Design Risk Score
Estimated0/100
0 mechanics flagged
Why this score
No flagged mechanics — clean monetisation and design.
Points reflect severity, not just presence — cosmetic-only purchases score far lower than pay-for-power. Total: 0/100. This game was scored from its Steam store listing, so its mechanics are an estimate. How scoring works →
Joy Index
85/100
Excellent
Community score: 85/100
Joy is the share of players who recommend it on Steam, published as-is.
Verdict
Healthy
This game respects your time and wallet
Clean monetization, strong community satisfaction, and genuine gameplay depth make this a safe pick.
- Play freely
- Worth recommending to others
Respects Players
GoldEstimatedAn exemplar — this is how it should be done. It earns Sifter's highest seal.
- Buy-once design — no in-game store pulling at you after purchase.
- No loot boxes or gacha — nothing you pay to gamble on.
- No energy system or daily-login loop — play on your own schedule.
- Respects your time — it doesn't pull you back on its clock.
- Players love it — 85/100 Joy from the community.
Developer? Show it off — the seal always reflects the live score.
Where to buy
Price & availability
Cheapest it’s ever beenBest price now
$22.49−10%
at Steam→
Lowest ever
$22.49
at Steam · 7/22/2026
Real recorded prices & subscription data via IsThereAnyDeal.
Get this for your whole library
The Sifter desktop app brings every game you own — across Steam, Epic and GOG — into one home, tells you the one worth playing tonight, and launches it. It scans your own machine; nothing about your library leaves your device. Free, for Windows and Linux — on Linux your Windows games play through Valve’s Proton, with honest per-game compatibility badges.
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Tears of Metal: your questions, answered
Estimated from store data- Is Tears of Metal pay to win?
- No. Tears of Metal's real-money purchases don't sell gameplay power — Sifter found no pay-to-win mechanics.
- Does Tears of Metal have loot boxes or gacha?
- No. Sifter found no loot boxes or gacha in Tears of Metal — no paid randomised rewards.
- Does Tears of Metal have microtransactions?
- No. Tears of Metal is a buy-once game — Sifter found no microtransactions, battle pass, or in-game store.
- How aggressively is Tears of Metal monetised?
- Sifter grades Tears of Metal A — 0/100 on the Design Risk scale, where a higher number means more aggressive monetisation. No monetisation or engagement mechanics were flagged. The grade is computed from a public checklist, not opinion.
- Does Tears of Metal respect your time?
- Tears of Metal scores 100/100 on Sifter's Time Respect scale — no energy system, daily-login streaks, or limited-time events designed to pull you back.
Mods
Upload a mod →Players report
Community-reported mechanics from players who own Tears of Metal. Shown separately — this never changes Tears of Metal’s Design Risk grade.
Own this game? Connect your Steam library to report a mechanic Sifter missed.
Time Respect
EstimatedNo time-coercive mechanics detected — this game lets you play on your own schedule.
Ownership
This game is yours to keep
- Plays offline — no server dependency, so it can't be switched off remotely.
- Installing the Steam release takes a Steam account. Steam doesn't publish whether this title is otherwise DRM-free, so we can't confirm it runs standalone.
This describes the Steam release only — editions of the same game sold on other stores come with those stores' own terms.
Whether you keep what you paid for is its own question, separate from the score. How Sifter measures games →
Embed this score
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