Wild Bastards is a single-player roguelike strategy shooter that alternates campaign planning and crew management with first-person firefights. It is most likely to appeal to players who enjoy making tactical choices between action sequences, while its reviews are favorable overall but not unanimous. It launched on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch on September 12, 2024.
What kind of game is Wild Bastards?
Developed by Blue Manchu, Wild Bastards is described on its Steam listing as a spiritual successor to Void Bastards. That connection signals a related design sensibility, not simply a direct continuation: Wild Bastards combines a roguelike campaign and crew strategy with first-person combat.
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You travel between planets, recruit and manage a crew of 13 outlaws, gather loot, and enter shootouts. Each outlaw has distinct weapons, a special power, and a growth tree, so choosing who to bring and how to develop them is part of the strategic layer. The firefights are the action layer; the campaign decisions around them shape what you take into those encounters.
What do the reviews say?
Review snapshots available in 2026 point to generally favorable but divided reception. Metacritic’s PC critic page showed a 76 Metascore from 21 reviews, categorized as “Generally Favorable”: 12 positive, 6 mixed, and 1 negative. Steam’s all-time user-review snapshot showed 74% positive from 620 reviews. These figures reflect different groups and platforms, and neither is a permanent verdict.
#1 Best Overall
| Source | Snapshot | What it represents |
|---|---|---|
| Metacritic | 76 Metascore; 21 critic reviews | PC critic aggregate accessed in 2026 |
| Steam | 74% positive; 620 reviews | All-time Steam user-review snapshot accessed in 2026 |
The spread matters: the aggregate includes mixed and negative reviews as well as positive ones, so a single score cannot tell you whether its particular blend of planning and shooting suits you. The available aggregate data does not establish one specific criticism shared by dissenting reviewers.
What do reviewers highlight about its gameplay?
GameSpot reviewer Mark Delaney praised the way the game moves between pursuing particular loot, navigating hostile planets, and fighting varied enemies. He described the loop as making play feel “like a chess match and an action movie at the same time.” That is a reviewer’s assessment of the experience, not a neutral measure of difficulty or pacing.
Rank #2
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PC Gamer’s review, dated September 13, 2024, called the genre combination unusually successful; Steam displays its score as 9.1/10 and quotes the review as saying, “The roguelike and FPS genres haven’t been spliced so successfully since Deathloop—and Wild Bastards deserves just as much acclaim.” These are individual critical opinions alongside the broader, less unanimous aggregate.
Is Wild Bastards worth playing?
It is a strong fit if you want a shooter in which choices about travel, loot, and crew matter alongside aiming and movement. The 13-outlaw roster may also appeal if you prefer managing a group of distinct characters to following one fixed protagonist. If you want a conventional, uninterrupted FPS, the campaign and crew-management layer is a meaningful part of the package rather than background decoration.
Recommended Free Tools
Rank #3
- 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
- Seek out the weapon fabricators to increase your firepower as you journey deeper, into the dark and terrifying depths, but beware ammo is limited
- Gather materials & schematics for weapon upgrades and suit customizations with buffs
- Harvest DNA material to improve health, toughness and defensive capabilities.Survive an ever changing labyrinth. Each and every expedition into The Persistence will be disorienting and different.Death is just the beginning. Fatal encounters will result in Zimri's consciousness being uploaded into a new cloned body, ready to try again, with any upgraded stats, suits & weapon schematics kept to aid the next attempt to save the ship
Players coming from Void Bastards should expect a spiritual successor with a related roguelike-shooter premise, not assume the games are identical. The reception data supports a qualified recommendation: critics and Steam users lean positive in the cited snapshots, but the mixed and negative critic reviews mean the design is not universally acclaimed.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Platforms and release date
Maximum Entertainment announced a September 12, 2024 release for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch. Steam lists the PC release date as September 12, 2024. The official materials cited here establish digital availability; they do not confirm a physical retail edition.
Quick Recap
Best Value
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Rank #4
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- Expanded Diamond Dynasty and more: Collect and earn player cards in Diamond Dynasty: 360, as you craft your very own lineup with no more time-limited season restrictions. Try out Diamond Quest with your squad! It’s a brand-new roguelike board game mode, where rewards are yours to earn through moments, boss encounters and more.
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- Visual Improvements: Appreciate incredible high fidelity when you play on a PS5 console including updated dirt and grass, combined with real-time physics, making for an advanced level of detail.
Sources
- Wild Bastards on Steam — game details, release date, Steam user reviews, and the PC Gamer quotation and score display.
- Wild Bastards on Metacritic — PC critic aggregate.
- GameSpot’s Wild Bastards review — Mark Delaney’s assessment of the gameplay loop.
- PC Gamer’s Wild Bastards review — review dated September 13, 2024.
- Maximum Entertainment announcement — announced platforms and release date.
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.
