Fun on sale as dumb, nostalgic entertainment
Mentioned in ~1 in 2 positive reviews
“It's fun and as it sells for $20 and frequently discounted, it's got plenty of bang for your buck.”
Steam review · 17.6 h played ↗
Duke Nukem Forever
Worth buying? What 300 Steam reviews say.Worth buying? Here’s what 300 Steam reviews actually say.
Mostly Positive · 71%Mostly Positive · 71%Gearbox Software2011FPS · Shooter · Action
$19.99
Open on Steam ↗US Steam price, checked 5 h ago
The verdict
A dated, flawed but charming 2011 shooter carried by Duke's humor and interactive gimmicks. Skip it if you want Duke 3D-style gunplay or dislike crude humor; get it on deep sale.
Great for
Duke Nukem fans and people who enjoy cheesy, crude, so-dumb-it's-fun shooters bought on sale
Main risk
Dull, gimmick-heavy shooting and unfunny humor that feels outdated even for 2011
What players love
Duke's personality and over-the-top humor
Mentioned in ~1 in 4 positive reviews
“Duke carries the entire game, his voice is legendary.”
Steam review · 11.2 h played ↗
Interactive world and fun gimmicks
Mentioned in ~1 in 10 positive reviews
“You can punch boxing bags, interact with a bench press, play pinball, drive a tiny remote-controlled car to deliver a battery to another room, operate a crane, and much more.”
Steam review · 4.1 h played ↗
Good value and works on Steam Deck
Mentioned in ~1 in 19 positive reviews
“Love it, work great on steam deck on ultra setting”
Steam review · 12.3 h played ↗
What players complain about
Boring, weak shooting with two-weapon limit
Mentioned in ~1 in 4 negative reviews
“The gunplay's mediocre, enemies are uninspired, their hitboxes are too tight, driving is terrible, platforming is crap.”
Steam review · 17.2 h played ↗
Unfunny, dated crude humor
Mentioned in ~1 in 5 negative reviews
“Many of the jokes feel forced, outdated, or simply unfunny”
Steam review · 8.1 h played ↗
Filler gimmicks: driving, puzzles, shrink sections
Mentioned in ~1 in 5 negative reviews
“there's too much time wasted on doing lame puzzles, watching npcs drag out unfunny jokes that interrupt the game's pacing”
Steam review · 4.1 h played ↗
Blurry, drab graphics
Mentioned in ~1 in 9 negative reviews
“The graphics are a blurry mess.”
Steam review · 5.6 h played ↗
Second half becomes a dull linear slog
Mentioned in ~1 in 17 negative reviews
“genuinely terrible once you get to the dam which takes the last half of the game”
Steam review · 35.4 h played ↗
Crashes and compatibility problems on modern PCs
Mentioned in ~1 in 17 negative reviews
“crashes all the time and doesn't work in 2025 :(”
Steam review · 9.5 h played ↗
System requirements
From the Steam store page
Steam Deck: Verified10 GB
Minimum
OSWindows XP/Vista/7
ProcessorIntel Core 2 Duo @ 2.0 Ghz / AMD Athlon 64 X2 @ 2.0 Ghz
Memory1 Gb
GraphicsnVidia GeForce 7600 / ATI Radeon HD 2600
Storage10 Gb free
Recommended
OSWindows XP/Vista/7
ProcessorIntel Core 2 Duo @ 2.4 Ghz / AMD Athlon 64 X2 @ 2.6 Ghz
Memory2GB
GraphicsnVidia GeForce 8800 GTS / ATI Radeon HD 3850
Storage10 Gb free
OSWindows XP/Vista/7
ProcessorIntel Core 2 Duo @ 2.0 Ghz / AMD Athlon 64 X2 @ 2.0 Ghz
Memory1 Gb
GraphicsnVidia GeForce 7600 / ATI Radeon HD 2600
Storage10 Gb free
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