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Dungeon Defenders: Awakened blends tower defense with action-RPG combat: choose a hero, build defenses, fight waves, and collect loot. Reviews are mixed rather than unanimous, and the figures differ by platform and rating system. Steam’s listing also highlights online and shared/split-screen co-op, making it a natural fit for players who want to defend together.
How the game plays
Each match combines preparation and combat. You select a hero and place defenses, then fight incoming enemies while developing your character through leveling, loot, pets, and customization. The appeal is in the overlap: defenses shape the battlefield, but you are also directly involved in the action.
Steam describes online play with up to four players and lists shared/split-screen co-op. That gives friends a clear reason to consider it, though storefront listings alone do not establish whether online and local play work identically across platforms.
What the reviews say
The available scores point to a divided reception, but they should be read separately: critic reviews, storefront user reviews, and player ratings are different measures with different samples. These figures were captured from the listed pages on October 8, 2026, and can change.
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- Embrace Your Inner Hero: Defend Waterdeep and Undermountain from four legendary D&D monsters—Beholder, Displacer Beast, Mimic, and Red Dragon. Team up to protect citizens and outwit these iconic foes.
- Engaging Cooperative Gameplay: Unite family and friends in a thrilling strategy adventure that boosts critical thinking, problem solving, and teamwork.
- Visually Stunning Components: Featuring a richly illustrated game board, sculpted monster miniatures, hero markers, and a custom d20 for immersive D&D flair.
- Easy to Learn, Endless Variety: Each monster offers unique tactics and challenges, delivering fresh strategies and replayable excitement in every 60-minute session.
- Game Night Ready: For 1–5 players. Includes 1 game board, 4 monster mats and figures, hero badges, citizen standees, dice, cards, and all tokens needed to begin your quest.
| Source and platform | Rating | Sample and qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Metacritic, PC critics | 74/100 | Seven critic reviews; Metascore |
| Metacritic, PC users | 7.4/10 | Nine user ratings |
| Steam, PC | 68% positive | 2,290 English user reviews |
| PlayStation Store, US | 3.87/5 | 338 global player ratings; the store says ratings come from verified owners |
Those numbers are not interchangeable: Metacritic’s critic score reflects a small set of professional reviews, Steam reports the share of English reviews marked positive, and PlayStation uses a five-point player-rating scale. They also do not establish sales, active-player population, or how the game performs technically.
What critics praised—and what gave them pause
Metacritic’s excerpt of Shacknews’ May 29, 2020 review praised the art style and the combination of tower defense with meaningful looting, leveling, and gear systems. That matches the game’s central draw: defenses matter, but so does building up a hero and improving equipment.
Rank #2
- 500+ Page Hardcover
- Character customization beyond your wildest dreams: create your own skills, races, classes, and more
- Incorporate canonical characters and locations from the novels, or make the World Dungeon your own
- Over 24 easy-to-play sessions (8+ neighborhoods/quests per floor)
- Create your own character or play as canon characters, including Carl, Donut, and Katia
A DualShockers excerpt on Metacritic described co-op as exciting and the late game as a highlight, while warning that early solo play can feel boring. Another criticism in the collected excerpts characterized the game as more of the same for franchise fans. These are individual reviewers’ judgments, not guarantees about every player’s experience.
Which platform should you choose?
Choose based on where your group plays and which form of co-op you need. The official storefront listings describe different modes; they do not confirm feature parity or cross-play between platforms.
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- Learn to Play - A fun way to learn to play
- Complete details for running the Tutorial floors # 1-2 in a campaign, based on Dungeon Crawler Carl, the first novel in the series
- Create your own character or play as canon characters, including Carl, Donut, or the Meadow Lark crew: Brandon, Chris, Imani, and Yolanda
- Campaign Material seamlessly flows into the Core Book
- Adventure - Easy-to-run one-shot to get folks excited
| Platform/listing | Availability and release date | Co-op information listed |
|---|---|---|
| Steam (PC) | Released May 28, 2020 | Online and shared/split-screen co-op; online play for up to four players |
| Nintendo Switch, US listing | Digital; released August 4, 2021 | Online play for one to four players; single-system play for one player |
| Metacritic platform listings | PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Xbox Series X are listed | Co-op details are not established here for each platform |
Availability can vary by region and storefront, so check the store serving your account before buying. The Nintendo US page labels the Switch edition Digital. The cited listings do not establish cross-play, comparative performance, or whether every platform offers the same modes.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Is Dungeon Defenders: Awakened worth playing?
It is most compelling if you enjoy combining defense-building with direct combat and character progression, especially with friends. If you expect a consistently engaging solo opening or a major departure from earlier Dungeon Defenders games, the critical caveats are worth considering. The mixed, platform-specific ratings support a cautious recommendation rather than a blanket verdict.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- New Tactics & Upgrades and of course new Threats!
- Travel on the Nightmare Express with new
- Expands with 5 new bosses! Kill Kill Kill!
- Explore a new world Dungeon Level!
- Not a standalone game: Core Unstoppable Game required
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.
