A merciless desert where you can end up a warlord, a slave, or dinner for cannibals.

On few votes, Kenshi shows the sharpest profile of the bunch. Fun explodes: the early votes put it ahead of 82% of games on the one you start for five minutes and drop at dawn, which says everything about the time sink of its sandbox. But look at the flip side, and the contrast stings. Attachment and rediscovery slide to the bottom, ahead of barely a fifth of games. That's the real tension, to confirm: a game that pulls you in for hours through sheer freedom, yet struggles to be loved tenderly, because it brutalizes you more than it cradles you.

In the galaxy of survival sandboxes, Kenshi is an extreme case: no plot, no helping hand, just an indifferent world. It forges unforgettable stories or it pushes you away, with no middle ground.

So who's it for? You, if you love writing your own epic in a world that couldn't care less about you, total and rough freedom. Much less if you want a game that takes your hand and makes you want to grow attached.