SCUM

This game has been in development since 2018, nothing has happened and very little has changed.
Feels like I put money in a sports bet when I would know I would lose.

Gun play isn't bad and neither are the building mechanics but hat is all there is to it. This has a the bones of a good game but cant get it together. Overall extremely disappointing but even sadder that this is the trend in gaming now; make something than pretend to work on it for months and have as many buys before full release as possible. I wish Steam would ban games like this or at least keep them from being able to take money until they have a finished product. This is bad for the industry.

Horde spawns are horrible, in no other zombie game does a persistent onlsaught of zombies spawn out of thin air, lazy coding.

survival and base building is 10/10, but the way puppet hordes spawn are severely off putting.
shouldnt get mobbed looting the first lone house I come across lol

i used to love this game. i put in hundreds of hours. I can deal with the cons that agro others, the few things that really chap my hide are:
*Buildings are too similar.
*My boat ALWAYS capsizes when i try to go to Z Sectors.
*Two too many prompts when trying to enter vehicle.

At the moment i cannot recommend this title.

It has a LOT of potential but there are just some things that held me back enjoying this game. Those things were also pretty much evident from the beginning of the game so i did not get far.

The first is the abismal inventory system. Stacking is disabled(??) for certain item that does not make sense. The constant dragging and lack of sorting is also making it hard to enjoy.
The second thing is the lack of food. I have been entirely vegan because the animals do not spawn in a normal way. You have to do a mini game for them to actually spawn, a minigame that you can fail if you take too long. I just expect to find animals running around without having to do that minigame. Apart from the 3 wolves spawning in your near vicinity to kill you.

Hopefully a few patches in this stuff will be improved but it is unclear in what direction the devs want this game to go.

I wish I could say "buy this game" but it just feels so dead now. Community updates are rad and all, the game has come a long was as well. Once it was all I wanted to play, but... its starting to feel like more DLC packs than updates. Things are still broken (such as spawns) and the combat and grind feels old. I keep checking back for some news on a new update or a fix.. but nothing. I hope this game gets the love it deserves soon and I hope I will be eating my words.

New player to SCUM...not new player to survival games..and this game is just not enjoyable. Here's me...parachute in..make bag and spear and bow + arrows...head off to smallest area to find things...meet puppets..get hit a few times...bleed to death..rinse and repeat. Weeee...lovely game if you enjoy just bleeding to death over and over and over again. Never find enough bandages to do anything..and even if i did...no bag space to hold enough to stop bleeding (never have enough to make a bundle...yet)...I understand games are suppose to be hard...but...this game is just ridiculous.

After years in early access, still no hosting your own server.

The game's development hasn't been great and i had put it aside in the hope of eventually hosting my own server with friends. Well it's been some years and still no hosting server.

I can not give this game a positive review after waiting years, with updates that are questionable and sometimes are downright one step forward and two steps back.

The Game is Empty and Void of life, I didn't realize it was an empty 7 year old game before I purchased it, I gave it an honest try and ventured around the map for hours, found absolutely nothing of note. The AI are outdated, they act like something off a N64 game GoldenEye. Even when the game completes it'll never compete with anything new. I wasted More than $20 so you don't have too, I can't refund it because I took to long looking for anything in the game.

You know that basic thing that every game that has servers does to allow people to play with their friends?

Well in this game, if you want to play in a server with just you and your buddies and not get nuked by cheaters or have the server wiped whenever the official servers decide they don't like the server that day, you have to RENT a server.

And in their most recent update, they are now saying that it is only "being considered" and that they "can't share more details at this time" because their "primary focus right now is delivering an awesome 1.0 launch".

Yea, so thing about that is part of that "awesome 1.0 launch" is not having telezombies (which they have already said is not going away) and the ability to host your own server.

If both of those things are not part of 1.0, the game sunk at the "Horde" update. Have a lot of hours before they decided to make the world less immersive and more arcade-y. Have zero hours more until I can play on a private server without having to pay a subscription fee that is NOT listed on the store page.

The game mechanics are entirely too difficult.

After playing a short while it felt lonely and boring until i found an amazing server with actual active admins that do great work, it just needs some more pop.
Search for: finland
U also get a welcome pack here which is awesome for starters.

New hunting system sucks bad but the rest of the game is good. PLS fix hunting

Best survival game, would be awesome to see some improvements to base building and the anticheat, the cheater problem can really suck at times :(

Just under 400 hours, I have finally given up on scum. I was almost checking the updates on a daily basis, and logging in to try them, which have now become scarcer and scarcer.

I have played this game solo, with friends, both in random servers and even our own server where I experimented with admin controls. Here are my takeaways:

Positives:
Large Map
Intricate systems
Most comprehensive and immersive health system.
Nice gun-play and weapon mechanics
Nice animations.
great survival elements
really fun to play with friends.

Negatives:
Not enough progress or updates
Buggy overall
Buggy zombie spawns
Bad optimization (i have a 4070, i9, and 32GB of ram)
Removed the seaplane (WHY GOD WHY)
Slow skill gain
lackluster hunting mechanic
ALMOST NO ANIMALS
Lackluster farming mechanic
Limited base building components
Clipping issues (weapons, clothing, backpacks, etc)
Attachments often disappear from your weapons.
Lackluster zombie animations.
Zombies do not recoil or react to being shot.

I will check back and try again after a few decent updates.

SCUM is to early access to what I am to a track star: Neither of us are those things.

This game has been in "Early" Access since 2018. That's 7 years after this summer, nearly a decade. At what point do we keep allowing developers to gaslight us by having what amounts to a full game but because it has bugs it's "early access"? This is a full game, with full systems, no missing assets, no areas of the map blocked off because it's "coming soon", etc. What you do have is a mountain of bugs and a very poorly optimized game.

Honestly Steam should lead the charge in setting a time limit to early access. Way too many games do this.

Edit to respond to the Developer:

I appreciate you taking the time to reply and that your reply was thought out. Unfortunately I feel compelled to point out some flaws in what you said:

By your example as long as a developer has some sort of future plans then the game can stay in early access indefinitely. To use a more relevant example, Stellaris is about to enter its 4.0 stage. The game has been redesigned from the ground up that many times. They don't try to pretend it's early access, to make us feel like we're somehow testing some new game and should be okay with any egregious issues. This is what I'm talking about.

You could have spent the last 5 years optimizing the game and then releasing new and fun updates. Instead you are essentially using us as free testing, something that used to be an actual paid job in the industry. I don't think it's right and nothing you said truly changes that opinion.

Where are all the zombies at? four hours not one zombie appears outside of military bases.
why are the mech's so damn unbreakable, it took me 30 or more grenades to destroy ONE and they seem to be immune to the EMP grenades which i call bull are they organic or somthing? why does the EMP have no affect on those MACHINES? are the developers purposely trying to make this game a PVP only???

This is the most in depth survival zombie game I have played. The attention to detail on the different biometric stats and other stats is insane. With that said I just started playing again for the first time in over a year and there are some glitches and bugs still present since the last time I played. Also the lack of a multiplayer that only you and your friends can play is disappointing. Sometimes I'd rather not play with or against a bunch of randoms as the game can get pretty toxic.

This game has loads of items. it is very detailed about survival, like different foods give you different nutrition and it not all good effects!. Item detail, like gun attachments are insane, and it all makes difference. I like that there is interesting places to go to and not all of them will welcome you unprepared! Personally for me this is best survival game ever.

Started with high potential, but pumping out constant paid DLC before finishing the game feels bad. They could put these improvements in the game, but instead choosing to nickel and dime players while taking longer actually release the game.

what i want is the sounds to be fixed it may have been by now but i seriously doubt it hearing zombies on every level of a bunker as if its right beside you is very annoying and its not very immersive shouldn't hear their footsteps and they should not hear mine its a bunker and why do i hear nature dude it should be as quiet as a rat fart down there i should only hear whats on the same level as me and only if its somewhat near me that has been my only problem with the game ever since i began playing and its why i don't play it the sounds need to be fixed big time

This game doesn't know what it wants or who it wants to please. Every time they add a new feature they nerf to it a point where its no longer fun. Most of this is due to feedback from a small, vocal part of the community just not being that good at the game. On top of this, most of the gameplay mechanics have no loop or continuity. Nothing compliments the other thing.

For example, they lock the only small end-game content behind stupid real-life 24 hour timers. Take keycards. Keycards unlock killboxes. There's two keycard spawns on the entire server and it takes 24 hours to reset the spawn. Not even the devs play their own game that much that they can farm keycards. The problem was squads hoarding keycards, so the solution was to make only one squad who can stay up until 3am be the only squad that has keycards? Make it make sense

Don't even get me started on the horrendous drophsip problem. The worst problem this game has is cheaters coming in to your base and clearing your stuff out. Ok fair enough, many games have this. So what did they do? They add an in-game feature where a dropship just comes and destroys your base when you aren't online. You can't make this stuff up. Don't worry, you can build a rocket turret to protect your base by simply farming KEYCARDS to acquire rockets which aren't actually in the killboxes. Also the rocket turret will destroy your base also.
TLDR: game is full of gameplay mechanics that don't work together or at all

Amazing game 10/10. Great blend of survival and crafting/ base building. This game has something for everyone be it a pvp experience for hardcore players or just a friendly pve with your mates. Cant wait for 1.0 to release and see where the devs take this game in the future.

Incroyable, je n’ai jamais joué à un jeu de survie aussi poussé ! C’est simplement fou et les graphisme pour un jeu en ligne sont magnifique. Fan de jeux de survie et/ou zombie ? Achetez sans réfléchir, difficulté élevé ne pensez pas foncez dans le tas avec une mitraillette, ne serait-ce que recharger votre arme nécessite de retirer votre chargeur et y placer les balles une par une… pareil pour ce qui est de la trouver le chargeur ne sera que rarement fournit avec, diabloliqye et plein de RÉEL défi ! 17/20 minimum… certain comme moi le classerai bien mieux ! FONCEZ !!!

Handcuffed and thrown out of an aircraft, you struggle to break free and parachute to the ground before death. After landing, many dangers await you. What could it be?, a bear, puppet, boar, wolves, other prisoners. Fighting mechs, infection, elements and starvation. SCUM is a survival game unlike any other!! All around a good. Definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat!!!! One of my top ten survival games.

No option to really play the game besides solo or private servers as official ones are played with hackers/cheaters with no admin watch for said hackers on the official servers. Private servers are normally ran by tyrants who play the game and give their friends anything and everything they can. Most of the cheaters on private servers are protected by said admins and you cant call anyone out as its against most server rules. You have to open a ticket on discord, which rarely gets answered. You have no option to report a cheater to the game DEVS on a private server as it has to go through the server admins.... Vicious cycle and after playing across 5 private servers, its all the same and they end the same, which is normally you looking and hoping for a decent server that doesn't tolerate toxic behavior and cheating.... Wouldn't recommend to anyone.

This game is great and continues to get better. Can't wait for 1.0

I tried very hard. i tried to survive in this game. i think i'll stop playing this game. i have no reason to explain because others have already said it.

I don't know why this game is still time wasting simulator, but on the default single player mode the amount of loot in the world is next to nothing. You could run around for hours, go through towns and such, and die from starvation with a backpack and no weapons. It's most empty survival game I've ever played.

Pretty solid game until it quit working. Devs were no help at all. At least I got 500 hours before it stopped working. Maybe it will be fixed with next update.

No, the game is bad, I feel like the developer have somehow bitten off more then they can chew, there is plenty, and I mean PLENTY of stuff in the game, from basic survival tools to suppressor. And there is a lot of stat for your character, it can be so detailed that you will need to manage your vitamins, minerals. There is zombies and war machines, the multiplayer mechanism is also bad, where you have to join server instead of playing it with your friend, you will enter every server with almost nothing, while others might be already obtaining rifles, and it is somewhat boring if you play the game by yourself, so, no, don't buy it

I like the mechanics of the game and it is just a great game to play in general.

nice game to play with friends, exploring world and killing puppets(zombies) is fun for every one.

polished turd that has terrible core mechanics including server netcode, game will never be at an acceptable state. another early access game lost its direction and squandered its progress.

games hardcore in a good way. ive enjoyed my time so far to the max. if you like survival games that are pretty in depth i think this one is one of the more in depth ones ive tried. it quickly became my favorite survival game.

This game is hard--largely because the user interface gives very few clues as to how to do things. Watch some videos, or bumble around, the choice is yours. For example, you don't have to CTRL+click multiple items to select them in building or treating, just click them. You actually have to drag the meat onto the meat slot in the recipe menu, stuff like that. Good luck, have fun!

First of all, I love SCUM and every hour I’ve spent in the game during the Early Access phase.
I primarily play PvE. A while ago, I forced myself to take a break after burning out on the game, though that wasn’t the game’s fault. Recently, I’ve jumped back in after some updates to test new settings in a server environment and to gather ideas for a long-term run with friends when version 1.0 is released.

This has led me to some serious concerns regarding the release because, in my opinion, the game seems to have lost focus on its strengths.
What are its strengths?

SCUM excels in creating immersion like few other games. It makes me feel connected to my character as I play. This connection stems from the synergy between the skill system, metabolism system, realistic graphics, and detailed mechanics in the game world.
The progression from being a loser inmate wearing nothing but rags to a well-equipped survivor with a three-story house and garden on a lawless map is what keeps the dopamine flowing.
Another strength has been the meaningful updates and content expansions during Early Access, which have already provided hundreds of hours of fun.
I understand that the game has a strong PvP focus, but I believe many of my concerns are applicable to both PvE and PvP scenarios. So why can’t I recommend the game right now?

- Threats
Threats are what give survival mechanics their purpose. These could be direct threats like puppets or more subtle ones like harsh weather or resource scarcity.
The recent changes to direct threats are, frankly, baffling. The new encounter system for puppets, even after tweaking the settings, is one of the most uninspired mechanics I’ve seen in a game. I understand that performance optimization might be part of the reasoning, but I’d prefer a semi-optimized game that’s fun over a better-optimized one that bores me.
Every scope I find can be sold without hesitation, making the cooking system irrelevant because I can easily afford food. Puppets only spawn close enough for iron sights, so ranged weapons lose much of their value. And whose idea was it to include an unkillable enemy in a survival game?
Having a massive map with uninhabited forests and open fields isn’t inherently an issue. The problem arises when these areas lack meaningful threats.
Right now, it feels almost impossible for a moderately experienced player to die (outside of PvP). As a result, the dopamine rush from overcoming challenges has completely vanished for me. I believe the devs need to go back to the drawing board and fully utilize the game engine to reintroduce genuine, immersive threats.

- Usability and UI
I acknowledge that many of these issues are growing pains, and UI improvements are planned. The updates so far have already made noticeable improvements. But at version 0.96, it’s baffling that the game’s interface remains so clunky.
After just 1–2 hours of gameplay, I could write an essay on how the game’s usability could be improved. From missing keybinds to inconsistent controls for characters and vehicles, this is my second biggest gripe with the game.
Try explaining to a new player why you accelerate a car with “W” but have to scroll the mouse wheel upward to pedal a bike, after wondering why you’re the world’s slowest cyclist. Or why your character switches from third to first person with a pistol by right-clicking, but the game expects you to aim a bow perfectly from third person without a crosshair.
The most frustrating part for me is that many of these issues seem like they’d be easy fixes.

- Economy, Balance, and Explanations
I’m the least critical about this point because I believe it can be resolved by giving more control to server owners to fine-tune their settings. My wish list includes more precise loot settings and—most importantly—clear, detailed descriptions of server settings.
In their current state, the descriptions might as well not exist—they’re that unhelpful.

I could go on, but overall, I cannot recommend this game in its current 0.96 state as it seems to have lost its way. My recommendation is to wait for the 1.0 release and then check reviews from long-time players.

Sure, it’s nice that I can paint my weapon now. But that doesn’t help when I spend hours crossing empty fields and wandering through desolate towns without ever needing to draw it.

The puppet system is trash and you can't host your own server.

This is the game I have most hours of any in my library and through it's development in all throughout its early access years the game has improved in some aspects but deteriorated in many, the word optimization for developers has become cutting off features and changing good mechanics of game that made many players support this game and have others to join. There are many concerns as mentioned by many in reviews of the game but for me the biggest concert right now is "new"(in quotes because this mechanic has been implemented more than a year ago and still devs decline to revert it) puppet/zombie spawning system which spawns zombies randomly even after clearing off an area devs say they did this for optimization, sure but now you have no use of rifles as zombies only spawn close and feels very forced than organic like it was before.
The new horde system and zombies jumping through doors and windows is very nice but they again spawn randomly in there even if you cleared those buildings.
Before you would just clear off a town, village and loot it but now you cleared a police station walk to steps away from where you just killed a zombie and voila there's another one at same spot. This game even though it's many shortcomings still had that immersions for people to keep coming back to it but now the core part of it that is zombies are totally messed up. Hence I wouldn't recommend anyone to get the game in it's current state or unless zombies are reverted.

Game sucks, don't buy! Oh and Jagex&Gamepires/CroTeam, my wood is still bigger than the paid 2 inches...

Would not recommend, stay away until release or play Infinity Nicki for better customization for the same amount of Money.
I own this game since the first and original "2 inches" supporter pack mid 2018 and it has been "in development" since then.

What has changed? Or first, what has not changed:
UE4, the game has been in development for so long, they managed to outdevelop the UE devs by a whole generation, gfx are mediocre by modern standards so is gameplay, netcode and the "puppet"/zombie AI is just bad. The weird tincan mechs have never been updated, still sound/look worse than 2000 Deus Ex Mechs and feel like a pathetic puzzle difficulty increase for high tier loot zones with no actual plan on how to make them properly difficult...

What ACTUALLY has changed?
They did add a bunch of things, then ruined them again like vehicles... Or broken vehicles, or glitched out everything because broken vehicle. A bit of a tune down (just adjusting numbers/factors/variables in code) in terms of needing 20kg of any vitamin a day compared to 2020ish state of game. More more or less uneccesary guns, a copy/paste asset clone mechanically slightly more challenging bunker thing... Development is a joke.
Random shit like more guns, map extension... you name it, they added it but the gameplay/goals/loop have never received an update. Fighting a "puppet" (their iteration of a Zombie) feels like playing World war Z 0o no Infestation the new Z oh wait I think they changed name again game: 2 steps back, poke the wooden spear, 2 steps back, poke the wooden spear... rinse and repeat and if you are a half decent gamer you can punch em to death too.

And last but not least, the game did change. Development seems halted, bugfixing seems halted, anticheat seems halted but what they didn't stop doing is releasing 3d asset and texture/material DLCs for the better of 100$ by now for all the hair/character customization packs.

This game is dead and will most likely never release, the engine is aged into infinity, UE5 is out for 2 years soon and they are still "developing" on a 2014 game engine, 10 years old. All recent changes and releases have been related to selling literal assets for money with minor or no change to the game itself.

Any game that releases cosmetics before a 1.00.00.000.00000 version should receive an immediate pull and refund by Valve.

hate me for it or let it be known, this game stayed the same with minor additions and changes for 7 years while selling cosmetics instead of a release, it should be taken down

Don't die. you're going to be spending 6 legit hours walking back to your piece of shit camp, only to die again because you just spent 6 actual hours getting back to your shitty ass camp.

As someone who has thousands of games and lots of choices to pick from particularly in this genre too, I dont find this game really groundbreaking or a must play, that doesnt mean its not a good game or shouldn't be played. Plenty of decent games out there can become a great experience for anyone involved, however I feel as though there are better choices in the genre than this title and would probably be worth more of your time and effort. Especially as someone who isn't exactly running out of survival games to play.

Oh, SCUM how I want to return but the life-stealing time sink that this game can become has kept me away. The graphics are beautiful, the combat is flawed in the most endearing ways (if you do not end up with some laughs at the way battles play out, we are not playing the same game), the crafting (and exploitation of each installment of new craftables) can have you playing minecraft vs remembering to survive. At the time that I left (2020ish) the metabalism system was manageable but slightly annoying (drinking, eating, peeing, and poopin' far too often) but you can see the mechanics of a truly engrossing survival system (I mean have you ever had to stop for a poo mid-gunfight before?). What had me sold was the "game-show" aspect and potential revolt of these "prisoners" (or drinking the Kool-Aid and becoming a superstar!) but I'm not sure that has made it to the story yet (or has there been a change?) I loved my time with it, and if I ever decide that I want to devote all my time to one game vs the freedom to jump around my library I'll come back.... Which is where I'd recommend this game based solely on love, but be warned it will take more than a day of playing to feel like you've accomplished anything and when you do... someone will come and steal it all away. Find a small group to run with, devote enough time to gear up and get in a few scuffles but do not become attached to your loot, and you should have a good time!

I have owned this game for over six years and pre-ordered it upon its initial release. I am unsure how to contact the game developers directly. Since you are able to respond to me, as both a dedicated player and someone who appreciates the operation of the game, I would like to provide feedback on several issues. Firstly, there has been a recurring sliding bug that has persisted for an extended period. Secondly, the game mechanics require adjustments. Specifically, the disappearance of offline characters should be removed to facilitate a more robust PvP environment and encourage greater participation in shelter building and resource contention. Additionally, considering the current map layout, the official server capacity should be increased to 300 players to enhance the survival experience.

The game is from 2018, during this time it still in beta test and it is full of terrible bugs. The netcode awful, u will face desync on every server with population more than 25 ppl or 6 big bases. The big issue is devs, from a small indie company listening to their community, they have turned into money grabbers who hire cheap specialists who can't write code and release useless DLCs. Better to add a new type of panties than to make enemy footsteps audible, right? Everyone involved in developing the construction system and the interaction menu deserves a separate cauldron in hell. 2.5k hours of waiting for improvements.

if you enjoyed Day Z and like a slower pace of in depth crafting this game is for you.

the videos do spice this game up a bit into thinking big combat and cars. never found any weapons or vehicles.

2 hours and getting nowhere bar a few kills and some crafty loot is not for everyone. as i found out

i enjoy Rust, Satisfactory, valhiem but could not get into this game or dayz i am afraid. refund requested.

Good stuff Graphics are great even on the low i had to set with a 1650 super but it did run on 100% usage. if you enjoy the huge crafting system this game is for you.

this game is fucking ass. you run around for awhile and either die of starvation because theres fucking nothing in the map or die to the zombies because the combat is janky as fuck. there is nothing to do in this game. it is boring as fuck. like that's really all i can say about it because words cant describe how boring and empty it is

It's fun if they can fix the server connection issues I'd recommend a lot more people.

Really good game in my opinion.
But who would want the developers to add dogs to the game?
Because i know i would love it if they added pet dogs.

SCUM is one of the best survival games that takes the genre to a new level of realism and challenge. Here are some points that make it exceptional and worth praising:

1. Incredible Realism
The game offers an unprecedented level of realism in survival mechanics, such as the metabolism system, energy management, and resource handling. You need to monitor even the smallest details, like the amount of food and water, and the balance of vitamins and minerals in your character’s body.

2. Rich Open World
Set on a massive island filled with forests, mountains, and abandoned villages, every area is packed with dangers and opportunities, making exploration both enjoyable and challenging.

3. Character Flexibility and Customization
The game provides great freedom in designing and developing your character. You can choose skills that suit your playstyle, whether you prefer combat, stealth, or surviving through wit and strategy.

4. Multiplayer Experience
The game shines when played with friends or interacting with other players. You can form alliances, engage in battles with others, or compete in an environment full of risks and rewards.

5. Continuous Updates
The developers are committed to constantly improving the game with regular updates that add new content and fix issues.

6. Blend of Survival and Action
In addition to survival aspects, the game offers strong elements of action and combat with a variety of weapons, providing players with a dynamic and exciting experience.

If you’re a fan of survival games that require planning, intelligence, and interaction with the environment, SCUM delivers a unique experience that blends realism and excitement perfectly. 🎮

This game sucks. needs controller support keyboard and mouse is stupid. says use rag to heal your cuts doesnt work. too hard to kill a zombie took way too many hits and i boosted my melee stats at the start. and whats the point of the spear dude doesnt stab with it he swings it like its a stick. useless