Torchlight: Infinite
XD · RPG, ARPG, Action
Overview
The fate of Ember Technology is in your hands. With highly customizable character builds and rewarding boss fights, each hero of Torchlight is empowered to defeat the darkness and achieve salvation in this ARPG.
THE GAMEQ VERDICT8,355 reviews analyzed
What players are actually saying
1. Summary
Players who stay with Torchlight: Infinite describe a fast, flashy loot game with real build depth: Path of Exile-style skill links, crafting and a long map endgame, with far less friction and a set of convenience tools (a built-in auction house, autoloot, in-game build guides and loot filters). Some longtime ARPG players call it one of the best in the genre, and others keep it for the gaps between Path of Exile and Diablo seasons. Free players report clearing the campaign and much of the endgame, and some longer reviews argue outright that the pay-to-win talk is overblown.
Monetization comes up in 46% of longer reviews, and the target is specific: gacha "Pactspirit" pets that multiply damage and loot, which endgame farmers say decide which strategies are worth running. Long-term players add that each season shrinks the free farms and nerfs the mechanics their purchased pets were tied to, a complaint that grew in 2025 and 2026. Newcomers raise different problems: a mobile-first interface full of menus and pop-ups, systems that are barely explained, and a game that feels nothing like Torchlight 1 and 2. Reviewers who praise the combat and builds often go on to object to the pets and the shop in the same review.
2. What keeps coming up
What players praise
A lighter, faster Path of ExileHigh
24% of longer reviews compare the game to Path of Exile, and 4.5% describe it specifically as a lighter, easier or friendlier version of it. Players describe the same skill-and-support-gem structure and map endgame with the grind and complexity turned down: "its POE with no friction", "A surprisingly deep ARPG without the overwhelming complexity", "Great for when you want to play POE but don't REALLY wanna play POE". Some treat it as a game for the gap between other ARPG seasons, and some say they have come to prefer it to Path of Exile 2 or Diablo 4. A smaller group uses the comparison against it, calling it a copy of Path of Exile with gacha layered on top.
Build variety and craftingHigh
24% of longer reviews discuss builds, skills, talents or crafting. Players like that any hero can be pushed in several directions, that respecs are free through the early levels, and that crafting is more predictable than Path of Exile's. Endgame players enjoy scaling damage to absurd numbers. The complaints in this space are narrower: some builds get nerfed out of viability between seasons, and several reviewers say that guides assume maxed-out pets, so following one as a free player leaves you well short of the advertised damage.
Convenience tools other ARPGs lackMedium
9% of longer reviews single out quality-of-life features: the built-in trade house, autoloot, in-game price checks, loot filters, recommended "pro builds" and community build browsing. One reviewer's list opens with "Builtin Auction house which is easy to use and having a ingame price check for items". One negative review still calls it "the best Auction House in the market". The friction players do mention here is the trade house interface itself (weak sorting and search in early seasons) and that the full autoloot sits in the paid season pass.
Fast, satisfying combatMedium
9% of longer reviews praise the speed and feel of combat directly, and short positive reviews say the same in fewer words ("GIGA ZOOM ZOOM, ADHD APPROVED"). Players like clearing whole screens, quick maps and a steady stream of upgrades: "i love how fast paced the gameplay is in comparison to other similar games such as poe 2 and diablo." Others note that the pace can overwhelm the screen with effects, and a few found early combat too passive with summoner heroes.
One character on phone and PCLow
2% of longer reviews value the cross-platform progress, which lets players carry the same account between PC and mobile: "great game!! love the cross platform progress". Others mention taking the mobile version on the go, and one stay-at-home dad likes that he can put the game down within seconds.
Runs on modest hardwareLow
1% of longer reviews say the game runs well on weak or old PCs ("Run smooth and any machine."). A smaller number report the opposite, with frame drops in dense maps or on minion builds.
Where players are split
The endgame: deep or a repetitive grindMedium
9% of longer reviews call the game repetitive, boring or grindy. Their picture is of short maps run over and over through the Timemark tiers, with progress slowing to a crawl in the higher tiers and in Profound. Others see the same structure as the appeal: several seasons' worth of league mechanics stacked into the endgame, many ways to farm, and a loop that is easy to drop into ("Turn off your brain and just blast, no PHD required!").
Whether free players can keep upMedium
5% of longer reviews argue explicitly that a free player can reach the endgame and enjoy it. They point to free pet pulls every season, legendary pets from seasonal challenges, and the lack of PvP: "if i just dont compare myself to what other people have its really fun". The other side says the free path holds up until the high tiers and then hits a wall where the economy and the best farms are priced around players with maxed pets. One negative review puts it as "Every viable endgame farm requires level 6 legendary loot pets." Some recommendations carry the same caveat, like "Pure dopamine, if p2w was gone it would be a 9/10, with p2w its a 7/10".
Easy, brain-off playLow
2% of longer reviews complain the game is too easy or plays itself, especially in the campaign and on summoner heroes ("Kind of plays itself."). Others value exactly that: a chill, low-stress ARPG they can play while listening to something else.
Anime art and fan-serviceLow
2% of longer reviews comment on sexualized character designs and fan-service, mostly critically, though a handful of reviewers list it as a plus. The colorful art style in general gets more praise than criticism, often set against the dark look of other ARPGs.
What frustrates players
Gacha pets and pay-to-winHigh
46% of longer reviews discuss monetization, 24% use the phrase pay-to-win or a variant, and 24% mention pets, Pactspirits or gacha. The specific complaint is that pets bought through randomized pulls raise both damage and loot quantity, need duplicates to reach level 6, and determine which endgame strategies are profitable. Some players describe spending hundreds of dollars without getting the pet they needed, an auction-house economy priced around paying players, a seasonal pass that holds the full autoloot, and constant shop reminders: "So many pop ups and gambling rng on everything." Defenders reply that there is no PvP to win and that free pets arrive every season. The share of longer reviews raising monetization rose from 39% in 2023 and 2024 to 54% in 2025 and 55% in 2026.
A mobile game on a PC screenHigh
24% of longer reviews call it a mobile or phone game, and 9% tie that directly to the interface or controls. The early complaints were concrete: oversized menus, no drag-and-drop or hover tooltips, unusual default keys, a tutorial hand pointing at buttons, and screens of "claim" notifications. "You spend more time in menus than you do fighting." One player rated it a "9/10 ARPG behind a 4/10 mobile game interface and monitization." Interface-specific complaints fell from 13% of longer reviews in 2022 to 3% in 2026, and some returning players say the PC version improved a lot, though a few existing players disliked a new interface they report arriving in January 2026.
Not a real TorchlightMedium
12% of longer reviews measure the game against Torchlight 1 and 2 and find it wanting: no character creation, a different tone, anime-styled heroes, live-service systems and no couch-style co-op. "It's not a bad game, it's just not Torchlight." More than half of the reviews making this complaint came from players with under two hours. A few longtime fans counter that it is the best Torchlight since the second game.
Systems nobody explainsMedium
10% of longer reviews say the game is confusing: too many currencies, endgame mechanics with little or no in-game explanation, thin outside guides, and skill text garbled by poor translation. "After 11 hours in, I still don't know what's going on 95% of the time." Another player put the search for answers as "like pulling teeth". Some positive reviews raise the same issue as a minor caveat.
Connection, login and account troubleMedium
7% of longer reviews report technical problems outside the gameplay itself. They describe high or misreported ping on the regional servers ("100-200 ping spikes with consistent 100ping on NA server."), failed third-party logins and lost account bindings in early seasons, launch errors that require running as administrator, and bans that players say came from background tools or nothing at all, such as "i got banned for around 3000 days". Some add that support offered no fix.
Seasons that take loot awayMedium
5.5% of longer reviews describe a new season nerfing loot, farming strategies or builds, most of them from players with 100 or more hours. In their telling, a new pet arrives with a profitable mechanic, then that mechanic or the older ones get cut back. The share rose from 4% of longer reviews in 2022 to 11% in 2026, peaking in July 2026 with the season reviewers call Afterlight ("SS13: Afterlight basically has no loot.", "I miss when there was loot in my loot game").
Heroes behind a paywallMedium
5% of longer reviews object to paying for heroes or hero traits, usually the newest one tied to the season pass ("Most of the heroes are locked behind a paywall."). This complaint belongs mainly to the first two years: it appeared in 7% of longer reviews from 2022 to 2024 and 2% afterward, and later reviews note that older heroes became free with only the newest locked.
Story, writing and voice actingLow
4% of longer reviews criticize the story, dialogue or voice acting as nonsensical, cringe or repetitive, especially idle voice lines that loop; one asks for a way to mute "the voice lines (partner!)". 2% praise the story or voice work.
Limited co-opLow
3% of longer reviews complain that co-op is missing, limited to two players or laggy, mostly from 2022 and 2023, when reviewers say grouping was not yet in the game ("You can add people but not party up, basically a single player game with global chat."). Later reviews still find it awkward: parties capped at two, campaign progress not shared, and "Multiplayer is broken and laggy, you cant go to the city maps together".
Controller supportLow
2% of longer reviews discuss controller or Steam Deck play, split between players who find it workable and those who call menu navigation on a pad unusable ("Controller controls are terribly designed and not intuitive at all.").
Gear that never shows on your heroLow
2% of longer reviews dislike that equipped armor does not change the character's look and that there is no character creation: "Equipping armor doesn't change your avatar's appearance at all." Several say the look is reserved for paid skins.
Customer supportLow
1% of longer reviews describe support refusing to fix account problems, misdirected purchases or wrong-server season passes ("Misclicked a pet exchange and customer support did absolutely nothing to help.").
AI-generated artLow
Under 1% of longer reviews object to what they see as AI-generated art in loading screens, trailers and banners, almost all written in 2025 and 2026. One player explained quitting after having "to pull my head out of the sand regarding their use of AI".
3. The player conversation
Single reviews often argue both sides. 26% of the longer positive reviews bring up pay-to-win, while some negative reviews praise the combat and builds before explaining why the monetization drove them off. One-line verdicts ("fun", "p2w", "mobile game") appear on both sides, so the longer reviews carry most of the reasoning.
Franchise comparisons and mobile-game complaints come most often from players with under two hours, the "not Torchlight" reviews especially. Monetization and pet complaints, and especially seasonal nerf complaints, come from players deep into the endgame. Praise for the build system, crafting and convenience tools also comes mainly from players with many hours in the game, often in comparison with Path of Exile.
The early-access launch week in October 2022 split almost evenly (49.6% positive across 472 reviews), with reviews focused on the PC port, login problems, paid heroes and missing co-op. Those complaints faded: interface and paywalled-hero complaints dropped steadily, and 2024 had the highest yearly positive share at 67.6%. From 2025 on, the conversation narrowed to monetization and seasonal balance, and the yearly positive share fell to 60.6% in 2025 and 56.4% in 2026. Season launches bring bursts of reviews, and the Afterlight season in July 2026 brought the lowest week: the week starting July 20, 2026 was 30% positive across 86 reviews, with veterans describing gutted loot. Smaller waves came from Discord quest installs in January and April 2026, mostly throwaway reviews in both directions.
4. What the developers could do
- Make loot pets earnable and cap what money adds to farming. Monetization runs through 46% of longer reviews, and the specific grievance is gacha pets that multiply loot and damage and decide which endgame farms pay.
- Stop shrinking free farms and older pet mechanics each season. Complaints about seasonal nerfs climbed to 11% of longer reviews in 2026, led by veterans who say each new pet comes with cuts to what they already earned or bought.
- Rebuild the PC interface around mouse and keyboard and cut the pop-ups. 24% of longer reviews call the game a mobile port, and the concrete asks are drag-and-drop, hover tooltips, sensible hotkeys and fewer claim and shop notifications.
- Explain endgame systems in the game and fix the English text. 10% of longer reviews say mechanics and currencies go unexplained and skill descriptions are hard to parse because of translation.
- Fix regional ping, logins and false-positive bans, and give support the tools to resolve them. 7% of longer reviews report connection, login, launch or ban problems, some adding that support could not help.
- Expand co-op so friends can play the campaign together in larger parties. Players who came to play with partners or friends describe a two-player cap, unshared progress and laggy instances.
- Show equipped armor on the character. 2% of longer reviews cite invisible gear and the lack of character creation, sometimes as a reason the game does not feel like Torchlight 1 and 2.
