Sync your Steam wishlist to track the lowest game prices instantly. No login required, just paste your Steam profile URL! ⚡ Try Wishlist Radar!
Sync your Steam wishlist to track the lowest game prices instantly. No login required! ⚡ Try Wishlist Radar! Close

ELEX on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information

Quick menu

ELEX is a handcrafted action role-playing experience from the award-winning creators of the Gothic series, set in a brand new post-apocalyptic Science Fantasy universe that puts players into a huge seamless game world full of original characters, mutated creatures, deep moral choices and powerful action.

ELEX is a rpg, open world and singleplayer game developed by Piranha Bytes and published by THQ Nordic.
Released on October 17th 2017 is available only on Windows in 9 languages: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish - Spain, Polish, Russian, Czech and Simplified Chinese.

It has received 19,018 reviews of which 14,162 were positive and 4,856 were negative resulting in a rating of 7.3 out of 10. 😊

The game is currently priced at 29.99€ on Steam, but you can find it for 3.22€ on Gamivo.


The Steam community has classified ELEX into these genres:

Media & Screenshots

Get an in-depth look at ELEX through various videos and screenshots.

System requirements

These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.

Windows
  • OS *: 64-bit Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10
  • Processor: Intel Core i5 3570, AMD FX-6350
  • Memory: 8 GB RAM
  • Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 660 2GB, AMD Radeon 7850 2GB
  • DirectX: Version 11
  • Storage: 35 GB available space
  • Sound Card: DirectX compatible Sound card

User reviews & Ratings

Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.

107 hours played
Aug. 2026
Elex, like so many other games, may not be perfect, but it's still a joy to play I've played Elex on console and now also on PC, and while I've had many frustrating moments, the game is unique, sometimes tough, a little janky, but very immersive and atmospheric. The studio Piranha Bytes (the creative minds behind the Gothic and Risen titles) may have closed, but don't let that stop you from playing this odd gem from a German developer. It'll scratch your sci-fi/fantasy rpg itch. The setting: Elex takes place on the world of Magalan, after a comet struck the planet. The comet brought with it a new substance, Elex, and the survivors learned to use it to help themselves survive in a new world where new factions fight for supremacy. Elex is a strange substance, able to change properties depending on what you do to it. The Albs refine it, consuming it to grow stronger, at the cost of their emotions. The Berserkers grow special plants to cleanse it, turning it into Mana and rejuvenating the land with new plant life. The Clerics use the Elex for technology, but also dedicate themselves to the religion of Calaan. Then there are the Outlaws, dedicated only to the acquisition of profits and scrap, thinking only of themselves. You enter the game as Jax, a commander of the Albs. Shot out of the sky, you start the game suffering from Elex withdrawal, your character incredibly weak and vulnerable. The story follows Jax as he looks for answers, and eventually changes the fate of the whole world. A lot of work went into this game, especially so when you consider the small team behind it. The music really evokes a sense of an old world gone forever, a civilisation and way of life that can never be recovered. In some ways the music reminds me of Fallout 3. Open world exploration, for all its dangers due to Jax being so weak, running and jetpacking away at top speed any time you encounter anything , is beautiful and surreal, even if some buildings and structures are repetitive. Combat is a mixed bag. I stick to using bows a lot at the start, but you have to pick your targets wisely. If foes are too strong they will reach melee range and destroy you, and if you jetpack away they start barfing up egg-and-bacon balls to hit you with their stomach contents if they can't run up to you. You discover pretty fast that you can't afford to get hit at all because you are so weak. You should expect to die a lot while you learn how to play. But once you know what you are doing? Hoo-hoo, it does get fun. Sure, there are problems with the gameplay, and the grind for some achievements is a bit too much, but there is no such thing as a perfect game. I mean, I love old Final Fantasy and Assassin's Creed games but I still find faults with them. Some fun stuff: - companions dialogue - when you finally do get overpowered and start wrecking machines and mutants - fighting the Outlaws' bomb One of the interesting things about this game is the way it deals with alignment and choices. There isn't a set 'good vs evil', but rather, an emotions vs cold... revolving around dialogue responses and Elex consumption. There are three different endings related to your Cold level, so it's an important feature. In terms of character progression, it's a little unusual. Earning stat points like strength and dexterity doesn't do anything to Jax other than unlock the ability to be trained in skills. The skills come under broad headings, with three of the skillsets locked under each of the three major factions - if you want one you have to join their faction. Unfortunately they get really expensive later on if you want the best skills. You only get 10 points per level (11 with one of the skills), but spending them on stats changes... eventually it will cost 2 points per 1 attribute point, and then it will cost 5 skill points per attribute point. Even drinking oceans of Elex potions takes a long time to build up these attributes. The game has issues too. The jetpack is great but also kind of useless - great for vertical movement, crap for any forward, back or side-to-side. Also it can't be upgraded. And it depletes kind of fast. Melee combat, or any combat for that matter, can be easily ruined as soon as you get knocked down. Quite often you're stun locked as, while you are on the ground trying to get back up, you're still getting hammered by rockets or melee attacks. Oh, and there isn't any kind of block, per se, only parrying, which means defending is useless too as you still get damaged. Trying to run just means egg-and-bacon balls or rockets up your bum. At least one of the companions seems half-done. Falks gets to a point in his own personal story where he undergoes a change, but after that, nothing. There should have been more character development but perhaps they ran out of time or money. Sneaking is only useful for stealing from people. Anywhere else is a waste. I felt like there were some places where sneaking didn't even work for stealing purposes either, like I couldn't figure out who could see me. Sometimes it seemed like guards had eyes in the back of their heads. ______________ Elex isn't like other games, but that's a good thing because as a gamer I don't want all my games to be identical. I think the frustration of how weak and useless you start out as makes the eventual rise to power so much more rewarding. In other games you level up but so does everything else, which always struck me as unrealistic. Here, you have monsters and wildlife straight from the start, right next to you, with skull icons on their health bars. It's refreshing, realistic, and keeps you on your toes. Despite its flaws, I still thoroughly enjoyed Elex, on both platforms. I played with a ps4 controller and only had a few setup troubles with camera panning speed that I ironed out easily. Game engine is very stable and ran smooth for me with no crashes. Highly recommended.
83 hours played
May 2026
this is my first Pirhanabytes game and I gotta say I'm very impressed. If you're a fan of open world double-A RPGs like Outward then you can't pass on this one - excellent worldbuilding, environmental storytelling, and player freedom. There is a lot of jank, most especially with the horrible combat, but the rest of the game was good enough for me to see past this. Don't even try to play the game vanilla - I played with the (mandatory) Elex Ultimate Overhaul which fixes a lot of the jank and broken mechanics. I also recommend playing with an XP boost for killing mobs - otherwise you hit a wall around level 15-20 and just have to go out into the world and grind fetchquests. If you're looking for a beautifully realized open world with that old-school Fallout freedom to screw everything up as you see fit, ELEX is an easy recommendation.
71 hours played
March 2026
It is a crime against humanity to keep this wonderful gem at mixed reviews. Despite the fact that Elex excedes many of the aspects Piranha Bytes is known to excel at, it was unjustly bashed by casual gamers who are incapable of understanding core gameplay mechanics. I have finished the game in its entirety on Ultra difficulty using nothing but melee weapons without the help of companions at any point. Therefore, I will absolutely derail each and every single one of these unjustified arguments against its melee combat. But first, I will elaborate on the core gameplay loop and the general world design. Story and Exploration The story revolves around a post apocalyptic dystopia with a unique twist where a powerful resource named Elex has divided the humanity into multiple factions, each with their own rules, philosophies and agendas. The politics are never simply black and white as they have a number of nuances and it is genuinely intriguing trying to fit in as an outsider. Despite its gloominess, the world is extremely colorful, lively and eventful. Biomes all make perfect sense and blend into each other effortlessly. Every single tree, structure and even item was meticulously hand placed by the developers in a way that it's sensible and believable. Exploring, looting and surviving this harsh and hostile world never ceases to be fun and is hardly matched by any other game. Gameplay Design In its own staple Piranha Bytes fashion, the beginning of the game is extremely ruthless and is not meant to be brute forced through. You will start off extremely weak and you will lack capabilities to kill anything but the few of the weakest types of enemies in your surroundings. For the first dozen hours, you are expected to get intimate with the world, get to know each of the factions, understand their ideas and provide assistance. You will spend this time talking to NPCs, doing them favors and deciding which faction appeals to you the most. This will carry you through the "early game" until you decide to join one of them, and this will give you your first power spike where you will for the first time feel competent to engage in more meaningful combat and exploration. Understand that you are expected to run away from danger and survive. If you are really struggling, use a companion. They can outright trivialize early to mid game. The Combat Things not to do - do not spam clicks (The game features a timed combo system where you are expected to learn the flaw of your attacks and click exactly as the hit lands. This allows you to keep enemies staggered with constant offense and finish your combos.) - do not use lock-on (The lock-on system in this game disallows running and fast movement, which is a crucial part of combat encounters. Get used to manually manoeuvring around the enemies and attacking them when they are vulnerable) - do not stay on the ground without stamina (the moment you run out of stamina, the only safe place for you to be is the air. Use your jetpack and hover until your stamina bar refills) - Do not fight multiple enemies at once unless you are more powerful than them. (It is usually a bad idea to do so, but later on in the game you are forced to fight in this manner almost constantly. Here, you want to swing hard with heavy hits from a longer distance. Do this once or twice, dodge away, fly up and re-engage.) Things to do - Observe the enemy behavior and patterns (Each enemy type has its own unique set of tendencies, strengths and weaknesses. You need to be aware of them and exploit them accordingly.) - Keep jogging in circles and keep your distance (Most enemies like to charge at you from a long distance. Each and every single one of these charge attacks can be avoided by simply moving sideways. This is why you don't want to use the lock-on system because it will disable this mechanic. As the enemy misses the charge, it will try to run away. Chase them and start your combo from behind their backs.) - Block up close (when enemies are at point blank range, they will attack extremely quickly. As long as you have stamina it will always be safe to block these fast attacks, even without a shield. If you are good enough, you can dodge them instead.) - Mind the hyper-armour (Now, this is probably the most intricate one. Certain enemies can occasionally disregard your attacks and trade you hit for hit, which messes up your combo and your flow. When this happens you MUST disengage. It is not random, however. Most massive enemies like Ogres have these types of attacks, but are extremely slow and it allows you to cancel your attacks and dodge away immediately. Arachnids are another one, but it is safe to keep attacking them with heavy attacks which keeps them perma-staggered. Ironically, the only unfair enemy in the game is the ostrich type which is normally very weak but has random hyper armour and can rarely be combo-ed fully because of it. I am almost 100% sure this is a bug rather than a feature.) The only absolute BS gameplay mechanic in the entire game is the Flamethrower and Granade launcher which certain elite humanoid enemies wield. These can knock you down from infinite range and disrupt you constantly, making it impossible to play. You have to run into these enemies instantly and make them switch their weapon to melee. Conclusion I know this seems like a long one but I couldn't just sit there and ignore the fact that this last ditch mastery effort by this passionate company get trashed by incompetent "modern" gamers who are used to having success and gratification be fed to them with a silver spoon. If you are having serious problems with the combat, understand that it is you, and not the game. A skill issue, if you will...
58 hours played
Nov. 2025
Elex is an admittedly janky game that does more than enough world building to provide a solid roleplaying experience in a fairly large and engaging open world. To be totally clear, it's not anything like a polished product. Among the not insubstantial number of elements that deserve criticism, the voice acting in particular comes off amateurish, and the combat is not at all fluid until you acquire basic skills and items at least 5-10 hours after the start (even then, let's be honest, it's still rough around the edges). Another aspect to highlight that is somewhat jarring early on is that the game world is not neatly arranged zone wise from easy to hard or early to late game - in other words, just beyond the present immediate area you may find yourself, you might discover several mobs that are impossible for your character to currently handle. This is not at all totally random, however, and the post-apocaplytic setting has main towns and roads that you should stick to at the start to avoid overwhelming enemies. There are also, even now in 2025, more than a few (minor) bugs, although I haven't come across anything gamebreaking. Regardless, I found that for all its faults, there are corresponding strengths and creature comforts that keep the title enjoyable - there's no player inventory weight limit, no enemy scaling, plenty of teleport stations that are always accessible from the map after being discovered, lots of detailed locations to discover rewarding exploration with bits or sometimes heaps of loot (yes, much of it is generic "junk" with no purpose other than vending), a faction system that impacts both your character build and questing that's not too restrictive while still allowing important allegiances, and player progression feels rewarding, especially in the face of the initial weakness of your character at the beginning of the story. You have to work to find ways to improve and progress in the world of Magalan, but on balance, the effort is enjoyable and feels worthwhile. The cherry on top for me is the central plot, which feels like more than the sum of its parts, and has become engrossing as I've gotten familiar with the game of Elex as a whole. The game successfully expands upon its world and your place in it, as well as mostly providing impressions of agency and consequence for the player in a meaningful and intelligible way as you make decisions working your way through the story, as one would usually hope from a true CRPG. I recommend it for anyone looking for an action oriented fantasy and sci-fi roleplaying title who is willing to overlook more than a handful of flaws for the bigger picture. I've also played this title a bit on the Steam Deck and it plays well on the device out of the box.
64 hours played
Sept. 2025
First off, most criticisms the game received are valid, e.g. clunky combat, weird animations and subpar voice acting. It is certainly a far-from-perfect game. But this game has its merits and imo is definitely recommendable especially on sale. The RPG elements are what actually drew me into the game. As a forgotten amnesic soldier, you get to choose which faction to side with and learn their abilities accordingly. This is already a big plus because it creates strong immersion. Weapons have a good variety but I don't feel they differ much to give you more choices in combat, but the combat itself is fine for me. Story is well paced, you can feel that the story is progressing while still taking your time to explore different places or doing side quests. Overall a 7/10 for me, definitely worthing getting on sale when it often gets a 90% discount now in 2025.

Similar games

View all
BIOMUTANT BIOMUTANT® is an open-world, post-apocalyptic Kung-Fu fable RPG, with a unique martial arts styled combat system allowing you to mix melee, shooting and mutant ability action.
Similarity 83%
Price -89% 4.50€
Rating 6.5
Release 25 May 2021
Fallout 3 Vault-Tec engineers have worked around the clock on an interactive reproduction of Wasteland life for you to enjoy from the comfort of your own vault. Included is an expansive world, unique combat, shockingly realistic visuals, tons of player choice, and an incredible cast of dynamic characters.
Similarity 82%
Price -89% 1.10€
Rating 8.0
Release 28 Oct 2008
Fallout: New Vegas Welcome to Vegas. New Vegas. Enjoy your stay!
Masterpiece
Similarity 81%
Price -78% 2.29€
Rating 9.5
Release 21 Oct 2010
The Technomancer The Technomancer is a sci-fi RPG that offers players plenty of dynamic combat action based on 4 skill trees dedicated to 3 combat styles and the destructive electrical powers of the Technomancers.
Similarity 81%
Price -93% 0.74€
Rating 6.7
Release 28 Jun 2016
Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition Prepare for the Future™ With Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition, experience the most acclaimed game of 2008 like never before. Create a character of your choosing and descend into an awe-inspiring, post-apocalyptic world where every minute is a fight for survival.
Similarity 80%
Price 19.99€
Rating 8.0
Release 17 Dec 2009
Gothic 3 A nameless hero becomes a legend! Myrtana, a world in upheaval: overrun by orcs from the dark lands in the north, King Rhobar is defending Vengard, the former stronghold of the humans, with his last troop of followers.
Similarity 80%
Price -95% 1.04€
Rating 8.0
Release 02 Dec 2009
Fallout 4 From Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of Starfield and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, comes Fallout 4. A landmark in open-world RPG design and winner of over 200 ‘Best Of’ honors, including the DICE and BAFTA Game of the Year.
Similarity 79%
Price -73% 5.52€
Rating 8.2
Release 09 Nov 2015
Risen Delve into a gritty, raw and atmospheric fantasy world in which every action has a consequence. In the epic world of Risen, filled with mysterious earthquakes, fearsome monsters and unimaginable treasures, forge your path with the sword, learn the art of staff fighting or become a powerful mage.
Similarity 77%
Price -91% 1.38€
Rating 8.6
Release 02 Oct 2009
Middle-earth : Shadow of War Experience an epic open-world brought to life by the award-winning Nemesis System. Forge a new Ring of Power, conquer Fortresses in massive battles and dominate Mordor with your personal orc army in Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™.
Similarity 77%
Price 39.99€
Rating 8.8
Release 09 Oct 2017
Two Worlds Epic Edition ... 300 years after Aziraal has been banished, a brother and sister are drawn into the conflict which has flared up between the Orcs and the free world. Kyra, the hero's younger sister, suddenly disappears in mysterious circumstances.«...If my family really belongs to the chosen ones, why then have we always been as poor as church mice?
Similarity 77%
Price -98% 0.40€
Rating 7.5
Release 30 Apr 2009
Risen 3 - Titan Lords The world has been abandoned by its gods and is scarred from the rampage of the Titans. Humanity is struggling to regain strength. You, however, have more pressing concerns: your own life has been shattered and you must set off to reclaim what is lost amidst the darkness spreading throughout the world.
Similarity 76%
Price 14.99€
Rating 7.3
Release 13 Aug 2014
ELEX II In this sequel to the vintage Open World RPG ELEX, Jax must once again unite the free people of the Science-Fantasy world of Magalan against a new threat - the Skyands, who want to change the face of the planet forever.
Similarity 74%
Price -90% 5.32€
Rating 7.2
Release 01 Mar 2022

Frequently Asked Questions

ELEX is currently priced at 29.99€ on Steam.

No, ELEX is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 29.99€ on Steam.

Yes, ELEX received 14,162 positive votes out of a total of 19,018 achieving a rating of 7.32.
😊

ELEX was developed by Piranha Bytes and published by THQ Nordic.

Yes, ELEX is playable and fully supported on Windows.

No, ELEX is not playable on MacOS.

No, ELEX is not playable on Linux.

ELEX is a single-player game.

Yes, there is a DLC available for ELEX. Explore additional content available for ELEX on Steam.

No, ELEX does not support mods via Steam Workshop.

Yes, ELEX supports Remote Play on TV. Discover more about Steam Remote Play.

Yes, ELEX is enabled for Steam Family Sharing. This means you can share the game with authorized users from your Steam Library, allowing them to play it on their own accounts. For more details on how the feature works, you can read the original Steam Family Sharing announcement or visit the Steam Family Sharing user guide and FAQ page.

You can find solutions or submit a support ticket by visiting the Steam Support page for ELEX.

Data sources

The information presented on this page is sourced from reliable APIs to ensure accuracy and relevance. We utilize the Steam API to gather data on game details, including titles, descriptions, prices, and user reviews. This allows us to provide you with the most up-to-date information directly from the Steam platform.

Additionally, we incorporate data from the SteamSpy API, which offers insights into game sales and player statistics. This helps us present a comprehensive view of each game's popularity and performance within the gaming community.

Last Updates
Steam data 02 September 2026 21:07 UTC
SteamSpy data 05 September 2026 18:35 UTC
Steam price 05 September 2026 18:46 UTC
Steam reviews 05 September 2026 03:45 UTC

If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about ELEX, we invite you to check out a few dedicated websites that offer extensive information and insights. These platforms provide valuable data, analysis, and user-generated reports to enhance your understanding of the game and its performance.

  • SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about ELEX
  • SteamCharts - Analysis of ELEX concurrent players on Steam
  • ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck ELEX compatibility
ELEX PEGI 16
Rating
7.3
14,162
4,856
Game modes
Features
Online players
58
Developer
Piranha Bytes
Publisher
THQ Nordic
Release 17 Oct 2017
Platforms
Remote Play
Clicking and buying through these links helps us earn a commission to maintain our services.