Once Human is a free-to-play survival game about exploring a post-apocalyptic world, fighting its creatures, gathering resources, and building a territory. It is available on PC and mobile, as well as PlayStation 5, PlayStation 5 Pro, and Xbox Series X|S. Its scenarios offer different PvE and PvP rules, so the right starting point depends on whether you want cooperative survival, a tougher environmental challenge, or player-versus-player competition.
What is Once Human?
Starry Studio’s Once Human combines survival, action combat, crafting, base building, and exploration in a post-apocalyptic setting shaped by Stardust. The Steam store describes it as a “Strange Worlds Survival Game.” Its release date on Steam was July 9, 2024.
Survival means paying attention to environmental hazards and the safety of food and water. The wider loop includes fighting monsters and bosses, customizing weapons, building and expanding a territory, and investigating the world’s factions and the effects of Stardust. These activities sit within separate scenarios, which have their own rules and objectives rather than one shared experience for every player.
Steam’s Once Human listing identifies Starry Studio as the developer and Starry Studio and NetEase Games as publishers.
#1 Best Overall
- THE ULTIMATE BLUFFING GAME: Place face-down skull or flower discs, then bid on how many you can flip without hitting a skull in this razor-sharp party board game for 3-6 adult and teen players
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- GREAT FOR ALL GROUP SIZES: Light enough for casual adult party games, deep enough for strategy lovers. Skull board game delivers thrills, laughter, and tense moments at any gathering or party
- THE ESSENTIAL ADULT PARTY GAME: If you love bluffing, social deduction, and outplaying your friends, Skull is the most elegant, portable party game for adults you will ever own - pure psychology, zero filler
Is Once Human free to play?
Yes. The Steam listing marks the PC game as free to play, and the developer’s console FAQ also describes the console version as free to play. The FAQ characterizes paid features as cosmetics, a Battle Pass, and other content that does not affect gameplay or fairness. That is the developer’s description of its monetization, not an independent assessment.
What platforms can I play Once Human on?
The official console FAQ lists PlayStation 5, PlayStation 5 Pro, and Xbox Series X|S. The game is also available on PC and mobile. The FAQ says console supports full cross-platform play with PC and mobile, though server choice can affect where you play: cross-platform and console-exclusive servers are offered where available.
On console, the FAQ lists keyboard and mouse support, custom key bindings, HDR, Quality Mode, Performance Mode, and adjustable controller vibration. The available settings and their behavior may vary by setup.
PC requirements
These are the requirements published on Steam, not independent performance-test results. Check the current Steam listing before downloading in case they have changed.
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Rank #2
- FEELIN’ CUTE is the fur-mily party game of determining which animals are the cutest! Think you can figure out which of your friends believes a Tree Frog is more precious than a Fennec Fox? You’re about to!
- DESIGNED FOR 2-8 PLAYERS, ages 6 and up, the card game takes 15 minutes to play, and will leave players feelin' cuter than ever!
- BOTH COMPETITIVE & COOPERATIVE gameplay options mean this family game that adults also enjoy is perfect for animals (or humans) of all kinds!
- CHOOSE your favorite animal paw and place the Cuteness Scale in the center of the table. Draw animal cards and show them around. Decide how its cuteness compares to the last and the other players make their guesses. If no one guesses right, turn over a Blobfish token, and once all three are turned, tally your scores!
- SPARKS HILARIOUS DISCUSSION about the cuteness of animals–and always ends with an emphatic "I want to play again!"
| Specification | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows 10 64-bit | Windows 10 64-bit |
| Memory | 8 GB RAM | 16 GB RAM |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-4460 or listed equivalent | Intel Core i7-7700 or listed equivalent |
| Graphics | GTX 750 Ti 4 GB / Radeon RX550 class | GTX 1060 6 GB / RX 580 2304SP / Intel ARC A380 class |
| DirectX | Version 11 | Version 12 |
| Storage | 100 GB | 100 GB; SSD highly recommended |
| Network | Broadband internet | Broadband internet |
How do Once Human scenarios work?
Scenarios are separate worlds with distinct rules and gameplay. The official scenario announcement describes options ranging from approachable PvE survival to faction-based PvP. Some are designed around a particular challenge or activity, so read the scenario description and rules before signing up.
| Scenario | Focus | A fit if you want… |
|---|---|---|
| Manibus (Novice) | Beginner-friendly PvE survival | A recommended starting point for new players |
| Manibus | PvE exploration and cooperative progression | Survival and teamwork with some experience |
| The Way of Winter | PvE survival under extreme heat and cold, with Thermal Towers | A more demanding environmental survival challenge |
| Endless Dream | Cooperative PvE focused on clearing Dream Zone enemies | Group combat against scenario-specific enemies |
| Deviation: Survive, Capture, Preserve | PvE collection and Deviation battles | Collecting and battling Deviations |
| Evolution’s Call | PvP warbands and resource competition | Organized player-versus-player competition |
| Prismverse’s Clash | Faction-based PvP | Fighting as part of a faction |
Scenario availability, sign-up windows, server openings, and capacity are operational details that can change. Some openings may depend on sign-ups and server capacity. Use the official Once Human news page to check the latest scenario announcement rather than relying on an old schedule.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Can I play across PC, mobile, and console?
The official FAQ says console supports full cross-platform play with PC and mobile. It also distinguishes between cross-platform and console-exclusive servers where those options are offered. Choose a server that matches the platforms you intend to use, and check the current in-game server options before committing.
Linking accounts is not merging them
The developer’s console launch announcement says players can link console accounts with existing PC or mobile accounts to play on different platforms and share data. But linking does not merge accounts. If both accounts have characters and meet the applicable conditions, the system presents character information from the most recently played account and asks which account’s characters to keep; characters on the other account are discarded.
Rank #3
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- This edition of the smash hit trivia game I should have known that, contains 110 cards with more than 400 addictively entertaining Yes or No trivia questions about things that you should know.
- Family friendly standalone edition that can be played on its own, or together with the original, green, I should have known that trivia game
- One thing is for sure, it will only be a matter of time before you hear yourself say. ahhh!... I should have known that
- Players 2+ / Age 14+ / Box Size 5.7 x 5.7 x 1.8 inches
Read the current in-game linking prompts carefully and confirm which characters you want to retain before completing the process. Do not assume characters from both accounts will be combined.
What carries over when a scenario ends?
According to the official FAQ, players have three post-scenario paths: stay on the current server, sign up for another scenario or server, or return to Eternaland. What carries over depends on the item or data type; not everything transfers in the same way.
- Some weapons, armor, materials, medicine, Deviations, and calibration blueprints go to Eternaland. They may be transferred into another scenario using Resource Inheritance Points, with costs that vary by item.
- Fashions and some character data, most currencies, blueprints, formulas, design layouts, and task progress are among the data the FAQ says are retained directly under its rules.
For the exact rules that apply to your items and character, consult the current FAQ and the transfer details shown in-game before leaving a scenario.
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