Pandemic: The Board Game

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 695 Steam reviews in every language. Median playtime in a sample of 296 reviews: 6.5h for positive, 0.9h 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 (60.3% of owners), so people who bought the game and never launched it don't count.

Story milestones aren't labeled yet; all achievements are listed below.

All achievements (39)

• Fighting Back Treat your first disease. 100%
• Clinical Laboratory Success Cure a disease. 82%
• Starting Duo Win at easy level or higher with the team: Researcher, Scientist. 43%
• Flawless Victory Win without triggering any outbreaks. 42%
• Eradication! Eradicate your first disease. 39%
• Still Got Some Time Win with 12 or more cards left in the player deck. 38%
• Still Got Plenty of Time Win with 18 or more cards left in the player deck. 22%
• Disease Hunter Eradicate 2 diseases in a game. 18%
• Easy but Not so Easy Win a game on introductory difficulty. 16%
• On the Brink of Extinction Win a game on the last round. 13%
• Effectiveness Use the Discover a Cure action twice in a single turn. 13%
• Getting Good Win a game on standard difficulty. 11%
• Pandemic Lover Win 5 games. 10%
• Dream Team Win a game with the "dream team" (the medic, the scientist and the researcher). 8.5%
• Disease Exterminator Eradicate 3 diseases in a game. 8.1%
• Scholar Complete the tutorial. 7.3%
• Too Much Time on Your Hands Win with 24 or more cards left in the player deck. 6.3%
• The World Needs a Hero Win a game on heroic difficulty. 5.0%
• Pandemic Pro Win 15 games. 4.1%
• Eradication: Virulent Strain Eradicate the virulent strain for the first time. 3.2%
• Disease Annihilator Eradicate all 4 diseases in a game. 3.0%
• Immune Response Save the world from a virulent strain at normal difficulty or higher. 2.5%
• Clinical Laboratory Success: Mutation Find a cure for the purple disease for the first time. 2.2%
• Pandemic Addict Win 40 games. 2.0%
• Advanced Squad Win at easy level or higher with the team: Contingency Pl., Dispatcher, Op. Expert, Quarantine Spec. 1.8%
• Nobel Prize Save the world from a mutation while having discovered the 5 cures. 1.7%
• Eradication: Mutation Eradicate the purple disease for the first time. 1.2%
• Cool Headed Save the world from a mutation at normal difficulty or higher. 1.2%
• Pandemic God Win 100 games. 1.2%
• Experimental Medicine Save the world from a virulent strain at legendary difficulty. 1.0%
• Fabulous Five Save the world with 5 players at legendary difficulty. 0.8%
• Full of Knowledge Win at difficult level or higher with the team: Researcher, Epidemiologist, Archivist. 0.8%
• Shock Therapy Win at difficult level or higher with the team: Medic, Quarantine Spec., Containment Specialist. 0.8%
• Lab Tour Win at difficult level or higher with the team: Scientist, Op. Expert, Field Op. 0.8%
• Without Borders Win at difficult level or higher with the team: Dispatcher, Operation’s Expert, Troubleshooter. 0.8%
• Sixth Sense Save the world from a mutation at legendary difficulty. 0.7%
• Each to Their Own Win at difficult level or higher with the team: Troub., Gen., Contingency Pl., Archivist, Field Op. 0.7%
• Team Work Win at legendary difficulty with the team: Researcher, Dispat., Op. Expert, Contingency Pl., Epidem. 0.7%
• Flawless Victory Win a game with the virulent strain and a mutation at legendary difficulty. 0.5%