How broken is too broken when you buy a game?

I have a question for you Polygon commenters. How broken is too broken when you’re considering buying a game?

This question was top of mind for me this week. STALKER 2 was my most anticipated game of 2024. But now, as my finger hovers over the buy button on Steam, I’m having second thoughts. As my colleague Charlie Hall noted in his thoughtful review, the game simply needed more time in the oven. And that time will come in the coming months developers start releasing patches who stabilize their post-apocalyptic world.

But to further complicate the question, does our tolerance for the raw form of a game depend on the circumstances of its creators? In the case of STALKER 2developers GSC Game World produced the game in the middle of war. Like the Kiev independent writes: “Originally scheduled for release in April 2022, the game experienced several delays when many of its employees were forced to flee Ukraine in February. Ahead of its release this week, the game’s pre-sales propelled it to the top spot for games sold on the popular video game platform Steam. I understand why many reviewers have taken this into account when critiquing the game, not only on traditional media sites, but also on user-submitted review platforms.

So back to the main question for the comments. How broken is too broken when you’re considering buying a game? Do you make exceptions for certain developers? Or circumstance? Or entire genres? I will buy STALKER 2?

Okay, I know the answer to that last question, because STALKER 2is now in my Steam library. Now find out if I made the right choice!