Deep Rock Galactic has a reputation for being one of the best co-op shooters ever made... but seven years after launch, does it still hold up? I had no idea, so I jumped back in to find out. I wanted to see how the gameplay feels today, how the new gear and missions shake things up, and whether the solo experience is actually worth your time. And of course, we’ll talk about the stuff it still gets wrong.
Greetings and welcome friend. I'm Ash, and let's dig in - pun very much intended - and see if this game still rocks!
Video version of this retrospective (~14 minutes)
Wholesome community
One of my biggest surprises when revisiting Deep Rock Galactic in 2025 was just how welcoming the community is. Normally, the longer a game's been around, the more insular and elitist the playerbase becomes. Case in point: my most common interaction in Dota 2 is being told I should go play Frogger in real life.
And yet, even when I was shaking off years of rust and doing my best impression of a carpet - face-down on the floor and really tying the caves together - every player I met was chill, patient, and supportive. No one complained. No one got salty.
And when I say 'no one', I really do mean it. I didn't have a single grumpy match. In fact, most groups were down for some good ol' fashioned shenanigans - whether that meant spamming 'Rock and Stone' after every minor success like we’d just won a war, or simply breaking into a dance party before the mission had even started.
That kind of camaraderie is rare, and honestly kind of heartwarming. It’s also a huge part of what makes Deep Rock Galactic so easy to jump into, even years after launch.
What happens in the Abyss bar stays in the Abyss bar
How good is the solo mode?
Another thing I didn't really appreciate back in the day, but immediately did this time around, was solo play. Can you imagine that? A multiplayer game... that actually lets you play alone? Just wander around, learn the ropes, explore the maps, and just kinda chill? What a wild concept!
And not only does Deep Rock Galactic have a solo mode, it’s actually really, really good. Genuinely surprised me. Your AI companion Bosco does everything a regular player would: he mines distant minerals, blasts bugs to bits, revives you when you get munched on, and naturally, randomly wanders off so you get munched on again. He even salutes you back! It's adorable.
I didn't spend too long in solo mode once I got my sea legs back... or cavern legs really, but just having it there made a huge difference. It gave me a comfy place to experiment, get familiar with the new gear, and remember how not to detonate myself with a satchel charge. Mostly.
Bosco really is adorable!
Weapons and customization
Speaking of gear, DRG clearly went for quality over quantity with its new additions. Each Dwarf only got one new primary, one secondary, and one grenade... but every single one is a blast to mess around with and brings a unique spin on their playstyle - as I found out over the past few weeks.
My favorite ended up being the Driller's Corrosive Sludge Pump - a glorious gloop gun that fires huge globs of acidic slime. You can tag enemies directly to slow and damage them, or just splooge all over the terrain to create a disgusting, toxic carpet the swarms have to squeeze through to get to your team.
What impressed me the most is how it fills a similar role to the flamethrower, namely area denial, yet still feels completely different. It’s slower, more deliberate, way messier, but no less powerful.
On top of the new gear, DRG also added a bunch of Overclocks over the years - weapon upgrades that can dramatically alter how your toys behave. Some of them are so wild you can barely even recognize the original gun underneath.
Case in point: I never really cared for the Gunner back in the day. Neither of his two primary weapons clicked with me, so I figured I’d test out his new thingamabobs for the video and then move on. And that’s when I discovered Mortar Rounds for the Heavy Autocannon.
This beautiful monstrosity turns a slow and (personally) kinda boring weapon into what I can only describe as a gatling mortar. Hanging from a zipline and arcing shell after shell into a swarm below is absurdly satisfying. And the sheer chaos? Glorious. Half the time you can’t even see what you’re shooting at - just smoke, explosions, and the constant sound of your Scout yelling at you!
That one Overclock completely turned me around on the Gunner, and reminded me just how much depth there is when you really start digging into upgrade system.
If you can see anything, you're doing it wrong!
Problems with Overclocks
Unfortunately, Overclocks are also DRG’s biggest problem, and one that’s only gotten worse over the years. There’s no way to target the specific ones you want. You only get a handful of random Overclocks each week, and that’s it. So if you like the sound of Mortar Rounds, there’s a very real chance you might not see them... even after months of active play. And that sucks, a lot!
For a game that’s so player-focused, and I’ll get into that in a second, this system feels oddly hostile. It’s not like DRG is some microtransaction-riddled hellhole where they need you glued to the screen 24/7. It’s a chill co-op shooter you play because it’s fun. So why gate some of the most exciting content behind such slow, frustrating RNG?
I genuinely don’t get it. Overclocks still cost rare resources to craft, so it’s not like letting players pick would remove the incentive to play. It would just make each mission more rewarding. Hopefully, the devs come around on this one, because it’s the one system that feels completely out of sync with the rest of DRG.
An actually good Battle Pass?
Which brings me to one of my biggest surprises: the way DRG handles its battle passes. You know how most games treat battle passes like a second job? Play every day, complete a bunch of dailies, and maybe, just maybe, you’ll get that one cool cosmetic by the end of the season? Yeah, DRG doesn’t do that. You get each battle pass completely free and you can complete it at your own pace. Best of all? They never expire.
Want to go back and finish a previous season? Just a couple of clicks and boom - you’re back in time. Other players can still join your games, and vice versa. The only difference is the seasonal events you’ll run into along the way. And if you mostly join random lobbies like I do, this gives the gameplay a nice bit of variety without splitting the community.
It's really nice seeing a 'Battle Pass' that is actually player-friendly
Enemies and missions
Speaking of variety, I’m happy to say that DRG has added a bunch of new missions, enemies, and modifiers over the years. Maybe not as many as I would've liked. I saw most of them within my first week back, but the ones that are here are top notch, so I can’t really complain.
My favorite new mission is the one where you triangulate the location of a giant Morkite geode and then ride the appropriately named Drillevator straight into its crystal core. The mission itself is a blast, but the real highlight? Jet Boots. Previously locked behind a pretty underwhelming perk, the new Jet Boots let you soar through caves at breakneck speeds and explore to your heart’s content. It’s silly, it’s fun, and it’s exactly the kind of over-the-top nonsense DRG does so well.
Another fun mission, and I'm fairly certain I'm alone on this given how everyone else tried to rush through it, is the Overseer boss mission. I really liked this one because I cooked up a crazy idea: I'll use my drills to position myself above the boss, and then instead of doing the fight fairly, I'll just drop satchel charges onto its head! I was worried this would trigger some sort of shield or defensive measure as games generally hate when you try to cheese them, but much to my delight nothing of the sort happened. DRG was perfectly content to reward me for creative play, even if this meant trivializing much of the boss, and I really, really do appreciate games that let me do that kind of stuff.
As for the enemies, I’ve run into quite a few new faces since I last played, though I’d be lying if I said I could name them. The bugs all kind of blur together... until you meet one of the eldritch horror-things that spawn from literal rifts in reality. I don’t know what those things are, but I have a sneaking suspicion they’ll play a big role in the upcoming Rogue Core spin-off.
On the difficulty side, DRG hasn’t added any full new tiers beyond Hazard 5, but they have introduced optional modifiers that spice things up - tougher enemies, more numerous swarms, that kind of stuff. I won't toggle them on every mission, but they’re a nice way to turn the heat up without having to mod your game and thus losing a lot of potential teammates in the process.
I love that the satchel chargers look like wrapped-up presents!
Mandatory DLC?
And finally, let’s talk about DLC, because if there’s one thing modern gaming has taught me, it’s that 120€ worth of it is usually a bad sign. Thankfully, DRG once again bucks the trend. Yes, it sells DLCs, but they’re all cosmetic. And no, none of them are essential.
Now don’t get me wrong - locking the coolest outfits behind a paywall still kinda sucks. But DRG strikes a good balance here: the paid cosmetics are purely optional, and the free ones are plentiful, easily earnable, and often quite fancy in their own right. You’ll unlock them from the in-game shop, seasonal events, caches mid-mission, and even just by leveling up your gear. At no point did I ever feel like I was missing out by not opening my wallet.
And that, honestly, might be the biggest compliment I can give DRG and its developers. They could’ve gone full goblin mode and locked everything behind DLC. Instead, they just.. made a good game and let people enjoy it. And that’s not just a rare thing to see these days - it’s borderline legendary.
Closing thoughts
So... does Deep Rock Galactic still hold up in 2025? Yeah. Honestly, more than I expected.
It's not the flashiest game out there, and sure, some systems like the random Overclock grind are long overdue for an overhaul. But the core of it? That satisfying loop of mining, blasting bugs and screaming 'Rock and Stone!' every two seconds? That's just as fun today as it was seven years ago.
More importantly, DRG feels like a game that actually respects its players - your time, your money and your creativity. You don't see that very often, and I think that’s a big reason why the community has stayed so strangely wholesome over the years.
So whether you're dropping in for the first time, or coming back to see what's new like I did, I’d say now’s a pretty good time to head underground. The roguelike spin-off Rogue Core is set to launch later this year. That's probably going to be a pretty big deal, so why not get familiar with the original? Enjoy, and just remember - you don't throw satchel charges nearly as far as you might think. Trust me on that one...
[Note]: Up for more DRG? I've also done a review of the Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor spin-off, showing off everything the game does well... as well as where it stumbles like a Dwarf after one too many beers at the Abyss Bar.