Pretty cool game tbh.

Definitely not for everyone, but I'd recommend giving it a try. It's TASTEFULLY difficult, which is something a lot of games can't get right. The mod Terrafirmacraft is either too difficult or too easy at times, and other games like Project Zomboid (Very different btw) get it right, but it seems like a lot. I've probably sank 20+ hours into Vintage Story, and I haven't made it past the copper age due to my own negligence. If you're unsure of the game, I still recommend giving it a try. The devs offer a generous refund policy (10 hours max of playtime for refunds), which is plenty of time to see if you like the game or not.

Personally, I'm excited to make pies. Pot pies, chicken pies, PIES. THIS GAME IS AWESOME.

(P.S. Bear pit lowkey the meta, especially in early game. Dig a 3 by 3 by 3 hole in the ground with block surrounding the edges, lead the bear into the pit. BOOM, free bear pelts.)

Wanted to have something like Wurm Unlimited mixed with Minecraft and it delivered! Nothing will beat my nostalgia for Wurm but this game rocks and is special.

I cannot support a game that keeps a developer spreading malware on the development team after they have been found out.

Trust is hard to earn and very easy to spend.
 

Quote

6 Points that I want to address

Preamble: I am writing this to the best of my current knowledge as of September 3, 2026.

Should significant discrepancies arise, I will append corrections to the bottom of the post.

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1. What happened + What was the impact? + What is the current state now?

What happened?

In November 2025, a user uploaded a particularly egregious and damaging mod to the ModDB whose sole purpose seemed to be profiting off of the misery of other Vintage Story players. It was marketed as a free version of a client-side cheat mod with a full version for payment off-site.

This mod (and another mod of the same author) was specifically designed to prevent its own reverse engineering, to circumvent protections of game servers and to cause damage on virtually any public Vintage Story game server. It included features such as teleporting, mass destruction of the game world and player builds, auto-killing of nearby creatures and players, aimbot, god mode and various other features that allowed circumventing standard survival mechanics.

This client-side cheat mod was removed from the ModDB once we discovered it, but the user then used more underhanded ways to acquire customers, such as uploading legitimate mods and then linking to his own Discord server where he kept selling the client-side cheat mod. There was an attempt to appeal to their better side in chat, to refrain from publishing this mod, but this was unsuccessful. We estimate that at this point this mod was used by less than 100 users.

As a result, Maltiez, of his own accord, decided to interrupt the effectiveness of this mod by adding code to 3 of his library mods (Config lib, PlayerModel lib, Overhaul lib) to detect the presence of this mod and only this mod, and if it was detected, caused the game client to crash. As a result, all game servers using any of Maltiez’ 3 mods were effectively protected from malicious users attempting to use said cheat mod.

What was the impact?

Maltiez’s code was designed to crash the game client when it detected the cheat. It did not harm anyone’s hardware or touch personal data in any way, shape or form. Fewer than 100 cheat mod users were affected by the deliberate targeting.

Around March 2026, Maltiez considered this a closed case and removed the crash code from 2 of his library mods but forgot to remove it from the last one - ConfigLib - as he had to take a break from modding due to personal health issues.

What is the current state now?

All versions of the 3 mods that contained Maltiez’s mod crash code have now been retracted from the Moddb.

Vanilla Vintage Story was not affected by this in the first place.

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2. What did Anego Studios know, and when?

Maltiez shared his anticheat efforts in Nov 2025 to Feb 2026 in our internal team chat. Some other team members looked at some parts of it in passing. We did not become aware of the scale of his actions - the amount of mods and mod versions he inserted this code in, how this change was communicated in public or for how long he intended to keep this code. There was too much chat ongoing for us to be able to pay close attention to every post.

I did not closely follow what Maltiez did in his own free time or grasped the full extent of these actions, I was busy building the next big game update.

In hindsight, we clearly should have paid close attention to this.

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3. “How do we know this can't happen in Vanilla?”

To this day, as for the past 10 years, I still review all major code changes before they become part of the main game. Other team members also help me in that effort by checking that the contributed code is consistent, safe and of high quality.

None of the mods from Maltiez are or were planned to be integrated into the main game at any point in time.

---

4. Our response was flawed

We also recognize that some of our communication during this situation was defensive or dismissive when people were raising legitimate concerns. As the discussion escalated, we also didn't always communicate moderation decisions as clearly as we should have. That's on us to improve.

Criticism of Vintage Story, Anego, our developers or our decisions is welcome as long as it stays within the community rules.

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5. “What are you actually changing because of this?”

Planned changes

a) In full agreement with Maltiez he will:

• depart from the official VS Discord server and VS Mod DB
• hand over Custodianship to all of his mods. They will be placed under a common Custodian account, which, until further notice, will be managed directly by the VS team. For the long term, we’ll see if there are options to hand Custodianship over to the community.
• retain full credits and intellectual ownership of his mods

Maltiez will continue contributing to Vintage Story, but with oversight.

b) We will write clearer rules/disclosure standards for mods maintained by Anego team members.

c) I will allocate significant funding for the training of better PR/crisis communication with the dev Team and de-escalation training and clearer procedures for the moderation team.

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6. Summary and my personal take on the Situation

This was an attempt to protect players from harm - to protect players' hard work on VS servers getting destroyed by a handful of gleefully malicious users with no harm done to normal players.

Keeping those changes secret prevented the malicious author from finding out. That overly naive approach and our rather loose team oversight have led to this. We should have paid closer attention to the full extent of this action. I am sorry that we have failed you on this.

I do not consider us a professional AAA game dev studio. We all started out as a bunch of nerds with a deep passion for game development. We love talking to our community, intermingling amongst them, sharing what we are passionate about and inviting them to develop Vintage Story together. We're happy when we can build a personal connection with players. But that also means when things go south, communication can get very messy, people within the team share different opinions, stress builds up amongst all of us and some of us might end up reacting in ways that are harmful.

We won’t always get everything right, but when we get something wrong, we need to own it, learn from it, and improve. Thank you to everyone who remained in constructive dialogue with us and gave us the opportunity to improve.

I’d also like to repeat here once more that criticism is welcome as long as it stays within the community rules.

Peak

This game is amazing, slow paced gameplay with survival and sandbox mechanics are JUST right. Visuals are beautiful, music is phenomenal and gameplay overall is great.
I can 100% recommend this game to anyone who likes sandbox or survival games. 10/10

this game is cool :D, i really enjoy it

I am giving this game 5 stars despite the sheer amount of complaining I (in hindsight) do in this review. Vintage Story absolutely deserves 5 stars as of the time of this review, and I cannot endorse this game enough. I even just bought a copy for a friend and am considering buying the supporter addon.  My goal with my review is to be as informative as possible to new players, while also giving the devs legitimate feedback.

First of all I love that the progression in the game feels very rewarding. That being said, I wish the handbook had a picture of actual clay blocks you'd see in the world and not just the clay item you get in your inventory. For me this forced me to look up on a third party source what clay looked like in the game. For as pivotal as clay is for progression, I wish it was a little more clear how to get it as I didn't find any until my third time making a world (the first two times I had less than ideal spawn biomes) and couldnt find it despite checking near water sources, and digging into the ground every 50 blocks or so on normal terrain. This was what was intuitive to me to finding clay, before I looked it up. I ended up having to return to third party sources again, this time to find where I could find clay. I think having to look things up is generally fine, but not when you've just loaded into a world on a new game for the very first time. Clay is arguably a day 2-3 item for even new players, which in my opinion means it should be better supported in-game for how to find it.

Other than the issues with clay, I would say the only other thing progression related that wasn't very intuitive was prospecting. It took me a long time to learn how to do it properly, again from third party sources. I ended up stuck in the copper age for quite awhile, despite dedicating most of my winter to caving. I learned from experience - after learning how prospecting works - that caving isn't really even the best way to find metals and minerals. 

I would say overall - given that I spent about my first 40-50 hours trying to play without external guides - it was generally a very intuitive and easy process, with lots of memorable moments. Things felt like they existed for a reason, and the reason was never to appease me as a player, or to make my life harder either. It never felt like the game was trying to spite me, and also never felt like it was trying to hold my hand. Another small complaint I have in regards to in-game guidance, is that I would like to see a more robust handbook section on mechanical power. I did not find this intuitive at all, and even when looking up third party sources of information on it I was still confused. I found this very frustrating and I ended up giving up on it entirely. I'll probably try again, but it almost feels like you have to make a creative world and experiment on there to figure it out because of how expensive materials are in survival and how unhelpful information both inside and outside of the game are in relation to it.

I feel that the game did a good job of making me feel scared and nervous when it wanted to, and curious and adventurous when it wanted to as well. Damn does this game reward being adventurous. I've got about 120 hours of play time now, it's been about a month since my initial purchase, and I am still finding out new things about the game even with pretty much watching vintage story videos 24/7 at this point. You'd think by now if I hadn't found it myself I'd have at least found it in a video, but jeez there's just so many little details in this game.

I love that all lore related content is optional, and never rushed. It took me about 2 in game years to do the first piece of story content, simply because I wanted to do other things first.

Do not get me started on the soundtrack. It is addicting, it is stuck in my head even when I'm not playing, I have music set to play frequently, I am a big fan of the music in this game. 

Vintage Story stands on it own two legs proudly, and quite well. That being said I do also recommend checking out mods. It's your game so play how you want! For me personally, I do not add mods that make the game easier, UNLESS, the mod is doing that for immersion reasons, (i.e. of course you'd get more flax string from a spinning wheel vs a drop spindle). Do animal blood trails technically make the game easier? Sure yes. Does it also add to the realism? Yes. Did I add it? Also yes. You paid for it, play it how you want!!

Last couple things I'll touch on, since I'm mainly writing this for those who haven't played yet but are considering buying this game; the bugs I encountered (and how to deal with them), and first time world settings. 

The bugs;
When forging or clay forming, I am encountering an issue where it will sometimes automatically select the item for me instead of what I want. I was advised in discord to change my mouse settings "double click speed" in the accessibility settings. This did not fix the issue for me. Considering the solution is probably related to buying a new mouse, I hope the dev's will consider changing how these menu's work or adding a small delay so that people who play their game do not need to buy new hardware to play it properly. For forging the only solution is to just spawn in a new metal bar/plate and throw out the old one (very annoying, however there's a mod that makes it so if you stop forging without making changes to the bar, it will give you the bar back). For clayforming, just remove the voxels to get your clay back without loss. I hope menu issue with forging/clayforming is prioritized as it's VERY annoying. However, again, you do have access to the tools to fix it (creative menu, which can easily be accessed with "/gm c" in chat and then "/gm s" to switch back to survival).

The second issue is apparently a UI issue. The bug is that you will have the correct items in the crafting menu in the correct layout, and see no output. When you click where the output should be, you will see the correct item flash for a moment but not actually craft. This can be resolved by just leaving your world and reloading it. While annoying I dont find the UI issue to be gamebreaking, it's infrequent with a simple fix.

World settings I would *personally* recommend for first time players:

Player Spawn and Death
Grace Timer - 3 days (minimum)
Timer for Items Dropped on Death - 1 hour

Survival Challenges
Microblock Chiseling - All blocks (or whatever it says)
Color Accurate World Map - On 
Clutter Obtainable - Yes, simply by breaking them (this one is personal and can be changed later, personally I find gluing to be overly expensive and would rather change the cost of that)

WORLD GENERATION (THE ONLY THINGS THAT CAN'T BE CHANGED LATER)
Landcover - 60-40% (This allows for proper oceans to generate. I personally found anything above 60% is too small) YOU WILL NOT HAVE OCEANS WITHOUT ADJUSTING THIS SETTING. I HIGHLY RECCOMEND THIS AS I MADE A NEW WORLD AFTER HUNDREDS OF HOURS BECAUSE I DID NOT HAVE OCEANS
Landcover scale - 300%
Upheavel rate - 10% (personal opinion. Makes extreme mountains less likely but also makes annoying jagged hills/dips less likely)
Landform Scale - 100% not to be confused with LandCOVER scale (this determines how far rock types will cover an area. For example I changed this in my new world since my original world was almost exclusively Peridotite in about a 7.5k diameter from spawn, a bit of an issue for progression)
Polar Equator Distance - 50k Blocks (makes it take about half as long to see meaningful changes in climate and foliage)

Multiplayer
Class Exclusive Recipes - OFF (unless you're actually playing in multiplayer)

I hope people will find this review helpful. I wanted to put as much thought and care into it as was clearly put into the game.
 

yes

I have been playing video games for a majority of my life and can confidently say that NOT ONE has clicked with me quite the way Vintage Story has. The realism, customization, exploration, and variety of mechanics in this game have genuinely raised my standards on games as a whole. There is so much character and love put into every nook and cranny of the game that it left an impression on me before I knapped my first tool. The story (while unfished) was so much more interesting and compelling than I imagined it would be, and I'm excited to see what the future holds for it. The game isn't free of flaws, but the rate at which they fix bugs, add massive mechanics, and overhaul old ones makes the game (to me0 feel completely fresh not only with each update, but with each new world or server I start. Not to mention that the modding community for the game is active and adding some extremely impressive stuff of their own. If you're looking for one of if not THE best survival game ever released, try this one.  

The game has a lot of potential and is very expansive with its current mechanics. There is easily enough content to last a hundred hours and restarting gives you new perspectives on how you intend to play each world. The builtin handbook is incredibly useful at teaching the basics, although I do wish for some improvements to searching/organization and an increase in the number of structured guides. The progression system lends itself quite nicely to multiplayer as given the time investment of progressing, it can be more effective to trade with other players for goods that you otherwise would have to spend a lot of time collecting / preparing. Creating shared infrastructure and forming civilization is also quite rewarding as people can specialize and spend more time with the mechanics they enjoy. I've experienced some varied bugs and glitchy behavior with netcode but always minor and easily fixed by a relog. Server setup is incredibly easy and convenient to interface via the command line. Mods are also nicely integrated with the game and between client and server. Returning to game content though, I think that temporal storms and temporal rifts are obnoxious and can rudely interupt player plans with a mediocre combat system. Improvements to combat and the storm experience would be greatly appreciated as in their current state I don't forsee myself inflicting their mechanics on future servers.

Overall a very nice package that encourages you to enjoy the slower tasks for the fruits that your labor provides. I look forward to future updates and what improvements and new experiences they bring. I doubt you will be disapointed with you purchase.

Baller game. I lost my stool from the monsters.

Even the first launch of Minecraft didn't give me the same feeling as launching Vintage story. After about 60 hours of gameplay, I find new mechanics and it's damn cool. Thanks a lot to Tyrone and his team for doing something like this. If I suddenly have money, I will definitely buy a support package.

I can't even imagine what will happen when the game is fully ready.

yay yay yay i love brewing beer and making cheese yay yay yay 

i love survival the harsh winters are fun!!! i love pickling my food and putting it into milk barrel and making cheese!!!!! funnest game on my computer!!!

i am goingto buy this for my friend!!! and we will play together!!!! and we will have fun 2gether!!!! yay yay yay!!!!!!

heheheheheheheheheh i lvoe video games they are so fun and i love this video gmae so fun so fun so fun

anyways yeah if you love gameplay focused and lore-heavy games that are realistic (but not too realistic!) then this is the game for you!!

This game made Minecraft look like a knockoff! Love this game, everything is fun to do, there's so much to explore, so much to do- even the difficult things are fun, like for example making steel, and other stuff kinda like the sort!

Keep up the incredible work Anego!

really fun! i recommend it
it runs pretty well on steam deck too from what i've played

First time i played it, i remeber the fear of the first night in minecraft 13 years ago and it gived me chills, for me that made me fall in love with vintage story!

And for people who ask , no its not minecraft<3

The best game I've ever seen in the survival genre!
I really liked the elements of realism in many mechanics and this vintage world with its interesting lore.
For creative people there is a lot of space for creativity thanks to chiseling, players on servers create such masterpieces that it takes my breath away.
I simply have no words to describe how cool this game is, it's love at first sight!

If you are new player starting with Vintage story, the game can feel overwhelming and even tedious at times. It really asks from you to learn the complex mechanics and get yourself going in terms of progression. But once you get your first tools, build nice home, get farms going, uncover leathermaking, food preservation, and chiseling your first chair, trapping chickens and building a coop just for them, or bombing ores in mines. I can go on and on. VS gets better soon,you just have to invest little in the beginning. But trust me, once you understand it, that this is one of a kind experience, and how immersive it gets, and how it functions as your safe place, that is your own, that cost you practical effort and patience, youll be returning to your safe place, very often, it could be your salvation from dreadful life.

Have in mind that VS is still a sandbox building game. You can build anything you can think of. I mean,everything. Table? Persian rug? Castle? Gas station. If you get bored of the survival mechanics, build something nice. Also, think about this: when building for purpose (lets say you buy smithery, or pottery workshop, or windmill, or bakery, great satisfaction can be derived from that. Because it has function. And function is beautiful to our eyes,And also if you find some mechanics not so fun, there are often mods on that. Mods can also add great things. Cats, cannabis (grassroots), improved ambience, improved chisel tools, you name it. Good night

one of the best survival games ive ever played

Vintage Story is an absolute masterpiece among survival games.

After years of playing different survival games, I honestly thought the genre had very little left that could truly surprise me. But Vintage Story completely proved me wrong. This is not just another sandbox game about gathering resources and building shelters. It is a deep, thoughtful, atmospheric survival experience that takes the best parts of the genre and elevates them to an entirely different level.

What impressed me the most is how naturally the game makes you think. Nothing feels cheap, rushed, or overly simplified. Every step matters. When you craft your first tool, fire your first clay vessel, find copper, build a proper furnace, or finally start smithing, it feels like a real achievement. It is not just a button press in a menu. It is a meaningful process, and that makes every bit of progress incredibly satisfying.

The atmosphere is outstanding. The changing seasons, weather, sounds of nature, dangerous nights, quiet forests, harsh winters, and constant fight for survival create a world that feels alive and believable. Vintage Story has something many modern games have lost: soul. It does not hold your hand, but it respects you as a player.

The crafting and technological progression are among the best I have ever experienced in a survival game. Everything feels logical, detailed, and intentionally designed. From primitive beginnings to advanced metalworking, every system feels carefully crafted. You genuinely feel like you are building your own civilization from nothing.

I also really appreciate that the game is not just endless grinding. It is about planning, exploration, learning, and adapting. Every journey has meaning, every winter is a challenge, and every decision can affect how comfortably or painfully you survive the days ahead.

Vintage Story is, in my opinion, one of the best survival game ever made. It is challenging, honest, beautifully atmospheric, and incredibly rewarding. For players who enjoy slower, more realistic, and deeper progression, it is almost a perfect game.

If you enjoy survival games, crafting, exploration, and the feeling that every achievement is truly earned, Vintage Story is an absolute must-play.

For me, it is easily one of the finest games in the genre, and a game I will gladly keep returning to for a very long time.

Was on a temporary leave of absence for 3 months, turns out you can be too depressed to work. I played vintage story, it was my therapy and helped me slow down. Adult minecraft is now and will always be one of my favorite games

Absolutely amazing, I legit feel like a kid playing the other block game for the first time again.

This game is pretty good. I would sacrafice all of the worlds children for more Vintage Story.

This is an incredible and as far as I know unique Game.

The Detail of Survival, processing of Ressources, Depth and Potential of the Game are all amazing even in the Base-Game.
It already contains great Quality of Life Features like an Game-internal Handbook with quality Instructions of Ingame Processes and Mechanics, Crafting-Recipies and more.
The Devs are very active and are continously improving the Game without adding useless Features imo.
It is also very easily modable (from the Mod-User perpective) with a great Community and even Offical Servers.

Ingame Features like knapping, metalwork and taming feel great and I never felt "lost". There current physics with Wind- and Water-based mechanisation are awesome and I hope they will keep adding more great content in the future.

thank god I found this game, top 10 games on the internet there's nothing better then prospecting in a conglomerate biome