Used to identify the game, unaltered. Arx Fatalis wordmark, trademark of its owner, from the publisher's Steam store listing

Arx Fatalis

Catalogue entry · not reviewed · store data read 30 August 2026

This critically acclaimed first-person RPG from Arkane Studios takes the player on an amazing journey into the fantasy world of Arx. Arx is wrought with turmoil, brought to the brink of destruction by a violent war.

Role-Playing

Player score

8.8/10

2,634 reviews

Released: 2002
Developer: Arkane Studios
Platforms: 2 systems
Critics: 77
Steam Deck: playable
Download: Not stated

We have not written a full review of this game.This is a catalogue entry: everything below comes from a source we can link, checked on a stated date. There is no score and no verdict here, because we only publish those after a reviewer has played the game and written it up properly. Our team may well have played this one. Until someone writes the review, we are not going to imply a verdict we have not put our name to.

What is Arx Fatalis?

Description as published by the developer on its own store page, read 30 August 2026. It is marketing copy, not our assessment.

The record

Catalogue facts
First released	28 June 2002
Developer	Arkane Studios
Publisher	JoWooD Entertainment
Platforms	Xbox, Steam Deck
Genres	Role-Playing
Languages	6 supported

Source. Catalogue facts from Wikidata Q717733, seeded 30 August 2026. Store data from Steam, read 30 August 2026.

How was Arx Fatalis received?

Players88%positive of 2,634 · Very Positive

Metacritic77critic aggregate, PC

Method. Player figures are Steam's own totals for the PC version, read 30 August 2026. The Metacritic score is the one Steam publishes on its store page and can lag the site itself. Metacritic page. Neither is our opinion. We have not published a review of this game.

What does it support?

Technical support
Capability	Support
Controller	Not stated
Cloud saves	No
Cross-platform play	No
Mod support	No official workshop
Online play	Single-player only
In-game purchases	No
Steam Deck	playable
Download size	Not stated
Add-on content	None listed
Age gate	None

Content descriptors

General mature content

Method. Read from the publisher's Steam listing on 30 August 2026. Describes the PC version. Console versions differ.

What does it cost?

$4.99

Steam price in US dollars, read 30 August 2026. Prices move hourly and vary by region. Check the current price.

Problems players report

We read the 200 most recent negative Steam reviews of Arx Fatalis on 30 August 2026 and counted what they mention. These are complaints, not confirmed defects: we have not reproduced any of them, and a review describes one person's machine. What the counts tell you is which problems more than one person ran into.

Will not launch or install13 of 200 (7%)
Arx Libertatis gets the game running on nearly all systems, I suggest it if you can't run the game normally.
Steam review, 10 May 2016 · 0 hours played · 29 readers marked it helpful
Won't run on new builds of Windows 10 (build 16170).
Steam review, 8 April 2017 · 1 hours played · 22 readers marked it helpful
Crashes and freezes11 of 200 (6%)
I used Arx Libertatis (a mod to fix stuff and make the game actually run without crashing), so my actual playtime on this attempt was somewhere around 5 hours.
Steam review, 31 July 2017 · 0 hours played · 118 readers marked it helpful
If you start the exe from the game directory at least you'll be able to run it without crashing out of the program after character creation, but it does not register any gestures at all.
Steam review, 27 September 2024 · 0 hours played · 23 readers marked it helpful

A further 18 reviews call the game buggy or broken without saying how, which is why they are counted separately rather than assigned to a theme. Counted by keyword across review text, so a review discussing two problems is counted under both. Read the reviews yourself.

Games like Arx Fatalis

24 games overlap with Arx Fatalis on the tags Steam players applied to it, on genre, and on theme. The closest are Dark Messiah of Might & Magic, Thief: Deadly Shadows and Dishonored.

All 24 games like Arx Fatalis

Common questions about Arx Fatalis

What platforms is Arx Fatalis on?

Arx Fatalis is available on Xbox, Steam Deck. It first released in 2002.

How much does Arx Fatalis cost?

$4.99 on Steam in the United States, read on 30 August 2026. Prices move often and vary by region, so check the store before buying.

Do players recommend Arx Fatalis?

88% of 2,634 Steam reviews are positive, which Steam rates Very Positive. That is players rating it, not our review. We have not published a review of this game.

What is the Metacritic score for Arx Fatalis?

77 out of 100 for the PC version, as published on the game's own Steam store page. Steam can lag Metacritic by a few points.

Does Arx Fatalis work on Steam Deck?

Valve rates Arx Fatalis as playable on the Steam Deck, from its own testing.

Who made Arx Fatalis?

Arx Fatalis was developed by Arkane Studios and published by JoWooD Entertainment.