Deal | 92% positive reviews: Brutal survival city-builder now just $2.99 on Steam

In Frostpunk, a catastrophic ice age has pushed humanity to the brink of extinction. The few remaining survivors are trying to build a new society in a frozen wasteland. Players take charge of the city of New London, which grows around a massive coal-powered generator. It provides the heat needed to stay alive, making it the heart of the entire settlement.

Steam is currently hosting a major 11 bit studios sale, with numerous games from the Polish developer available at reduced prices. Alongside the unusual strategy game Anomaly 2, Frostpunk is also available at a 90% discount. Until November 14, the survival city-builder costs just $2.99 instead of nearly $30. While this isn't a new record low, SteamDB indicates that Frostpunk was last available at this price during the Steam Autumn Sale.

Good intentions won't keep anyone warm

Frostpunk combines city-building with unforgiving survival mechanics. Rather than simply expanding their settlement, players must focus on keeping its inhabitants alive. And that requires coal above all else. If the generator runs out of fuel, the entire settlement can quickly collapse. As if the constantly falling temperatures weren't enough, hunger and disease also make survival increasingly difficult.

However, Frostpunk becomes particularly interesting when it comes to moral decisions. What happens when coal supplies start running low? Should workers be forced to put in longer hours? Perhaps even children should be sent to work? Such decisions may help ensure survival in the short term, but they come at a cost. Push the population too far, and players even risk being removed from power.

Wccftech awarded Frostpunk 8.5 out of 10 in its review, particularly praising the oppressive post-apocalyptic atmosphere, striking steampunk visuals and difficult moral choices. However, the reviewers criticized the occasionally fiddly building placement, which makes city construction unnecessarily cumbersome. The high difficulty level also won't appeal to everyone.

The Steam community, however, doesn't seem particularly bothered by the challenge. An impressive 92% of more than 138,000 user reviews are positive. On Metacritic, Frostpunk holds a Metascore of 84 and a user score of 8.3. The city-builder is rated Steam Deck Playable.

The trailer below offers a glimpse of the freezing struggle for survival:

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