Deal | Classic board game on PC: Dungeon crawler RPG drops below $10 on Steam for the first time

Gloomhaven was developed by Saber Interactive and Flaming Fowl Studios and published by Twin Sails Interactive. The digital adaptation launched in October 2021 and is based on Isaac Childres’ award-winning board game of the same name. The goal was to bring the original’s rich gameplay depth and tactical complexity to PC – complete with a full campaign, diverse character classes and meaningful choices throughout.

Players enter a dark fantasy world filled with ruins, caves and crumbling cities overrun by monsters and corruption. At the heart of the story is a band of mercenaries who take on dangerous dungeon runs, complete quests and make morally flexible choices. Each mission forms part of a sprawling campaign with more than 95 scenarios, where decisions carry real consequences. According to HowLongToBeat, strategy fans can expect to spend nearly 100 hours on the main story alone.

Gloomhaven plays like a classic dungeon crawler with strong RPG mechanics. Players form a party of up to four heroes, choosing from 17 unlockable classes. Each mission takes place in instanced environments filled with traps, multiple rooms and waves of enemies, all tackled in turn-based combat. What sets the game apart is its unique card-based tactics system: each hero plays exactly two cards per turn. Once a hand is empty, it can only be replenished by permanently burning a card. But there’s a twist – cards double as both abilities and a kind of health pool. Lose too many, and a hero faces exhaustion. The result is a tactical experience that demands smart planning and precise positioning, with little room for error.

Reviewers at The Indie Game Website praised Gloomhaven for its deep, challenging gameplay and the wide range of available classes. However, they also highlighted some drawbacks, including a frustrating level of randomness and annoying AI companions. The steep learning curve may prove off-putting for newcomers to board games, though a well-designed tutorial helps ease the introduction. Ultimately, the site awarded Gloomhaven a solid 8 out of 10.

The Steam community reached a similar verdict: 82% of more than 15,000 reviews are positive. On Metacritic, Gloomhaven holds a Metascore of 82 and a User Score of 6.6. The game is rated “Playable” on the Steam Deck (currently around $590 on Amazon) and should run smoothly on the go with a few minor tweaks.

First-ever 72% discount on Steam

Gloomhaven usually sells for around $35 on Steam. Until February 5, the game is discounted by 72%, bringing the price down to just under $9.80. According to SteamDB, the largest previous discount was 65%, making this the lowest price the game has ever seen.

Disclaimer: Notebookcheck is not responsible for price changes carried out by retailers. The discounted price or deal mentioned in this item was available at the time of writing and may be subject to time restrictions and/or limited unit availability.