Verdict № 03 · Sandbox
Terraria review
Fifteen years of free updates for less than £10 on PC. The best value in our twelve, by a distance.
A stone castle built by a player, with enemies massing at the gate. Official image: Re-Logic; 505 Games on console and mobile.
Terraria drops you into a randomly generated 2D world with copper tools and a guide, and lets you dig, build, craft and fight your way from the first night of zombies to the Moon Lord. More than 70 million copies later it is one of the best-selling games ever made, and it was the first Steam game to pass a million user reviews while staying rated Overwhelmingly Positive. Critics score it 83 on Metacritic; players, at 97% positive on Steam, rate it higher still.
Every content update since 2011 has been free, including the 650-item 1.4.5 update in January 2026, and there is nothing to buy inside the game on any platform. The only question is where to buy it, because the price ranges from £4.59 on Android to £24.99 on Switch.
The best value in our set: hundreds of hours, one small payment, nothing to buy afterwards.The verdict in one line
The review, milestone by milestone
- mark 7.5
Hours 1 to 10
Shelter before nightfall
The opening is the weakest part for newcomers. You are left to work out mining, crafting stations and housing for new characters with little guidance, and the first night's zombies arrive quickly.
Journey Mode, added in 2020, softens this with adjustable difficulty and a way to research items, and the official wiki is close to essential. The first bosses mark the way forward.
- mark 9.0
The middle stretch
Hardmode: a second game
Beating the Wall of Flesh flips the world into Hardmode, with spreading corruption, mechanical bosses and much tougher enemies. It is effectively a second game, and the point where class builds (melee, ranged, magic or summoner) become real choices.
HowLongToBeat puts main story plus extras at about 93 hours.
- mark 10.0
The long tail
Fifteen years of free updates
After the Moon Lord come Expert and Master difficulties, special world seeds, building projects, online co-op and a large modding scene with official tModLoader support on Steam. The January 2026 update alone added more than 650 items, and a cross-play update for consoles is in the works.
Completionists report more than 200 hours.
- mark 7.8
Craft and access
Charming, with rough edges on console
The pixel art has aged well and the depth of items is unmatched. Console and mobile versions are developed separately and trail the PC by days or weeks; a September 2026 console hotfix targeted disconnects and frame-rate problems.
Journey Mode, a UI scale slider and full remapping help access; there is no built-in colourblind mode.
The bill: what it really costs in the UK
One purchase, no expansions, no in-game shop. The only variable is the store.
The bill · Terraria
Steam also sells a four-copy pack for £24.99 if you want to set up a group of friends.
Where to buy it and how you can pay
Terraria is sold almost everywhere, at very different prices. GOG's DRM-free copy is the cheapest PC version, and the phone versions are cheaper still, but they are separate purchases with their own saves.
PlayStation Store
- Card
- PayPal
- Apple Pay
- paysafecard
- Mobile billing
- PS gift cards
Xbox and Microsoft Store
Microsoft's listed price on 25 September.
- Card
- Mobile billing
- Xbox gift cards
Nintendo eShop
- Visa or Mastercard
- PayPal (18+)
- eShop cards
App Store
- Card
- Apple Pay
- Apple gift cards
Google Play
- Card
- Google Play gift cards
Before you pay: the Switch version costs nearly three times the Steam price. On console it is also included in PlayStation Plus Extra and Game Pass Premium, but at these prices buying is better. Online play on consoles needs the platform's online membership; on PC and phones it is free.
How the scores add up
| How it plays | Weight | Mark |
|---|---|---|
| First hours | 15% | 7.5 |
| The middle stretch | 30% | 9.0 |
| The long tail | 20% | 10.0 |
| Craft | 20% | 7.5 |
| Access | 15% | 8.0 |
| What it costs | Weight | Mark |
|---|---|---|
| Price against play | 35% | 10.0 |
| Honest pricing | 25% | 10.0 |
| Ways to pay | 20% | 9.0 |
| Protection | 20% | 8.5 |
What we rate
- Hundreds of hours from one small payment
- Every update free for fifteen years
- Nothing sold inside the game on any platform
- Co-op and mods keep it fresh
What costs it
- A confusing start without a guide
- Console versions lag behind PC updates
- No cross-play between consoles yet
- The Switch price is far above PC
Buy it if
you want the most play per pound of any game here, especially with a friend.
Think twice if
you need a game to explain itself; Terraria expects you to experiment and look things up.
Final verdict
Terraria is the purest example of what our Value score rewards: a low price, no add-ons and more free content than most paid expansions. It loses Verdict marks for a baffling start and uneven console versions, not for a lack of depth.
Buy it on GOG or Steam if you play on PC. If you only play on Switch it is still worth £24.99, but that is the most expensive way to own it.
Weigh it against
Sources
This review is an editorial analysis of published evidence; see how we judge. Prices checked 25 September 2026.