Advent Rising

2005 Cavetap, GlyphX Games Action

Windows 11With a fix

MacNot sold

LinuxGold

Gamicality score

Metacritic 704

OpenCritic Not rated

Steam players 741

How it’s combined

Playability today

Runs today3/5

Design today3/5

Steam user reviews

Mostly Positive

78%

528 reviews1

Get it on Steam Watch the trailer

Facts checked November 1, 2026

Does Advent Rising run on Windows 11, Apple Silicon Macs, Linux and Steam Deck?

Windows 11With a fix

Runs with a fix. See the steps below.1

Mac (Apple Silicon)Not sold

No Mac version is sold.

LinuxGold

Through Proton. ProtonDB: Gold, runs perfectly after tweaks.3

Played Advent Rising lately?

One click, no account, so the next player knows. How we check where it runs

How to get Advent Rising running today

Set Advent.exe in the game's System folder to run in compatibility mode for Windows XP (Service Pack 2), a step players report reduces crashes (Steam Community reviews).
If the camera spins on its own, unplug any controller, run the game as administrator, and remove the Joy entries from MyDefUser.ini and defuser.ini in the System folder (PCGamingWiki, Steam Community).
Expect a crash after the shuttle landing early in the game; restart and load the autosave, which resumes at the same point (Steam Community).
For working Vsync, install the d3d8to9 wrapper as PCGamingWiki describes (PCGamingWiki).

Synopsis

Advent Rising is a third-person sci-fi action game with a story by Orson Scott Card. Young pilot Gideon Wyeth survives an alien attack that wipes out most of humanity and learns that other species see humans as near-mythical beings. Play mixes gunfights with dual-wielded weapons, growing psychic powers, light platforming and vehicle sections, and the story ends on a cliffhanger for a trilogy that was never finished.

Developer: Cavetap, GlyphX Games
Released: 2005
Genre: Action
Where to get it: Steam

Reception

Critics in 2005 gave it mixed reviews, with a 70 PC Metascore: they liked the ambition, the orchestral score and the range of powers and weapons, but faulted the overloaded controls, frame rate drops, frequent glitches and clumsy cutscenes. The flick-targeting lock-on was a common complaint, since it pulls the camera back toward enemies while the player tries to escape. Steam players today are divided, with fans praising the story and soundtrack as a cult classic and others calling the port clunky. Recent reviews regularly mention crashes and setup trouble on modern Windows.

Trailer from Steam

Playability today

The average of two parts, each from 1 to 5. Tap a check to see why. How it works

Runs today

3/5

Sold or given away today by an official source
Needs fan patches to run well on Windows 11
?Not confirmed yetSingle-player works without an internet connection
No source covers the current version yet, so this check counts as open, not passed. Played it lately? Tell us
All of its content still works (servers, DLC, unlocks)
The digital versions include the Advent Revising patch, which restores 12 Xbox cutscenes missing from the original PC release, and the comics and soundtrack come free (PCGamingWiki).
No proper support for modern resolutions and widescreen
Widescreen needs the patched launcher or ini edits, and the image always keeps letterbox bars (PCGamingWiki).
No full controller support and no remappable controls
XInput controllers work only after manual ini edits, with no Xbox button prompts (PCGamingWiki).
?Not confirmed yetSteam Deck Verified or Playable
No source covers the current version yet, so this check counts as open, not passed. Played it lately? Tell us
No intrusive DRM or required third-party launcher account
No pay-to-win or pushy microtransactions
Known game-breaking bugs in the current version
A crash early in the game after the shuttle landing hits nearly every player, and random crashes continue later on, though autosaves limit the lost progress (Steam Community, PCGamingWiki).

Design today

3/5

Controls feel awkward on a modern controller or mouse and keyboard
Flick targeting shares the right stick or mouse with camera control, so the lock-on keeps swinging the view back to enemies, and picking up weapons uses the same buttons as dodging and reloading. Source: gamerevolution.com, worthplaying.com.
Menus, text or interface are hard to read on today's screens
The game always renders with letterbox bars, widescreen comes only through the patched launcher or ini edits, and anisotropic filtering and anti-aliasing are not available. Source: pcgamingwiki.com.
Saving is fair: free saves or frequent checkpoints, little lost progress
The game autosaves often enough that a crash rarely costs more than about five minutes of play. Source: steamcommunity.com, pcgamingwiki.com.
It teaches itself: no guide needed to make progress
Training aboard the ship at the start covers the basics, and weapon skills and powers are unlocked and leveled gradually as the story moves on, though reviewers found the power menu confusing. Source: steamcommunity.com, gamerevolution.com, worthplaying.com.
Pacing holds up: little grind, filler or forced backtracking
The linear campaign keeps changing its setting and activity, mixing gunfights with platforming, vehicles and set pieces, and it runs short rather than padded. Source: gamerevolution.com, worthplaying.com.
Camera or movement fights the player
The camera is jumpy and gets dragged around by the targeting lock, and the PC version can spin the view uncontrollably until ini files are edited. Source: gamerevolution.com, pcgamingwiki.com, steamcommunity.com.