christmas present back in 2004, and I vividly remember suffering through the bugs and its overall state of disrepair. The game itself is something else entirely. Ironically, it stands in stark contrast to Troika’s other two titles: ToEE features garbage writing, comically bad voice acting, and yet…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Temple of Elemental Evil is a D&D game that is infamous for being a broken buggy mess but under this mess of a game is a really good D&D game that fans have been doing their best to fix. This is my next game to beat, for real this time! Team Wonderland is back in action!
neutral · AI labelView post →Game works good so far. It is the old game, so don't expect any upgraded graphics, but its a fun game that I couldn't finish due to the bugs in the original release. I'm looking forward to completing it this time around. Character building will feel a little weird, but similar, to players familiar with 5e who didn't at least play the Neverwinter nights 1 or 2 games., as TOEE used the 3rd edition rule set, like the NVN games do. Also I know we all have our own opinions for our own reasons but…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Temple of Elemental Evil is arguably one of the weirder D&D CRPGs ever made, between its slavish adherence to both D&D 3.5 as written and the original T1-4 module from the 80s. It's also one of my favorites. There's not really much else like it out there, which excuses how dry and also punishingly difficult it can be from time to time. I hope you're ready to spend at least 30 minutes in the opening town doing a bunch of fed-ex quests so your characters can get to level 2. On the plus side, that…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a great game and still puts you right in the D&D world we all know and love. I bought it when it first came out and loved it's radial menu (still do). I was hoping the updated version had one improvement over the original. A double click on the map to centre on the party would be the one thing to make this old school game perfect.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →level one encounter has an enemy barbarian who deals 3d12 + 27 damage. someone should lose a job over that, for those that are unfamiliar with DND a level one character has 6-12 HP, this barbarian does triple that pretty much no matter what he rolls. difficulty is absurd. RNG is completely broken, rolling above a 7 is about a 1/50 shot, not exaggerating I have done the 1st fight about a dozen times now and 3 attempts(of about ten rounds each) in a row my fighter never hit, every attack was…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not bad. Overall, it works well, is compatible with mods for the original version, and is reasonably priced. No complaints there.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Unfortunately they broke this version of the game. Modifiers are completely off. you'll find in the game you always miss even with a +9 to attack level 2 mobs and they hit you so easily no matter what your AC is. spells hardly work at all either. I had to go back to playing my disc version and its a lot better. I have no idea what they did with this.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The least known and celebrated of the three titles that were developed by Troika Games. But easily my favorite of the three. The Temple of Elemental Evil is a painfully deliberate CRPG that cares deeply about the 3.5e D&D ruleset. Every combat encounter asks you to think about positioning, choices, and party setup. When things go wrong, it’s usually your fault. Few games capture the feel of a real tabletop encounter this well. Set in the world of Greyhawk, designed by the father of D&D, Gary…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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