AdventureIndieRPGStrategy
Sands of Salzaar
Give it 3 hours
Gets good by 3h almost every game dips in hours 2–3
Fully opens up by 7h rated like by long-time players
Reach the ending 21% of players who started
Started playing 97% of owners
Steam reviews 82% positive of 23,058
What the data shows
- In the first 2 hours almost 1 in 2 reviews are negative (43%); after 10h it's 1 in 6 (16%).
- Fully opens up by hour 7.
- 21% of players who start reach the ending.
- Most players drop off before “The End is Just a Beginning” (Complete main storylines & defeat final boss): only 21% of starters get there.
- 97% of owners got the first achievement.
When it gets good
Share of positive reviews by how many hours the reviewer had played when writing the review.
before it gets good opening up fully opened up
Based on all 23,194 Steam reviews in every language. Median playtime in a sample of 299 reviews: 27.8h for positive, 19.2h for negative. Almost every game is rated lower in the first 2–3 hours: that window includes refunds and quick first impressions. What matters is how deep the dip is and how fast the game recovers.
Where players quit
Share of players who started the game and reached each story milestone. 100% is the most common achievement (97% of owners), so people who bought the game and never launched it don't count.
- Started playing 100%
- The End is Just a Beginning Complete main storylines & defeat final boss Most players quit here 21% −79
story milestone ending biggest drop-off
Story milestones were labeled by AI from achievement names and descriptions; mistakes are possible.
All achievements (51)
story milestone ending side
- Welcome Welcome to Sands of Salzaar 100%
- Explorer Complete an Exploration Map 84%
- Just a Business Sell your first batch of goods 70%
- Trustworthy Complete your first random quest 58%
- True Friend Make a friend with someone 57%
- Standalone Create your own faction 43%
- Lover Enter a romantic relationship 24%
- With an Army Join a faction 22%
- The End is Just a Beginning Complete main storylines & defeat final boss 21%
- Ice Dragon Recruit a Ice Dragon 17%
- Demon Recruit a Demon 16%
- The Wonders of Redstone Keep Complete this Exploration Map 16%
- Time Flies Reach a year of in-game time 13%
- Fire Dragon Recruit a Fire Dragon 12%
- Phoenix Recruit a Phoenix 12%
- The Wonders of Fleur Complete this Exploration Map 12%
- Poison Dragon Recruit a Poison Dragon 11%
- The Wonders of Cotta Town Complete this Exploration Map 11%
- The Wonders of Nagukka Complete this Exploration Map 11%
- The Wonders of Mireton Complete this Exploration Map 11%
- Star Brawler Win 5 consecutive tarven fights in a row 11%
- The Wonders of Golden Bazaar Complete this Exploration Map 11%
- The Wonders of Triptych Rock Complete this Exploration Map 10%
- The Wonders of Halfmoon Hills Bazaar Complete this Exploration Map 10%
- The Wonders of Snowridge Complete this Exploration Map 10%
- The Wonders of Amaranth Town Complete this Exploration Map 10%
- The Wonders of Agadir Complete this Exploration Map 10%
- The Wonders of Qebui Keep Complete this Exploration Map 10%
- The Wonders of Frost Valley Complete this Exploration Map 9.9%
- The Wonders of Camel Bell Bazaar Complete this Exploration Map 9.8%
- The Wonders of Diresprings Complete this Exploration Map 9.6%
- The Wonders of Dunestorm Complete this Exploration Map 9.6%
- Quick-N-Easy Defeat Obsidian Flame in 180 seconds 8.6%
- The True Spiritmancer Complete the true ending of the Spiritmancer's story 7.7%
- A Bigger Challenge Start a playthrough at Difficulty 2 or higher 7.3%
- 2nd Playthrough Complete 2nd playthrough at diffculty 1 or higher 6.7%
- Bounty Hunter's Wit Escape the Shujae's dungeon without combat 4.6%
- Ancient Machina Master Play as Sultan, and upgrade the library of the unnamed tribe to level 3 4.3%
- Come at Me Start a playthrough at Difficulty 5 or higher 4.3%
- Glib Tongue Successfully persuade 5+ heroes within one playthrough 3.9%
- Well Promoted Own a Lv.5 title 3.5%
- Dragon Blood Unlock Drake form: Ultra when plays as a Shaman 3.5%
- Magic Master Light up 3 different skill pages within one playthrough 3.5%
- Salzaar Master Survive more than 1 year in sandbox mode 2.5%
- Treasure Master Complete 20 purchases in any of bazaars of the deserts 2.4%
- Yaksha’s Wish Play as Shaman, and recruit Yaksha to your troops 2.2%
- Princess Speedy Defeat Obsidian Flame with Princess Ilayda within 3 months 1.9%
- Witch's Belief Play as Spiritmancer, escape from the Shaitan's cave in the first time 1.6%
- Tournament Champion Win 15+ tournaments within a playthrough 1.6%
- Nameless Epic Complete plot mode of The Nameless in epic level 1.5%
- Fated to Meet! Play as the Jackal, and rescue Dahila from Rebiya 1.4%
Steam page Updated: 2026-10-18.