Avowed has generally favorable reviews, with critics most consistently praising its combat, exploration, and fantasy setting. The reservations are just as useful to know: reviewers differ on the story’s payoff, and some found its upgrades and role-playing systems less satisfying or deep than those of genre peers.
Avowed review scores
Metacritic’s listing, accessed in 2026, gives Avowed an 80/100 Metascore based on 80 critic reviews. Its user score is 6.8/10 from 2,242 user ratings; that is an aggregate of player ratings, not critic consensus. Both totals can change as ratings and reviews are added. Metacritic’s Avowed listing.
Those figures are later than the launch-day snapshot reported by Windows Central on February 13, 2025: Metacritic was then at 80 from 58 reviews, while OpenCritic was at 81 from 93 reviews. The counts describe different dates and should not be combined. Windows Central’s launch roundup.
| Source and date | Score | What it represents |
|---|---|---|
| Metacritic, accessed 2026 | 80/100 | Metascore from 80 critic reviews |
| Metacritic, accessed 2026 | 6.8/10 | User score from 2,242 user ratings |
| Windows Central, February 13, 2025 | 80/100 Metacritic; 81/100 OpenCritic | Launch-day snapshot: 58 Metacritic reviews and 93 OpenCritic reviews |
| PC Gamer, February 13, 2025 | 82/100 | Shaun Prescott’s individual review |
| GameSpot, February 12, 2025 | 6/10 | Alessandro Barbosa’s individual review |
What critics are saying about Avowed
Combat, exploration, and setting are the clearest strengths
The most consistent praise is for how Avowed feels to play and the world it invites players to explore. Windows Central’s launch roundup found critics praising its world design and combat. PC Gamer valued the combat and setting, while GameSpot highlighted impactful combat alongside exploration and platforming. These are reviewers’ qualitative impressions, not a measured ranking.
#1 Best Overall
- Welcome to the Living Lands, a mysterious island filled with adventure and danger.
- Set in the fictional world of Eora that was first introduced to players in the Pillars of Eternity franchise, Avowed is a first-person fantasy action RPG from the award-winning team at Obsidian Entertainment.
- Explore an island home to many different environments and landscapes, each with their own unique ecosystem
- Mix and match swords, spells, guns, and shields to fight your way
- Companions from a spread of species will fight alongside you, with their own unique set of abilities.
Obsidian Entertainment’s action RPG takes place in Eora and combines first-person fantasy combat with flexible weapon and magic loadouts, quests, companions, and dialogue choices. PC Gamer describes its structure as a set of distinct open zones, with a main critical path supplemented by side quests. That format offers room to explore without making the game an entirely seamless open world. PC Gamer’s review.
The story and role-playing depth divide opinion
PC Gamer’s Shaun Prescott scored the game 82/100, calling it “an engrossing and gorgeous action-RPG” while noting that it lacks the complex systems of beloved contemporaries. GameSpot reviewer Alessandro Barbosa gave it 6/10, arguing that satisfying combat is undercut by an unbalanced upgrade system and an uninteresting story. GameSpot’s review.
Rank #2
- Requires base game, Game Pass Ultimate, or PC Game Pass Membership (Sold Separately)
- Premium Upgrade includes: Premium Skin Packs: 2 sets of bonus skins for your companions, and access to Avowed Digital Artbook & Original Soundtrack
- Set in the fictional world of Eora that was first introduced to players in the Pillars of Eternity franchise, Avowed is a first-person fantasy action RPG from the award-winning team at Obsidian Entertainment.
- Explore an island home to many different environments and landscapes, each with their own unique ecosystem.
- Mix and match swords, spells, guns, and shields to fight your way.
The gap between those judgments points to a useful distinction: a player can enjoy the moment-to-moment action and setting without finding the story surprising or the RPG systems especially intricate. Windows Central’s roundup also noted divided critical opinions about the narrative and the freedom players have. The sampled reviews do not establish a single consensus on how compelling the characters or story payoff will feel.
Is Avowed worth playing?
Avowed looks like a better fit if you want first-person fantasy action, adaptable combat loadouts, and exploration across authored zones. It may be a weaker fit if your priority is intricate RPG systems, a highly reactive world, or a story built around major surprises.
PC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchRank #3
- Premium Edition includes: Avowed base game, Premium Skin Packs: 2 sets of bonus skins for each of your companions, and access to Avowed Digital Artbook & Original Soundtrack
- Set in the fictional world of Eora that was first introduced to players in the Pillars of Eternity franchise, Avowed is a first-person fantasy action RPG from the award-winning team at Obsidian Entertainment.
- Explore an island home to many different environments and landscapes, each with their own unique ecosystem.
- Mix and match swords, spells, guns, and shields to fight your way.
- Companions from a spread of species will fight alongside you, with their own unique set of abilities.
- Consider it if: combat feel, weapon-and-magic flexibility, exploration, and a distinctive fantasy setting matter most to you.
- Look more closely before choosing it if: you expect deep systemic role-playing, frequent world reactivity, a carefully balanced gear-upgrade loop, or an unpredictable narrative.
Release and availability context
Metacritic lists Avowed as released on February 18, 2025. Windows Central’s February 2025 roundup identified Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC availability and said the standard edition was included at launch in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Those are launch-era details; current subscription inclusion, platform editions, and retail availability are not established here. Check the relevant storefront for current options. Metacritic’s listing.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- L'édition Premium SteelBook comprend: le jeu de base Avowed, jusqu'à 5 jours d'accès anticipé, le SteelBook Avowed, la carte des Terres Vivantes, deux packs de skins Premium et l'accès à l'Artbook numérique Avowed et à la bande-son originale
- Vous êtes l'envoyé d'Aedyr, une terre lointaine, missionné pour enquêter sur les rumeurs selon lesquelles une épidémie se propagerait dans les Terres Vivantes, une île pleine de mystères et de secrets, de dangers et d'aventures, de choix et de conséconsés. quences, et d'une nature sauvage
- Explorez une île qui abrite de nombreux environnements et paysages différents, chacun avec son propre écosystème unique
- Mélangez et associez des épées, des sorts, des armes et des boucliers pour vous frayer un chemin
- The compagnons d'un large éventail d'espèces se battront à vos côtés, avec leurs propres capacités uniques
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
