Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 PS5

With GTA 6, Ghost of Yotei, Death Stranding 2, and Monster Hunter Wilds all on the horizon, 2025 has always looked like a promising year for game releases. What wasn't expected, though, was for such a strong and highly rated title to come along before all of them and steal some of the best review ratings this year. At the time of writing, the new RPG from Warhorse Studios, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, is tracking at an 87 rating on Metacritic (or an 88 for PS5).

This means that, in the RPG space at least, the medieval simulator is competing with the likes of Final Fantasy 16, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Horizon Forbidden West, and Disco Elysium. Only truly elite experiences like Baldur's Gate 3 better it — according to Metacritic averages, at least.

The critical success also marks a substantial upgrade for Warhorse Studios, which recorded a rating of 76 with the first game. To improve in such a drastic fashion is impressive. Below you will find a selection of critic reviews waxing lyrical about the sequel — and one that wasn't as hot on the RPG.

Push Square - 10/10

Fortune favours the brave, the family motto of the noble Capon line and the creed of developer Warhorse Studios. In daring to deliver its singular vision for a game, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 transports even the most grizzled genre veterans back to a time of truly immersive video game experiences. Challenging, uncompromising, and thoroughly engrossing, it's in a league almost entirely of its own.

VGC - 5/5

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a brilliant RPG that's uncompromisingly itself. Difficult, mucky, and bloody, it's an excellent realization of the promise of the first game and a coming-out party for Warhorse into gaming's top tier.

GameSpot - 9/10

While Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 still stumbles in some aspects of its portrayal of 15th-century Bohemia, the shadow that lingered over the first game has mostly dissipated. This is a massively improved sequel in every other area, with better combat, quest design, and none of the technical issues that plagued the original. Not everyone will vibe with its slow-paced and oftentimes tedious approach, but those willing to meet it on its own terms will find a compelling open-world RPG that relishes in player agency and the consequences of your actions.

IGN - 9/10

In many ways, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 feels like it’s picked up and run with the reactive first-person RPG torch that Bethesda left lying in the mud years ago in pursuit of a broader audience. And it has excellent melee combat, which The Elder Scrolls never came close to even at its peak. Sometimes it's not sure if it wants to be a cinematic tale about a specific guy going on a specific adventure or a truly dynamic open-world sandbox packed with interesting and varied side quests, and that can lead to a few immersion-shattering conflicts. But most of the time, leaning into one doesn't get in the way of the other, and you’re free to go on any of its many optional adventures along the way to a thought-provoking and rousing finale for the main plot. I was delighted to get lost in its world, and it will be a long time before I forget its exceptional story.

Eurogamer - 3/5

There are many times I wish Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 was easier to like. Easier to get into, easier to enjoy, and easier to savour in the long-run - and that's before we get into the knotty briar patch of its director being a vocal supporter of a movement whose effects continue to cause real and tangible harm to the wider industry. But I also don't think it really cares about being liked, either. Which is fine, as I don't really much like it myself. There's a lot to admire here, sure, but you have to do so on its own terms. It is a hard and maddening slog at times, but one that still has its moments where it surprises and quietly delights. Like the original, this isn't an RPG designed to make you feel good - you continue to be little more than a passenger in this historical tapestry, following along behind the horse tails of Henry's betters, and clearing up the mess they leave behind. Some will revel in that work, but I for one won't be chomping at the bit for another sequel any time soon.


Will you be playing Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 from tomorrow, 4th February 2025? Let us know in the comments below.