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Ghostrunner Critic Reviews: Is the Fast, Punishing Action Game Worth It?

Critics generally favor Ghostrunner’s high-speed movement and precise combat, but its punishing one-hit deaths and secondary story will not suit every player.
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Critics generally liked Ghostrunner for its blistering first-person movement and precise sword combat, but its one-hit deaths make repeated retries part of the experience. The game is a strong fit if you enjoy mastering difficult routes and encounters; it is less appealing if you want forgiving action or a story-led adventure.

What critics think of Ghostrunner

Metacritic’s all-platform snapshot, accessed October 8, 2026, lists Ghostrunner at 81/100, or “Generally Favorable,” based on 65 critic reviews. In that same review set, Metacritic classifies 54 reviews as positive (83%), 11 as mixed (17%), and none as negative. These are classifications of the displayed critic reviews, not a survey of players, and the aggregate can change as the page is updated. Platform-specific aggregates differ, so the all-platform score should not be read as a score for every edition.

Individual reviews show the range behind that favorable consensus: GameSpot scored it 7/10 in October 2020, while PC Gamer scored it 81/100 on November 19, 2020. These are review-era judgments, not assessments of current price, patches, or performance on each platform.

What reviewers praise: movement and combat

Ghostrunner is a single-player action platformer in a science-fiction, post-apocalyptic setting. Its core loop combines first-person running, jumping, sliding, and wall-running with melee combat. A single hit can kill the player or an enemy, so staying mobile and reacting quickly are central to both traversal and fights.

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#1 Best Overall
Ghostrunner (PS5)
  • Ghostrunner is a first-person action slasher game with Slick parkour-inspired gameplay elements
  • Players assume the role of an Android Ninja, and use a combination of abilities and melee katana combat to slice foes as they Ascend treacherous Neon cyberpunk skyscrapers of the future
  • Players have a wide range of movement abilities, including wall running, sliding, and time manipulation to eliminate all targets in their way
  • The game takes place in the future, after a global cataclysm where the remains of humanity live in an Ominous Neon Tower built by the architect, who died mysteriously years ago
  • Ghostrunner's movement system is dynamic, featuring abilities which let the player run on walls, slide and slice foes, dashing with gusto, time manipulation, leaping and bounding off neon-lit walls

Reviewers repeatedly praised the way movement and combat flow together, and the satisfaction of learning a route or encounter through practice. GameSpot’s Mike Epstein wrote that the game is “quick to punish” but rewards players who meet its challenge. IGN reviewer Michael Saltzman, quoted in a GameSpot roundup, called its breakneck, skill-heavy gameplay “a speedrunner’s dream.”

Is Ghostrunner too hard?

It is deliberately demanding, and whether that feels exhilarating or frustrating depends largely on your tolerance for retries. Because a single hit can end a run, mistakes carry immediate consequences. Reviewers often saw the challenge as fair when mastered, but GameSpot also noted that the intensity can become frustrating. PC Gamer described the game as brutally difficult but fair.

  • You may enjoy the difficulty if you like quick restarts, precise platforming, and gradually mastering an encounter.
  • You may find it aggravating if you prefer room to absorb mistakes or want a more forgiving action game.

PC Gamer also identified Cybervoid puzzles as interruptions to the action’s pace. That is a specific criticism of the game’s rhythm, rather than a claim that every puzzle or section will land the same way for every player.

Rank #2
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How important is the story?

Critics generally treated the narrative as secondary to the action, describing it as detached or as a backdrop for the movement and combat. If story is your main reason to play, that is a meaningful caveat; if you are primarily there for the mechanical challenge, it may matter less.

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How long is Ghostrunner?

Review-era estimates vary: GameSpot’s October 2020 roundup described a six-hour campaign, while an excerpt from IGN reviewer Michael Saltzman in the same roundup gave a six-to-eight-hour estimate. These are estimates, not a guaranteed completion time; individual playtime can differ, particularly in a game built around repeated attempts.

Which version does the score cover?

The 81/100 figure above is Metacritic’s all-platform snapshot, not a platform-specific verdict. Metacritic displays separate platform aggregates, and those figures differ. Check the listing for the platform you intend to play on rather than assuming the all-platform number represents that edition. PlayStation’s official listing identifies PS4 and PS5 versions and names 505 Games as publisher: Ghostrunner on PlayStation.

Quick Recap

Bestseller No. 1
SaleBestseller No. 2
Perp The Persistence Enhanced Amélioré(e) Anglais PlayStation 5
Perp The Persistence Enhanced Amélioré(e) Anglais PlayStation 5
PS5 Features include raytracing modes and immersive haptic feedback for DualSense; Use darkness and cover to avoid being overwhelmed by the ship's deadly new inhabitants
$18.18

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.

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