Braid’s appeal comes from combining platforming with puzzles built around rewinding time and other unusual effects. If that kind of inventive problem-solving is what you want, it currently costs ≈ $4.71 at GAMIVO; the solo format leaves you free to tackle it at your own pace. Steam player reviews are 93% percent positive across 6,952 reviews, another useful perspective alongside the game’s distinctive puzzle design.At $14.99 from GAMIVO, you can compare the offer with Steam’s current price.
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Price History
Past 36 months · Updated daily
Historical Low~ $2.992023-12Current Low Across Stores~ $9.95Steamvs. Historical Low+233%
Prices cover Steam and 39 authorized stores; only legitimate offers are counted. The chart shows weekly market-wide lows and Steam's official price across the past 36 months.
Braid is a puzzle-platformer set across painterly worlds, where you solve challenges by changing how time behaves. Depending on the world, you can rewind events, create parallel realities, or use other unusual time effects. Search for puzzle pieces and follow a nonlinear story about rescuing an abducted princess.Steam players: 93% positive from 6,952 reviews.
$2.992023-12-21 · SSteamBase game · same records as the chart above; USD history, not a regional Steam low.
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Traditional Chinese
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English
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French
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Steam PC edition data · 2026-10-22
02Before you buy
Play and controls
The Steam PC version is single-player, supports Steam Cloud, and has full controller support.
Time-based puzzles
The description identifies several worlds with distinct time mechanics, including rewinding and parallel realities.
03Frequently asked questions
Is this a single-player game?
Yes. The Steam PC version is listed as single-player.
Does it support controllers?
Yes. Full controller support is listed for the Steam PC version.
Does it support Steam Cloud?
Yes. Steam Cloud is listed as a feature.
Popular Steam reviews
Native-language selection · 10 reviews
Selected helpful reviews in this language show both recommendations and criticisms. This selection does not represent the overall positive rating; opinions reflect the version reviewed.
RecommendedSteam player
Braid is... Not For Everyone
The time twisting, puzzle platformer is brilliantly made, fantastically designed but a killer on the brain. The introduction to the game drip feeds you the information you are required to complete it, and its all down to you to apply the knowledge you have been given.
Now this is where opinions will divide; I enjoyed the challenge and that inspired me to push on. You could argue this game is actually really boring, I would disagree, but essentially it is advanced jumping with time elements. The story is strong, the character is great, albeit eccentrically odd, and the mechanics are near flawless. If you are a naysayer, play this in chunks and it'll win you round.
I think compared to other indie titles this game is perfectly priced at £5 - £10. If you don't enjoy the art style, then anything below that and you have got a steal and its worth a shot.
Notes
Steam Achievements, No Trading Cards, Full Controller Support.Show moreShow less
12.2 hours at review227 people found this helpful
Not recommendedSteam player
I wasn't smart enough for this game. At least, that's the conclusion I come to from reading so many glowing reviews and having such an ugly experience trying to play it.
Braid has a lovable core time-warp gimmick: if you make a mistake, you can rewind your playthrough of the level as far as you like. It makes the first several levels' platform action-puzzle gameplay forgiving and enjoyable.
Then the game starts layering additional gimmicks atop the gimmick. A level where simply moving in a particular direction reverses time for everything but you. A powerup that causes you to clone yourself when rewinding. Areas that trap objects such that they don't get rewound when everything else does.
These things sound awesome, and they could have been, if the difficulty curve didn't go stratospheric as soon as they were introduced. I found myself skipping level after level, because the solution was either so opaque and convoluted that I had no idea where to begin, or because I could see the solution, but it required such flawless timing and precision that full play sessions of practice got me no closer to success.
Then I learned that in order to finish the game, you must complete every. single. puzzle. Collect every widget in the game, cleverly disguised as bonus challenges. And I was done. Game uninstalled, added to my "Let's Not" category.Show moreShow less
3.2 hours at review207 people found this helpful
RecommendedSteam player
Sometimes, when watching a film or reading a novel, you feel a burn of emotion deep inside your chest. Something that affects you so profoundly that it moves beyond being just a form of media. It is internalized and remembered forever.
Braid is one of those things. But it isn't just an example of art in gaming, it's a game full of pure genius as well.
The game, at first, comes off as a platformer. There are relatively little instances of hardcore platforming in the game, and they usually only serve as a medium to allow you to interact with the puzzle that you're dealing with. Make no mistake, this is a puzzle game at heart.
The puzzles here are incredibly good, and very well scaled from level to level. The first two levels are relatively easy and will only take you a few minutes, the third is a bit harder, and the last puzzles will make you feel like your brain is deflated. The amount of time that you'll have to put into each puzzle may be debilitating for some, but the sheer joy and pleasure of solving one overcomes any sense of stress that staring at your screen racking your brain may cause. These aren't just run of the mill puzzles, either. There are a number that are, in my mind, some of the best puzzles that I've ever seen in a game.
The art direction is beautiful. The backgrounds are watercolor constructed, they're vibrant and bright, and dark and brooding. The soundtrack is perfectly placed and flooded with beautiful violin work. Each are augmented by an incredibly written preface that comes prior to starting each level. The story is written so broadly and so metaphorically that it can literally be translated to represent whatever the player would like it to. The ending represents one of the epic twists in video game history, and does so in game -- a puzzle in itself.
I literally cannot think of one thing that I dislike about this game. It could be longer, but length can't really be expected from a game that costs so little.
There is so much value stuffed into the 10ish hours that you'll spend playing this game, it's hard to put it into words any other way than just to spout off the cliche of "buy it and experience it yourself". It's an experience to be had, and it's one of the most artistically beautiful exhibits in gaming history that is guaranteed to affect you in a most profound way.Show moreShow less
0.1 hours at review132 people found this helpful
Not recommendedSteam player
Braid is a curious game for a lot of reasons, despite it's impressive art style and legacy it actually isn't as enjoyable as it appears.
As the trailer suggests you are capable of turning back time, thus you never officially die. Despite this the leaning curve is quite steep and not always fair.
If anyone has heard of the Infamous Goat puzzle in Broken Sword this may make a bit more sense. But basically in the point and click adventure game Broken Sword there is a puzzle that requires quick timing. But you the player have never used it before, so what makes it so difficult is your lack of understanding and knowledge of a gaming mechanic. You are unaware that you are even capable of doing what the game expects you to do.
This is how Braid often feels. Although it is a very clever game many of puzzles require you to use your powers in unconventional ways to meet your goal. Although I never cared for tutorials or hand holding, the way it expects you to use your new abilities can often seem ridiculous and are incredibly specific.
As an example there's a part in the game that requires you to let an enemy kill you, by doing this you see that when the enemy kills you it jumps back upward as it falls on top of you. Similarly to how Mario would when killing a goomba.
But lets say you rewind too fast to realize this is something that can happen or you've never had an enemy kill you from above.
Because there's not really an oppuninity in the game dedicated to this very specific mechanic you might not know you're able to do this.
Since you don't know all the mechanics the game can feel as if it's cheating you. It's not that you didn't understand the puzzle but rather you didn't understand a mechanic that was never revealed properly in the first place.
Braid does this multiple times, which is where I find the most difficulty in the game.
As for the story? It's interesting but for lack of better words leaves you feeling empty of confused. Even when you do research into theories or see the ending of the game you just never feel as if you knew the whole experience. And that's not always bad but a lot of games can hold a sense of mystery while satisfying the player. This game just didn't satisfy me with it's conclusion.
Furthermore to complete the game in it's entirety you are required to collect stars. Many of which you as the player would never have even known were in the game. The first star in world 2 takes about an hour and a half to collect by standing on top of a cloud.
Let that sink in, how is the player expected to wait that long at the beginning of the game?
Perhaps later in the game a challenge like that is realistic after the player is aware that there are actual collectables. But for the completing the game it felt unfair. There is a star map at the intro but I was unaware that I could actually collect items for it as well.
Furthermore despite how interesting the story is the creator Johnathan Brow is rather pretentious in his attitude towards those theorizing or reviewing his game.
If you'd like to play it I'd suggest to avoid reading his lengthy interviews as they just leave a sour taste in your mouth and ruin the experience of a decent game.
It's normal for an artist to be protective of his work and to have a specific outlook or belief. Brow often justifies parts of critiques and mistakes as being intentional or experimental. Yet as an artist regardless of if an element is intentional or not that does not make the game improve in quality if it wont translate to the player. A game element needs to make sense not just in the eyes of the creator but the audience.
Furthermore the soundtrack is pretty but incredibly repetitive and many levels don't suit the soundtrack. Plus, a world in the game requires you to listen to the majority of it in slow motion or backwards and trust me when I say it gets irritating quickly.
The enemies feel uncreative, but I'm sure they serve some purpose in terms of appearance besides being a reference to Mario. Although the sound effects for the rabbits and goomba looking enemies are annoying.
So please before purchasing this game for 15 dollars just know that although it isn't a bad game it is overhyped. It might be a enjoyable use of your time but I don't believe it's worth the 15 dollar price tag.Show moreShow less
10.9 hours at review117 people found this helpful
Received for free
RecommendedSteam player
An intellectually stimulating combination of symbolic game design, brilliant visuals, an immersive soundtrack, and a post-modern story that will leave you pondering its implications for months. I consider this the best videogame ever made.Show moreShow less
31.6 hours at review96 people found this helpful
Not recommendedSteam player
I really tried to like this game and i can see why it's popular but unfortunately i just found i didn't enjoy it.
It's a platformer that uses time-manipulation to solve puzzles to collect puzzle pieces. The way this game has built puzzles around time-manipulation is actually quite clever and that added to the ability to rewind time when you die keeps the game flowing nicely. However the difficulty curve is steep and this is where the game may divide people. While i've no problem with a challenge i found myself getting irritated with the puzzles which led to me losing interest in the game altogether.
The visual style of the game is quite nice and so is the soundtrack. Even though this game has a story it never really sucked me in and felt a bit irrelevant.
While i have chosen No for game recommendation i would recommend looking at gameplay videos to decide whether this game is for you or not. It's not neccesarily a bad game but it just wasn't for me. I'd give it 5.5/10Show moreShow less
1.5 hours at review98 people found this helpful
RecommendedSteam player
This is truly as good as everybody says, it is not overhyped. First, every set of levels has a unique puzzle element, and the levels are designed to very cleverly make use of this puzzle element to solve the level. The game is both hard and fun. Because you can come back later for some things, even though the puzzles are hard, you don't have to get stuck there.
Another thing is that the whole game revolves around a fairly layered and interesting story. There's the main story, the releationship allegory, and a deeper set of references... This is a great game.Show moreShow less
12 hours at review87 people found this helpful
Not recommendedSteam player
I watched Indie Game: The Movie and bought this game on sale. After about 4 hours, I did everything except for the speedruns, which I decided weren’t worth my time.
The story just seems all over the place, I know it's supposed to be out of order, but what order is it supposed to be in exactly? Reading through the texts, almost nothing seemed to be part of some cohesive story line and nothing was even enjoyable to read. What a terrible epilogue. Far before the end of the game, I had lost all interest in the story, which comes off as pretentious.
Puzzle difficulty increases almost exponentially, which would be fine if there was more instruction on your new powers than just "The Pit" levels at the beginning of each world, especially with the ring.
The art is also very off-putting to me. The main character, Tim, has this unsettling stare up into the sky, like he’s looking at nothing and his expressions consist of a creepy toothless smile and what looks like a frown maybe? One of the puzzles has the gall to make use of the jigsaw puzzle pieces scattered throughout the game, as if the bland looking platforms are distinct somehow.
Most of the music was good, at least the first time I heard it. In world 4, since your movements change time, each level is really only about 8-20 seconds of real music and you get to hear it all distorted and weird for like 30 minutes as you struggle through the puzzles.
This game was enjoyable for about 45 minutes and I don’t recommend buying it at full price under any circumstance.
Edit: I have since read the Wikipedia article about this game and it just about validates every single problem I had with this game. Blow basically says outright that the story is whatever you thought it was (in my case it was trash). Blow was so pretentious about his game that he didn't think anyone was smart enough to make a soundtrack for it. And again, Tim looks like Chucky.
I have also realized that this game is, in fact, not at all as intelligent as it is made out to be. Just because you can't understand something, doesn't make it smart, it doesn't make it a masterpiece. If you want to ponder and reflect on a story, read a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ book, don't play this game.Show moreShow less
4.3 hours at review78 people found this helpful
RecommendedSteam player
AT A GLANCE
(Full review follows below)
Game Name: Braid
Original Release: 2009
Genre Tags: Puzzle-Platformer; 2D; Time-Warp
My Overall Grade: B+
Estimated Playtime (Campaign): 4-6 hours
Multiplayer Aspect: None
Recommended To: Established fans of the genre; Those intrigued by the genre; Puzzle game aficionados
REVIEW
Braid is a short and sweet puzzle/platformer with an quasi-innovative time-manipulation aspect. The ability to rewind time not only allows for intriguing gameplay, but also provides a good way for there to be challenging puzzles without the game becoming unnecessarily frustrating. If you like puzzle/platformers, this should be high on your list of games to try.
The game mixes elements of puzzlers and platforming to form its identity. And there is a comfortable familiarity to the game which should feel inviting to most gamers. It starts off mostly focused on thinking-based puzzles and then a little while into the game there does start to be some platforming aspects sprinkled in, where your reaction time and precision abilities will be tested. But for the most part it's pretty mild and not that hard. Again, the time-manipulation also helps alleviate some of the difficulty of the platforming sections. It works out so a large majority of people should have an easy time enjoying Braid.
And as you progress through the game you will unlock different time-manipulation abilities which will need to be used properly to complete your quest. So the gameplay evolves throughout the campaign, keeping things fresh and keeping your mind active.
There isn't much of a story to be mentioned, but the game doesn't really need one. There is a strong influence of old school platformers (i.e.: the early Mario Bros. games). In that vein, there is a basic purpose to your actions, but no need for a sprawling narrative. Your quest in Braid is to traverse hostile lands to rescue a kidnapped princess, what else do you really need to know. Also, there isn’t that much of an immersive atmosphere either. The ambiance feels very nondescript and purely functional. However, none of this is a bad thing; Braid is simply a game that is focused on gameplay, purposefully minimizing the other distractive aspects.
And so I definitely recommend you check out Braid if you’re a fan of the puzzle/platformer genre and are looking for a new game that focuses on gameplay. Also if you are someone who loves a real challenge, the speed-run achievement can give you a nice "run for your money.”
Follow my curation page to see more of my recommendations!Show moreShow less
4.8 hours at review72 people found this helpful
Not recommendedSteam player
i actually don't like this game at allShow moreShow less
Playtime at review unavailable49 people found this helpful
Source: original Steam user reviews. Helpful votes are an archived snapshot, not live data. Last collected: 08/15/2026.
