LogInSchrödinger's free-to-play.
Repeating what it once did with the original browser version and ruining a genuinely fun experience with monetization so predatory it gives Electronic Arts a run for its money, the GeoGuessr team has launched its iconic location deduction game on Steam to an Overwhelmingly Negative rating, with only 15% of user reviews being positive at the time of writing.
For a bit of history, up until recently, the game's approach to monetization was relatively simple and straightforward – F2P players could enjoy the game, but with certain limitations, such as the necessity to wait between each game or a cap on the total number of games they could play daily, while paying customers faced no such restrictions.
That all changed on February 1, 2024, when the developers reduced free play to just three two-minute rounds a day on a map chosen by GeoGuessr itself, as well as some modes like Challenges and Quizzes that had nothing to do with the game's main shtick – guessing one's location.
What's worse, there was no option for a one-time payment, forcing players to subscribe to continue playing. Although the move was heavily criticized online, the developers' prior goodwill seemed to help them stay afloat, with the browser version's monetization model remaining unchanged to this day.
GeoGuessr
But what flew in the browser hasn't flown on Steam, with the larger PC gaming community completely eviscerating the Steam version of the game in their reviews. What can only be described as a "F2P-in-name-only" or, as I like to call it, Schrödinger's free-to-play – you never know whether it's F2P or not while the box remains closed – GeoGuessr Steam Edition turned out to be subscription-based, offering a bare-bones experience unless you pay an annual fee, which currently costs $29.99 per year.
Over in the reviews, the subscription model hiding behind the "Free to Play" label didn't sit well with the majority of players, who ultimately gave GeoGuessr's Steam version a 15% positivity rating, making it the second-worst game on Steam, just ahead of War of the Three Kingdoms.
Besides GeoGuessr's use of the "F2P" tag, which many viewed as borderline false advertising, players criticized the game for going for a subscription model in particular, saying they'd be happy to pay for an experience, but only via a one-time payment with no strings attached.
In what seems like the strangest attempt at damage control, the development team issued a brief statement as red thumbs-down began to flood in, saying they would grant all yearly pro unlimited subscribers full access to the Steam Edition.
They also tried to smooth things over with the community by emphasizing that the Steam Edition is still in early access and, as such, may be missing some of the features found in the browser version. Needless to say, the main point of contention – the monetization model itself – was not addressed:
That went about as well as you'd expect:
At the moment, no further statements have been issued by the GeoGuessr team, leaving the ultimate fate of the Steam version uncertain. If there's one thing we've learned today, it's that when you dominate on one platform and try to expand to another on your own terms, you might unexpectedly find yourself becoming the second-worst-rated game on that platform – "When in Rome" at its finest.
Read more reviews here and don't forget to join our 80 Level Talent platform and our new Discord server, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Telegram, TikTok, and Threads, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.