Aniimo launched to a rough start, with mixed Steam reviews and a running argument over whether artificial intelligence had a hand in its marketing and its game files. A few days on, the tone has shifted. The free-to-play monster tamer from Pawprint Studio now carries a “Mostly Positive” review rating on Valve’s storefront, even as the AI questions remain unresolved.
Quick answer: Aniimo currently holds a Mostly Positive rating on Steam, with 70% of 5,514 user reviews positive, after a global PC and console launch on September 16, 2026.
Aniimo’s current Steam rating
Aniimo is a free-to-play, open-world creature-catching RPG set on the continent of Idyll, where players catch creatures called Aniimo, “Twine” with them to borrow their abilities, and build out a personal homestead. It is available on Steam at no cost, sitting alongside PlayStation and Xbox versions.
The headline number for anyone tracking its reception is the review score. Of the game’s user reviews, 70% are positive, which is enough to earn the “Mostly Positive” label. That marks a turnaround from the mixed reception it drew in its opening days, when a wave of negative reviews weighed the score down.
Why launch reviews were mixed
Two separate frustrations dragged the early rating down. The first was monetization. A large share of the negative reviews focused on the game’s paid systems and its gacha-like feel, even though Aniimo was never advertised as a gacha title. Critics singled out the Prismana Flow system, describing it as a hidden gacha mechanic, and complained that parts of the experience felt hollow.
The second was the AI dispute, which had already soured some players before the servers even went live. As more positive reviews came in, the balance tipped. Players who recommend the game tend to point to the same handful of things.
- The look and scale of the open world of Idyll
- Monetization that many describe as non-predatory
- A relaxed, low-pressure creature-collecting loop
The AI advertising controversy
The dispute concerns the game’s promotion, not the game itself. Players found ads that seemed to feature AI-made visuals. In one live-action-style spot, the generated creatures included Emberpup, Susuta (identified incorrectly as Otti), and Nimbi. A separate ad depicted an AI-created person pulling a Sparkling Aniimo from an egg and reacting to it. Instagram, Facebook, and other platforms carried the campaigns until backlash led to their removal in mid-2026.
Here is how the dispute unfolded across late 2025 and 2026.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Dec 11, 2025 | A Steam discussion accuses the game of being “Gen AI/Gacha” |
| Jul 3, 2026 | Reddit players ask whether AI was used anywhere in the game |
| Jul 27–28, 2026 | Ads on Instagram and Facebook are called out as AI-generated |
| Jul 29, 2026 | Pawprint apologizes and disables the ads |
| Sep 16, 2026 | Global launch on PC and consoles |
What Pawprint Studio said about AI
Pawprint Studio apologized for the pulled advertisements and said the way those ads were produced does not reflect how the game is made. The team drew a clear line between the two: the creatures, stories, and world of Idyll are described as the work of its human developers, not AI design.
Pawprint has not ruled out every use of AI. In a developer response posted in its Discord, the studio said Aniimo’s designs will not be made with AI and that Idyll uses no AI prototypes. It also acknowledged several forms of AI assistance, naming testing as one example. The response does not specify how far that assistance extends beyond testing.
There is no confirmed proof of generative AI inside the shipped game. Some players across Steam and Reddit claim the soundtrack uses SUNO AI for certain tracks, but that remains an unverified community claim rather than a confirmed detail.
The ads and the game are two separate questions. Pawprint’s apology addresses the advertising; its Q&A answer addresses game production. Neither one is an itemized, asset-by-asset account of every tool used.
Where to play Aniimo
Aniimo launched worldwide for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X and S. The mobile version is planned to arrive shortly after the PC and console debut.
- PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S — available now
- Android and iOS — launching September 23, 2026
For now, the standing is straightforward. The AI debate has not gone away, but the review score has moved in the developer’s favor, and the game holds a “Mostly Positive” rating on Steam as new players continue to weigh in.
