Still Life

2005 Microids Adventure

Windows 11With a fix

MacNot sold

LinuxGold

Steam DeckPlayable

Gamicality score

Metacritic 754

OpenCritic Not rated

Steam players 781

How it’s combined

Playability today

3.5

Runs today3.5/5

Design today3.5/5

Steam user reviews

Very Positive

82%

1,005 reviews1

Get it on Steam Watch the trailer

Facts checked November 1, 2026

Does Still Life 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

Steam DeckPlayable

Playable, as rated by Valve. May need some setup.1

Played Still Life lately?

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

How to get Still Life running today

If the game hangs on a black screen at startup or when a dialog starts on Windows 10, add a registry compatibility entry for StillLife.exe with the value NT4SP5 as described on PCGamingWiki.
On Windows 11, if the screen stays black, launch the game through DxWnd with Early hook, Run in Window and Desktop checked (PCGamingWiki).
To get working V-Sync, copy D3D8.DLL from d3d8to9 into the game folder (PCGamingWiki).

Synopsis

A third-person point-and-click mystery in which FBI agent Victoria McPherson hunts a serial killer in modern Chicago, while playable flashbacks follow her grandfather Gus investigating a similar string of murders in 1920s Prague. Play centers on examining crime scenes with forensic tools, questioning witnesses and solving inventory and logic puzzles across seven chapters.

Developer: Microids
Released: 2005
Genre: Adventure
Where to get it: Steam

Reception

Critics in 2005 praised the dark atmosphere, detailed visuals and story, and the PC version holds a Metascore of 75. The cliffhanger ending drew the most criticism, since the case is only resolved in Still Life 2 from 2009. Several reviewers also called a few puzzles fiddly or poorly explained, singling out lock picking and a recipe puzzle. Current Steam players are mostly positive about the mood and the mystery, while some find puzzles obtuse and the pacing slow in places.

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

3.5/5

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)
A single-player game with no servers or cut content (PCGamingWiki).
No proper support for modern resolutions and widescreen
Fixed at 800×600 (PCGamingWiki).
No full controller support and no remappable controls
No controller support (PCGamingWiki).
Steam Deck Verified or Playable
No intrusive DRM or required third-party launcher account
No pay-to-win or pushy microtransactions
No known game-breaking bugs in the current version
Black screens and startup hangs on Windows 10 and 11 have documented fixes on PCGamingWiki, with no open blocking issues (PCGamingWiki).

Design today

3.5/5

Controls feel natural on a modern controller or mouse and keyboard
Point-and-click is the default, with a right click opening inventory and menus, and an action icon appears wherever an item can be used. Keyboard movement is optional. Source: uhs-hints.com, gameboomers.com.
Menus, text or interface are hard to read on today's screens
The game runs only at 800×600 in 4:3, with no widescreen support, so text and menus are small and blurry on modern screens. Source: pcgamingwiki.com.
Saving is fair: free saves or frequent checkpoints, little lost progress
Saving is allowed at any time outside puzzle screens, and the heroine cannot die, so there is no game over to lose progress to. Source: rpgfan.com.
Hard to make progress without a guide
Several puzzles give little or no guidance: the cookie recipe in chapter 3 has almost no hints, lock picking is notoriously hard, and one logic puzzle explains its controls poorly. Source: rpgfan.com, gameboomers.com, uhs-hints.com.
Pacing holds up: little grind, filler or forced backtracking
Seven short linear chapters alternate between the two timelines, and the game usually points to the next lead, so there is little aimless wandering. Source: uhs-hints.com, rpgfan.com.
Camera and movement never fight the player
Scenes are rendered 3D backdrops shown one screen at a time, and the heroine walks to wherever the player clicks, so there is no camera to manage. Source: uhs-hints.com, gameboomers.com.