Doloc Town review: the 95%-positive farming sim analyzed — scores, pros and cons, playtime, and whether it is worth $19.99 in 2026.
Doloc Town Review — 95% Positive, Pros & Cons, Worth It? (2026)
Doloc Town is a side-scrolling, post-apocalyptic farming sim that launched out of Early Access on August 6, 2026 to a 95% positive rating across more than 3,000 Steam reviews — making it one of the highest-rated farming sims on the platform. It sold 150,000 copies within four days of release. Is the hype real? This review breaks down what the game does, what the critics and players say, who it's for, and whether the $19.99 price tag is justified.
Here's what you'll learn:
- The review scores: Steam, Metacritic, CGMagazine, Hardcore Gamer, RPGamer, Game8
- What makes Doloc Town different from Stardew Valley and Fields of Mistria
- The pros: vertical farming, gene system, weather, automation, 80 achievements
- The cons: single-player only, Windows-only, stick aiming, early pacing
- Playtime: 30+ hour story, 100+ hours of content
- Who should buy it and who should skip it
Official resources: Steam store page · CGMagazine review (8/10) · RPGamer review (3.5/5) · Doloc Town on Wikipedia
The Review Scorecard
| Source | Score | Quote |
|---|---|---|
| Steam users | 95% positive (~3,000+ reviews at launch) | "Overwhelmingly Positive" overall rating |
| Metacritic | 79 (critics) | Aggregated from press reviews |
| CGMagazine | 8/10 | "A genuinely fun and incredibly adorable blend of farming sim and platformer" |
| Hardcore Gamer | 4/5 | "Always has something to do but somehow never applies too much pressure" |
| RPGamer | 3.5/5 | "A welcome and largely successful entry into the space" |
| Game8 | 86/100 | "Every Farming Sim Fan Should Play This" |
The pattern across every review: the vertical side-scrolling farm, the weather survival layer, and the gene-engineering system are the standouts — and the complaints concentrate on the same handful of issues (below). Doloc Town also won or was nominated for several awards during EA, including the Wholesome Games Celebration 2026, IGN China Awards 2025 "Promising Title," and ChinaJoy's 2025 Best Simulation Game.
What Doloc Town Actually Is
You play Proti, a young scavenger who grew up in Doloc Town and returns after years in the wilderness, chasing the legend of Eden — a mythical green place from before the apocalypse. The town is a post-apocalyptic oasis of trailers and shipping containers, and your job is to turn a ruined plot into a working farm: scavenge scrap, plant crops, fish, ranch, fight with a combat drone, befriend 13 townsfolk, and slowly restore the environment.
The genre mix is the hook. It's part Stardew Valley (farming, fishing, festivals, friendships), part Terraria (side-scrolling platforming, building, exploration), and part survival sim (weather that actually threatens you, bullet-hell drone combat). The side-scrolling view means you farm vertically — stacking platforms and planters into a tower — which RPGamer called the game's best idea: it opens up "Metroidvania-style exploration" and genuinely separates Doloc Town from every top-down cozy game.
The Pros
1. The vertical farm is a genuinely new take. Building up instead of out turns layout design into a real puzzle — watering range, weather protection, and (in 1.0) drone flight lanes. It's the difference between "another Stardew clone" and something with its own identity.
2. The gene system is deep. 21 gene modules, 4 machines, up to 3 genes per seed: the profit trifecta (Fractal Crop + Extended Bloom) and weather genes (Keratinized, Needle-leaf) create real buildcrafting. Our gene system guide has the full roster — it's the mechanic that keeps 100+ hour players coming back.
3. Weather as gameplay, not annoyance. Acid rain, scorching sun and thunderstorms are threats you plan around and then exploit — lightning rods turn storms into power, rain auto-waters, and the endgame lets you control the climate outright. It gives the farming loop actual stakes.
4. 1.0 delivered. The full release added an endgame region (Old City Ruins), complete automation, the story finale, two extra farms, and 37 new achievements (80 total). A 15-month Early Access that actually finished what it started — details in the 1.0 features guide.
5. Charming presentation. Hand-drawn pixel art that reviewers consistently call "colorful" and "detailed," a warm lo-fi soundtrack, and a genuinely funny, heartfelt cast — the wiki overview collects the highlights.
The Cons
1. Single-player only, Windows only. No multiplayer (the devs explicitly deferred co-op decisions), no Switch version — CGMagazine called the missing Switch port "a shame" for a 2D farm sim. Mac and Linux players are also out of luck; Steam Deck is playable and controller-supported, but not officially optimized.
2. The stick-aiming criticism. Bullet-hell sections with manual drone aim draw repeated complaints in reviews — the combat can feel awkward until you master the auto-fire toggle (see the combat drone guide).
3. Early-game pacing. The first days are tight: limited stamina, small inventory (500 G for the first bag upgrade), and a first rainy season that punishes mistakes. It's a survival-sim draft rather than pure cozy — players who want zero pressure may bounce.
4. Translation and polish gaps. Non-English players flagged translation rougher than the EA build in spots (Korean and Chinese threads especially), and the 1.00.x hotfixes (fish difficulty, automation drones) show the polish pass is still ongoing.
5. No romance. The official FAQ confirms friendships only — no marriage system. Some players wanted it; the devs designed relationships around bonds instead.
How Long Is Doloc Town?
The official numbers: 30+ hours for the main storyline (roughly 10 extra hours of main quests vs. the initial EA build), and 100+ hours including side quests, friendship storylines, festivals, fishing, the gene grind and the Old City endgame. Steam's average playtime figures trend long because of the "one more season" loop; completionists chasing all 80 achievements and the full fish/crop collections are the 100-hour end of the curve.
The base price is $19.99, with the launch discount ($15.99, -20%) running through August 19–20. There's a Supporter Pack bundling the OST ($2.49 standalone) and Digital Artbook ($2.99) at an extra discount, and the game has been included in Steam sales repeatedly since EA. If the survival-leaning loop sounds good, launch discount is the entry point; if you're on the fence, the free Steam demo from EA-era (still referenced on the store) lets you test the loop.
Worth It? Who Should Buy It
Buy it if: you like Stardew Valley or Fields of Mistria but want more survival texture — weather to fight, enemies to dodge, a gene system to tinker with; you like vertical/engineering games (Terraria, factorio-adjacent automation fans); or you want a cozy game with actual stakes and a complete story.
Skip it if: you want zero-pressure coziness, you need multiplayer, you're on Mac/Linux/console, or you hate manual stick aiming in combat.
The verdict, echoing the community: at $15.99–19.99, Doloc Town delivers one of the most distinctive farming-sim experiences of 2026, and the 1.0 release turned a promising EA game into a complete one. It's not for everyone — but for its audience, the 95% rating makes sense. Start with the beginner's guide and see if the first rainy season hooks you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Doloc Town worth buying?
Yes for fans of survival-leaning farm sims: 95% positive on Steam, 79 Metacritic, 30+ hour story with 100+ hours of content, 80 achievements, and a unique vertical-farm + gene-system hook. It's $19.99 ($15.99 at launch discount). Skip it if you need multiplayer, console support, or zero-pressure cozy gameplay.
How long is Doloc Town?
30+ hours for the main story (about 10 more than Early Access had), and 100+ hours with side quests, friendship storylines, festivals, fishing, the gene grind and the Old City endgame. 100% achievements and full collection runs sit at the top of that range.
Is Doloc Town multiplayer?
No. Doloc Town is strictly single-player; the developers said multiplayer and console ports would be decided later based on community feedback. Steam Deck is playable with full controller support, but not officially optimized.
What are the best games like Doloc Town?
Stardew Valley and Fields of Mistria for the cozy farming loop; Terraria for the side-scrolling building and exploration; and survival-tinged farm games like Core Keeper for the danger layer. Doloc Town's unique angle is vertical farming + weather + crop genetics — no direct clone exists.
What are the negatives of Doloc Town?
Single-player only and Windows-only, awkward manual drone aiming in bullet-hell sections, a tight early game that punishes mistakes, translation rougher than the EA build in some languages, no romance/marriage, and a few post-launch bugs still being hotfixed.
Related Guides
Last updated: August 14, 2026.
More Doloc Town Guides
Doloc Town best fishing spots: Deer Statue Pond, the Dock, Mountain Pond and Wetlands — rare fish like Gold Fish, Glow Eel, Sturgeon and Tuna.
Doloc Town caves guide: where the caves are, Lichen Cave and its boss, mineral respawns, cave fishing pools, and the gear you need to survive.
Doloc Town combat drone guide: how to unlock the drone, auto-fire vs manual aim, weapons, frames and enhancement chips, and the best loadout for each region.
Doloc Town crop rotation explained: the 4-month calendar (Light Rain to Harsh Dry), what to plant each season, and the rotation rules that protect your income.
Doloc Town crop tier list: every crop ranked by profit per season (Dry, Rainy, Mistshade), the S-tier staples, and gene combos that push crops up a tier.
Doloc Town drone chips: every enhancement chip type, how they drop, and the best chip builds for exploration and boss fights.
Doloc Town fishing and ranching guide: rod tiers and fish species, animal husbandry, feed and special drops, and aquaculture tanks for steady income.
Doloc Town gene builds: the best gene module combos ranked — profit builds, weather survival builds, utility builds and per-crop recommendations.