CheckMag | Steam launch: All about this new Half-Life x Lethal Company-style co-op survival game that hit 1K "Overwhelmingly Positive" reviews in 24 hours

Abiotic Factor is a rare, new survival-crafting title that unites Half-Life style nostalgia, co-op hijinks, and a deep systems design. As version 1.0 ("Cold Fusion") landed on 22 July 2025, the game racked up almost 1,000 additional "Overwhelmingly Positive" Steam reviews within 24 hours, pushing its lifetime approval to 96 percent across more than 32,000 user reviews. 

As for the creator - Deep Field Games - it is a New Zealand-based independent studio founded by Geoff "Zag" Keene (creator of Unfortunate Spacemen) and industry veterans drawn together by a shared love of co-op storytelling. In interviews, the team talk about their vision in terms of a "brains over brawn" design - scientists should rely on ingenuity, not endless wood-chopping loops.

The demo for the game arrived in Feb 2024, and it was a huge success - driving nearly 250,000 Steam wishlists in the first week alone. The first early access phase (0.8) landed more than a year later, with a $24.99 price tag alongside a 20% discount. Frequent patches every three to five weeks added fishing, jetpacks, quantum exchangers, and sector expansions. Meanwhile, Deep Field’s transparent Trello road-map and Discord AMAs fostered a group of almost 101,000 Steam followers.

Gameplay pillars

In Abiotic Factor, players awaken in 1997 beneath the Gate Cascade Research Facility after a tier-one containment breach unleashes anomalies and cult soldiers. Scientists must improvise weapons from desk lamps and couch cushions while decoding inter-dimensional portals.

Survival loops

Vitals: hunger, thirst, fatigue, continence - each tied to buffs/debuffs such as Souper Satisfied.

Night cycle: power cuts at 21:00 trigger security-bot sweeps; portable batteries or sleeping pods can mitigate risk.

Crafting ideation: recipes unlocked via minigame where players mentally "design" gadgets before fabrication.

Character customization

Twelve scientific jobs (Plant Geneticist, Structural Engineer, Gastro-Chef, etc.) grant stat spreads and unique blueprints. A trait economy further encourages role-play.

Co-op Design

Up to six players share world saves; physics-based logistics (forklifts, hand-carts, teleporters) let teams relocate entire bases between sectors. Steam cross-play now links to PS5/Xbox servers with unified friends lists.

Technical & platform footprint

The Unreal-Engine build supports full controller mapping, "Steam Deck (curr. $780 on Amazon) Playable" certification, and dedicated servers distributed via a free depot. Version 1.0 also introduced console HDR calibration, haptic triggers, and performance presets targeting 60 fps on Series S consoles.

Feedback

PC Gamer is hailing Abiotic Factor as "one of the greatest survival-crafting games ever made" after 80 hours of group play. YouTube critics are comparing its "N64-era colors and mad-science slapstick" to a mash-up of Lethal Company and Half-Life - both arguably legendary games.

Reddit’s r/AbioticFactor surged past 20,000 members on launch night. Streamers such as Dr Incompetent and Worth A Buy showcased 90-minute beginner guides days after its early access debut, which seeded a robust wiki now topping over 2 million monthly views.

Abiotic Factor’s release rounds out a five-year wave of "intelligent" survival sandboxes, like Palworld, Enshrouded, V Rising, where creative sub-themes (Pokémon guns, voxel fog, vampiric renaissance) add a fresh new touch to now well-worn loops. For example, the emphasis on bodily functions, linear objective chains, and limited firearms illustrates how smaller studios take newer approaches that play on risk.

Deep Field has confirmed year-one support: seasonal anomalies, mod-kit beta, and console parity patches every six weeks. With owner estimates already nudging 1.0 million copies and a 4.43-star PlayStation rating, the game looks to be destined for mainstream stardom. Abiotic Factor is proving that survival is even better with safety goggles, and a sense of humor. You can check out the game here - available for $27.99 after a 20% launch discount.