Abiotic Factor

Abiotic Factor is an unforgettable interdimensional odyssey with you and your closest friends.

Abiotic Factor is ambitious and often fun, but it’s also clunky and uneven. When it clicks, it really feels like what would happen if Gordon Freeman never picked up a crowbar and only used science. When it doesn’t, you’ll feel the grind, the jank, and the imbalance drag things down. It’s still easy to recommend to survival fans looking for something fresh and cooperative, and the fact that it’s on Game Pass but know going in: this feels like more of a brilliant experiment than polished product.

Abiotic Factor is a standout example of the survival game genre with plenty of player freedom and a killer blend of dark humor and silly hijinks.

Abiotic Factor is a smart, inventive, and exciting survival game that thrives on its zany premise and co-op chaos to make for a tantalising experience. It’s not without rough edges – combat is wonky, and the crafting discovery system could be deeper – but those quirks are forgivable in the face of all of the creative, chaotic, and rewarding things that it does right across its gameplay. It has a brilliant sense of discovery too, with plenty of new ideas and surprises to uncover the more you play the game. If you enjoy survival games with personality or simply want to build a science lab fortress with friends while fending off aliens, cultists, and your own bodily needs, Abiotic Factor is well worth your time.

Abiotic Factor stands out in the survival crafting genre by fusing humor, tension, and sci-fi absurdity into a deeply replayable experience. It’s clever, strange, and thoroughly satisfying, but not without its rough edges. Several mechanics are left entirely unexplained, and playing solo can feel overwhelming without companions to share the burden. Yet despite its flaws, it’s an experience that thrives on discovery, rewarding those who approach it with curiosity and a willingness to experiment.

If you fancy moonlighting as a budding scientist battling for survival against other-worldly forces and scientific experiments gone wrong, you’re going to love Abiotic Factor. It’s a refreshing and charming take on the survival genre, full of great mechanics and systems, an engaging story and world and importantly it’s an absolute blast to play with friends. Go in as blind as you can, because like with all scientific endeavours, the joy is in the discovery.