Blood II: The Chosen

1998 Monolith Productions Action, Adventure

Windows 11With a fix

MacNot sold

LinuxGold

Gamicality score

Metacritic 724

OpenCritic Not rated

Steam players 481

How it’s combined

Playability today

2.5

Runs today3/5

Design today1.5/5

Steam user reviews

Mixed

48%

614 reviews1

Get it on Steam

Facts checked November 1, 2026

Does Blood II: The Chosen 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 Blood II: The Chosen lately?

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

How to get Blood II: The Chosen running today

Unpack the community fix package from the Steam Community 'Ultimate fix' thread into the game folder, or set up dgVoodoo 2 as described on PCGamingWiki.
Cap the frame rate at 60 FPS, since game logic is tied to frame rate and cutscenes and mouse turning break above it (PCGamingWiki).
Install the Music Patch linked on PCGamingWiki if music does not play.
Unplug any wireless headset dongle before launching, as it stops the game from starting (PCGamingWiki).

Synopsis

A first-person shooter and sequel to Blood, set in a grimy near-future city run by the occult corporation CabalCo. You play Caleb or one of three other Chosen, fighting cultists, mutants and monsters with a large arsenal of guns, many with alternate fire and some dual-wielded. The Steam release includes The Nightmare Levels expansion.

Developer: Monolith Productions
Released: 1998
Genre: Action, Adventure
Where to get it: Steam

Reception

Critics at release gave it middling scores, and it shipped with many bugs that patches and the expansion never fully cleaned up. Fans of the original Blood often call it a letdown that swapped gothic horror for a techno setting. Players today still enjoy the arsenal and the dark humor, but many reviews report that it crashes or will not run on modern Windows without community fixes. A 2020 review praised the weapons yet found the levels repetitive and confusing, the AI poor, and could not recommend it.

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
Some content no longer works (servers, DLC, unlocks)
Online play through GameSpy no longer works, leaving LAN as the only listed multiplayer option (PCGamingWiki).
No proper support for modern resolutions and widescreen
Widescreen needs fan patches, since the game only stretches the image (PCGamingWiki).
Full controller support or remappable controls
Controllers are supported with remapping, though not for full controller play (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
PCGamingWiki lists an unresolved crash on Alt-Tab, and players keep reporting crashes on modern Windows even with community fixes (PCGamingWiki).

Design today

1.5/5

Controls feel awkward on a modern controller or mouse and keyboard
Keys can be remapped, but mouse turning becomes jerky above 60 FPS because game logic is tied to frame rate, and controller support is partial with no full controller play. Source: pcgamingwiki.com.
Menus, text or interface are hard to read on today's screens
Wider resolutions only stretch the 4:3 image, resolutions taller than 1000 pixels crash the game, and fixing this takes a separate high resolution fix and widescreen patch. Source: pcgamingwiki.com.
Saving is fair: free saves or frequent checkpoints, little lost progress
Single-player saves at any time from the menu or with save and load hotkeys; Monolith's patch notes disable the quick save and quick load keys only in multiplayer. Source: blood-wiki.org, steamcommunity.com.
Hard to make progress without a guide
Many rooms and corridors look alike, and progress depends on keys, switches and destructible objects whose purpose is often unclear. Source: gamingpastime.com.
Pacing drags: grind, filler or forced backtracking
The opening train level returns twice with little change, and the game repeats similar areas and encounters with some backtracking. Source: gamingpastime.com.
Camera or movement fights the player
Movement snags on some doorways, the field of view cannot be changed without patches, and mouse look stutters at high frame rates. Source: gamingpastime.com, pcgamingwiki.com.