01//Briefing
Two years after the events of Human Revolution, augmented people are segregated, checked at police stops and sent to ghettos. Adam Jensen, now working for an Interpol task force and secretly for a hacker collective, investigates a bombing in Prague. The themes of segregation and prejudice are heavy-handed in places, and the story ends abruptly, which most players feel. The world-building around it is much stronger.
02//In the field
Every mission can be solved several ways: sneaking through vents, hacking turrets and doors, talking your way past guards, or fighting. A full non-lethal, never-seen run is possible and rewarded. Gunplay is better than the previous game, but the game is at its best when you are watching patrol routes and planning a route through a building. Breach, a separate arcade mode, turns hacking into short score-attack levels.
03//The city
Prague is a single hub that you return to several times, and it is one of the best city spaces in gaming. Apartments, sewers, rooftops and shops are packed with emails, side cases and hidden stashes, and the hub changes as the story tightens curfews and police presence. The Golem City arcology later on is a strong, oppressive contrast.
04//Systems & choice
Praxis points unlock augmentations: hacking, invisibility, strength to move heavy objects, dermal armour and new experimental abilities. The side quests are often better than the main plot and include real choices with consequences. Conversation battles, where you read a character's personality to win an argument, return and remain a highlight.
05//On your rig
Steam Deck rates it Playable; it runs, but small text and older menus make it fiddly. On desktop the DirectX 12 mode can help newer GPUs, and older hardware handles the DirectX 11 path well. It runs well on modern PCs. The Linux and macOS ports exist but are older builds.
Upgrades
- Outstanding multi-route level design
- Prague hub is dense with secrets and side stories
- Stealth, hacking and talking all viable
- Excellent side quests
Bugs
- Main story ends suddenly
- Themes handled without subtlety
- Some older menus are fiddly on Steam Deck
BEST FOR
Players who enjoy planning, sneaking and finding the third way through a problem.
SKIP IF
You want a complete, satisfying story arc or constant action.
SC//Scores
- Story & writing ×25%
- 3.8
- Play feel ×25%
- 4.2
- World & atmosphere ×20%
- 4.6
- Systems & choice ×15%
- 4.8
- PC tech ×15%
- 3.6
3.8×25% + 4.2×25% + 4.6×20% + 4.8×15% + 3.6×15% = 4.180 → 4.2
FINAL VERDICT
Mankind Divided is a game of brilliant spaces and an unfinished story. If you love the immersive-sim tradition of many routes and many tools, it is one of the best examples on Steam, and Prague alone is worth the price.
Written by the Game Top Guide editorial desk · Updated 3 Oct 2026 · How we rate · Report an error
