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Our Life: Beginnings & Always
A twenty-dollar bill, four summers, fifteen years, and a one of a kind life. Create an experience that’s all your own in this near-fully customizable visual novel where you grow from childhood to adulthood with the lonely boy next door.
What players say
Steam review score and the most-helpful voices, which may include critical ones. Data as of 2026-05-20.
What reviewers agree on
77 of the 103 reviews raise this.
“I’m not typically a visual novel player, but Our Life is something special. It’s less of a game and more of a peaceful escape to a coastal town where nothing is ever truly wrong, other than realistic growing pains such…”
“This is one of the games I try and fell in love with to the point I buy DLC after I finish the game. The story was 10 out of 10. It filled with a lot emotions that it want us to feel with or without DLC. The soundtrack…”
“Game irrevocably changed my life actually. Live Cove, Laugh Derek, Love Baxter.”
40 of the 103 reviews raise this.
“This game gives me nostalgia for a childhood I didn't actually have. Like- it makes me wanna go back and have a close friend I slowly fall in love with as we grow up together. I suppose that is kind of the point to…”
“I’m not typically a visual novel player, but Our Life is something special. It’s less of a game and more of a peaceful escape to a coastal town where nothing is ever truly wrong, other than realistic growing pains such…”
“This is one of the games I try and fell in love with to the point I buy DLC after I finish the game. The story was 10 out of 10. It filled with a lot emotions that it want us to feel with or without DLC. The soundtrack…”
18 of the 103 reviews raise this.
“A masterpiece of the 'Friends to Lovers' trope. I’ve completed every achievement and even bought the DLCs because I just wasn't ready to say goodbye to this world. The way the relationship grows naturally from childhood…”
“this game is amazing, i got it a few years back and come back every year to play it and it always makes me cry”
“our life is one of those games that makes you want to lose your memory so you can experience it for the first time again, ya know? it's genuinely one of my favorites. ive replayed this maybe 4 times now (on my 5th) and…”
13 of the 103 reviews raise this.
“Do not play this game if your life is boring or if you want to play generic romance games This is the only visual novel that made me obsessed even as an adult. I couldn't think about anything else beside coming home and…”
“I don't know how I haven't rated this game yet- I love this game so much! I play on both Steam and Mobile, and it's a great experience! The DLC is 100% worth it as well. You don't need it to experience the game, but it…”
“This game stole my heart. I absolutely adore how, even though the push is romance, most decisions are made by the player. This game feels realistic in all the right ways and the character building is not overpowering…”
12 of the 103 reviews raise this.
“I love this game. I wanted to play a visual novel, and I gotta say this is the best one I´ve played without a doubt. One thing I dislike about visual novels is that they try to force you to do embarrasing things or play…”
“This visual novel game is the first game in YEARS to make me cry multiple times. Writing is pretty well done, and the visuals are astonishing! You can basically be whoever you want and have whatever kind of relationship…”
“A WONDERFUL GAME, i cant express enough how stunning and beautiful this game is. i have played this game- a few times now and i still get all giddy as if its the first time i played. i have not tryed out the dlcs but i…”
Counted across 103 English reviews, sampled to match this game's 98.8% positive rating · as of 2026-05-20
“I'm an absolutely straight guy, but... this VN tops the tier in my eyes, if you rid your mind of critical thinking for a moment and dive into the fantasy world, this Visual Novel, with its ULTRA AMAZING and diverse choices just give you the fluff of a generation! To be honest,…”
— a player, Steam review · 41 hrs played“This was recommended to me by my adult daughter and Im glad I took a chance to play it. I can only say 2 possibly negative things about it: 1- No one's parents are that understanding. I had to cringe at their reactions to the MC & friend's shenanigans. I kinda wanted em to cuss…”
— a player, Steam review · 63 hrs played“This game makes me yearn for a childhood I never got to experience. Genuinely one of the best visual novel/dating sims I have ever played and it has become one of my all-time favourite games. From the lens of a queer, trans individual, the customisation and opportunities for…”
— a player, Steam review · 312 hrs playedPlayer activity
Monthly average concurrent players. Live count fetched 2026-07-26 14:57 UTC · history via SteamCharts.
Achievement stats
Global completion rates across all Steam players — a data view of how far people actually get. Source: Steam official stats · as of 2026-07-25.
Price tracking
US-region pricing (USD), sampled twice daily by our own tracker since 2026-07-11. Steam prices vary by region — always confirm your local price on Steam.
Latest official news
Developer announcements via the Steam news API — links go to the original posts. More across all games on the news hub.
Our Life ORCA Merch Available Now! 🐬✨
Throughout the month of June we've got two OL1 merch options available for pre-order. There's a T-shirt and socks, both with the style of the in-game group ORCA. You can wear the same shirt Cove does!
Our Life Ocean Hoodie Available Now!
Hooray! The first Our Life apparel merch is live! I think it's really nice 🥰️.You can pre-order it now from Makeship. They've got Black Friday sales coming soon where fans get a 10% discount on all pr
Our Life: Beginnings & Always - Artbook Launch!
Today the artbook for Our Life: Beginnings & Always launched! It's 10% off for the first full week. This is the last piece of extra content we'll release for the game 🥺️. Thank you for everything, Sun
The Storyteller’s Festival 2024 Is Live!
The Our Life games are included in this year's The Storyteller’s Festival on Steam! If you haven't wishlisted Our Life: Now & Forever or there's still Our Life: Beginnings & Always DLCs you want to sa
Cove Step 1 Plushie Now Available for Limited Time!
Yes, Cove James Holden is once again available in plushie form! Though this time he's eight-years-old and has some nifty extra features. He comes with a detachable firefly ball that actually glows, an
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Screenshots
Official Steam store screenshots — click any shot to enlarge.
Facts & details
From the Steam store record, snapshot 2026-05-20.
| Genres | Casual, Indie, Free To Play |
| Player tags | Visual Novel · Romance · LGBTQ+ · Character Customization · Dating Sim · Choices Matter · Free to Play · Choose Your Own Adventure · Cute · Relaxing · Multiple Endings · Otome (SteamSpy community voting) |
| Features | Single-player · Steam Achievements |
| Languages | English |
| Achievements | 22 |
| Estimated owners | 500,000 – 1,000,000 (SteamSpy) |
| Official site | https://www.gbpatchgames.com/ |
Minimum system requirements (PC)
Minimum: OS *: Windows Vista and newer Processor: 2Ghz Memory: 1 GB RAM Graphics: DirectX or OpenGL compatible card