It’s been a long seven-year wait, but Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has finally come. Following up on Warhorse Studios original 2018 medieval RPG, the sequel stands out as one of 2025’s biggest new games — and one of its most highly anticipated as well. It’s rocketed up the Steam Top Sellers chart in the days leading up to its release date, and as I write this under 24 hours before its global launch, its review embargo has now passed. Several dozen analyses have been shared by critics and outlets so far, and a few more are sure to come soon, too.
At the time of writing, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has a “Generally Favorable” rating on the review aggregation site Metacritic, with an average score of 87/100 based on 45 reviews on PC, seven on Xbox Series X|S, and 40 on PS5. 89% of all reviews have been positive, and of those, a significant number are in the 90-100 range. Here’s a roundup of some notable quotes and rankings that show what critics are saying across the web:
- Dexerto (100/100): “It’s obvious a lot of love has been poured into every facet of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. If you found combat in the first game too difficult or the survival mechanics tedious, then the sequel’s streamlined gameplay might not be enough to change your mind. However, if you were a fan of the first game, there’s so much to enjoy here. It’s clearly the game Warhorse wanted to make back in 2018, and it’s been improved in so many small ways. Bigger and better, it’s a must-play.”
- Dot Esports (95/100): “Everything can go wrong during a playthrough of Kingdom Come 2, and even when it does, it’s the most fun I’ve had in a medieval RPG in a long time. The first game scratched the survival game itch I wanted to experience within a narrative, and everything’s been giving a proper facelift for the sequel. Fans of the first one will be overjoyed about the continued story and the refined features, while newcomers will be delighted with the experience and feeling like they can jump right into a living, breathing world.”
- IGN (90/100): “In many ways, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 feels like it’s picked up and run with the reactive first-person RPG torch that Bethesda left lying in the mud years ago in pursuit of a broader audience. And it has excellent melee combat, which The Elder Scrolls never came close to even at its peak.”
- PC Gamer (90/100): “KCD2 feels a bit miraculous: a ludicrously ambitious and peculiar thing that somehow fulfills its ambition and peculiarity, managing to hit the highs Warhorse aimed for in the first game but perhaps fell just short of. It feels tailor-made for a certain brand of systems-loving sicko—the kind of person who still gets starry-eyed about Stalker and Morrowind—and manages to actually make good on their (or at least my) nostalgic yearning for those halcyon games of old.”
- VideoGamer (70/100): “My lasting impression of Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 is one of fatigue, of a work at odds with itself, at times forcibly doubling down on the idea of a dense and complex medieval simulation, and at others, intent on reminding you that this is a video game, leaning into unrestrained gamified glut. As a player, you’re constantly hopping between these two poles, never quite sure if Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 is taking itself too seriously or not seriously enough.”
- GamesHub (50/100): “Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is a game that unabashedly demands you meet it on its level, which I do find somewhat admirable. I just constantly found it to be a miserable slog to engage with, where everything was ten times more overblown than it had any business being. There’s a fascinating sandbox deep down within it, but digging through the mountain of muck to appreciate it was simply more than I could stand most of the time.”
Opinions about specific parts of the game differ, unsurprisingly, but overall, it seems there’s a general consensus that Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s reactive, systems-driven open world is a huge standout and one of the RPG’s best features. On top of that, the sheer amount of content in that world is monumental (though you may find that concerning if you’re hoping for a shorter experience). Reviewers also sing high praises for protagonist Henry, deuteragonist Hans Capon, other supporting characters, and the narrative overall, along with noteworthy improvements and additions to its combat systems and its audiovisual presentation.
I also reviewed Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 myself, awarding it a rare perfect score of 5/5. Make sure to read through my review if you want my full thoughts, but the TL;DR is that “Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is an undeniable triumph from Warhorse Studios. It’s one of the best RPGs I’ve ever played, and will undoubtedly be in the conversation for 2025’s Game of the Year.”
Considering the fact that Kingdom Come: Deliverance began life as a Kickstarter project over 10 years ago, it’s incredible to see just how far it and developer Warhorse have come. Despite its issues, the first game was one of the best titles of the last generation, and its sequel is a terrific refinement of the original’s formula that cements it as a true masterpiece. If you’re an RPG fan or you like the sound of adventuring through a painstakingly crafted simulation of medieval Bohemia, this is a must-play.
With Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 already flying off Steam’s digital shelves, I imagine it’s about to have an explosively successful launch. I’m expecting it to blow up player charts across its various platforms throughout the next week or two, and I’d be very glad to see it; games like this are a rare and special treat, and deserve all the success in the world.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is coming to Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC (via Steam, the Epic Games Store, and GOG), and PS5 on February 4. It’s undoubtedly one of the best Xbox games and best PC games of the year, so if you enjoy RPGs, definitely consider picking it up (it’s just $44.99 on CDKeys, which is an amazing deal).
