Simulation · December 8, 2023
Against the Storm (2023)
You are the Viceroy – a leader charged by the Scorched Queen to reclaim the wilderness and discover lost riches for the Smoldering City, civilization's last bastion against the Blightstorm that destroyed the old world. Unlike most survival city builders where your focus is on a single city, in Against the Storm you must build a vast, prosperous network of settlements populated by diverse fantasy races, each with their own specializations and needs. The wilderness holds many hidden dangers, and never-ending storms will batter your population into submission. If your settlements should fall, then the expedition may end – but not the game. Against the Storm is a roguelite city builder, meaning you will carry forward the resources, upgrades, and experience of your past expeditions each time you set off for a new journey into the wild. Foxes, beavers, and lizards stand alongside humans and harpies in the struggle to survive. Utilize each group's strengths as you balance their varying needs, from housing and culinary preferences to taste in luxuries and recreation. Will you manufacture raincoats, brew ale, and bake pies to boost morale in the face of the oppressive hostility of the forest, or will you prioritize the needs of one species over another to operate more swiftly for the Scorched Queen? Experience core city builder gameplay enhanced by roguelite replayability. Build and manage multiple settlements spread out across a large world map, all while collecting valuable meta-progression resources to upgrade the Smoldering City. Feel the pressure of an expectant monarch as the Scorched Queen demands constant progress while recurring Blightstorms pose an inevitable threat to your settlements. Manage your reputation to secure your success at any one settlement before moving on to establish another, constantly seeking new opportunities for growth, taking on unique challenges across multiple biomes, and bracing for the inevitable destruction of everything but the Smoldering City itself. How will you maximize each cycle to not just ensure the best fate for the Smoldering City, but for your career as Viceroy as well? With hundreds of gameplay modifiers and 6 distinct biomes, every city location presents unique challenges for even the most resourceful Viceroy. Adjust your strategy to changing weather conditions and experiment with rosters of building blueprints and perks that can help your society thrive or bring it to ruin. Will you take on and complete additional objectives and delve deeper into the dangerous forest for potential boons, or will you approach with caution to ensure you operate within your capabilities? All the while, you never know what wares the Trader will bring next year, and the forest holds treasures and resources, but also ancient threats. Laying the foundations for a new city is one of the most exciting moments in a city-building game. In Against the Storm, you'll have the opportunity to repeatedly experience this by creating new settlements, while still interacting with your network of previously established cities in a growing world.
Position in Simulation
| Metric | This title | Genre position |
|---|---|---|
| Review volume | 31.4k Steam reviews | Top 17% in Simulation |
| Positive rating | 95% positive | Genre average: 79% — this title sits in top 8% |
| Metacritic | 91/100 | Genre average 75 — top 2% of Simulation titles |
| Concurrent peak | 958 players | Top 21% in Simulation by live player count |
| Engagement hours | 29 h average | Top 38% for session depth among Simulation |
Community Tag Signals
Tag weights reflect how many Steam users voted each descriptor — larger pills = stronger consensus.
- Strategy · 499
- City Builder · 493
- Simulation · 491
- Base-Building · 486
- Colony Sim · 482
- Management · 477
- Building · 474
- Resource Management · 473
- Rogue-like · 470
- Survival · 469
- Dark Fantasy · 418
- Sandbox · 417
- Real-Time with Pause · 417
- Open World · 410
- Singleplayer · 408
Peer Simulation titles
Comparable titles in the same genre and review-volume band — ranked by Steam positive percentage.
Simulation releases from 2023
18 Simulation titles launched in 2023 — top 6 by review volume.
Localization Coverage
Interface / Subtitles (12)
- English volume_up
- French
- German
- Spanish - Spain
- Polish
- Portuguese - Brazil
- Russian
- Simplified Chinese
- Japanese
- Korean
- Traditional Chinese
- Italian
Full audio (2)
- English
- Spanish - Latin America
Features & Capabilities
Community
- Steam Achievements
- Steam Trading Cards
- Steam Cloud
Accessibility
- Adjustable Text Size
- Adjustable Difficulty
Input & Comfort
- Camera Comfort
- Custom Volume Controls
- Stereo Sound
- Surround Sound
Other
- Single-player
- Save Anytime
- Family Sharing
Reception Metrics
Steam community
95%Overwhelmingly Positive · 31.4k reviews
29.8k positive · 1.6k negative
Metacritic
91/100 critic aggregate
Curator recommendations
30.6k
Peak concurrent players
958
Press Quotes
“I’ll say it right up top: Against The Storm is one of this year’s best.” Rock Paper Shotgun “Echoing the stylistic air of Warcraft 3 while remaining as deep and complex as Shiro Games’ Northgard, it’s a highly engaging, delectably rewarding, and suitably frustrating game with pacing so perfect you’ll be battling against not only the game’s odds but your own overwhelming desire to build one more town before bed.” PCGamesN “Never the same game twice, Against the Storm is…
Engagement Profile
All-time avg
29h
moderate (15–40 hours)
Median
8h
Typical completion time
2-week avg
11h
Current engagement
Achievements
80
Steam unlocks available
Release & Availability
| Release date | Dec 8, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Developer | Eremite Games |
| Publisher | Hooded Horse |
| Base price | $8.99 -70% |
| DLC / Add-ons | 3 released |
| Platforms | Windows |
| Estimated owners | 1M–10M |
| External links | Official site · Metacritic page · Support · [email protected] |
Editions & Packages
Buy Against the Storm










