Compare this game
From Dust

Review · Strategy · PC · PlayStation 3 · Xbox 360

From Dust

Reviewed: 01 May 2026

PC · PlayStation 3 · Xbox 360

Ubisoft · 2011

Ludograph rating

B

Good

67 /100

From Dust is a strategy game where kids develop problem solving and spatial awareness by manipulating the environment to guide a tribe.

06010030BenefitLow riskB 50 · R 0
The Ludograph reading, plotted from the published benefit and risk sub-scores.

Growth (BDS)

50

Risk (RIS)

0

Daily limit

120min

Age guidance

7+

Developmental benefits

B1Cognitive
0.72
B2Social-emotional
0.23
B3Motor
0.35

From Dust is a unique strategy game that challenges players with environmental manipulation and problem-solving. It fosters spatial awareness, strategic thinking, and critical thinking as players learn to control natural elements to protect and guide a primitive tribe. The game encourages empathy through its core mechanic of helping the natives overcome challenges and survive cataclysms.

Design risks

R1Compulsion-loop pressure
0.00
R2Monetization
0.00
R3Social risk
0.00

As an older, single-player strategy game, From Dust presents minimal risks related to compulsion-loop design, monetization, or social pressures. Its E10+ rating indicates low content risk, primarily involving natural disasters rather than violence. The main risks are limited to potential frustration from challenging puzzles or the time commitment typical of strategy games.

Content (not in risk score)

R4.1Violence Level
0.33
R4.2Sexual Content
0.00
R4.3Language
0.00
R4.4Substance References
0.00
R4.5Fear / Horror
0.33

Content risk is displayed separately and does not affect the time recommendation.

Regulatory design checks · DSAAssessed: meets criteria·GDPR-KAssessed: meets criteria·ODDSAssessed: meets criteria

  • DSA:What Ludograph checks: whether the game's design gives minors the transparency the EU Digital Services Act expects: plain terms, honest defaults, and clear reporting routes.: Estimated from review data. No dark pattern or child-targeting concerns found.
  • GDPR-K:What Ludograph checks: whether age assurance and consent flows are designed for under-16s, in the spirit of GDPR Article 8.: Estimated from review data. No privacy or child-targeting concerns found.
  • ODDS:What Ludograph checks: whether paid random-reward drop rates are disclosed, as required in China, Japan and South Korea.: Estimated from review data. No paid random-reward mechanics found, so drop-rate disclosure requirements do not apply.

These reflect Ludograph's assessment of the game's design practices against each framework's criteria, not a legal compliance determination.

Parents ask…

Is From Dust safe for kids?

Ludograph gives From Dust a rating of 67/100, recommended for ages 7 and up. It offers solid benefits but needs parental guidance on the risks.

What age is From Dust appropriate for?

Ludograph's rubric recommends a minimum age of 7+ for From Dust, based on benefits, risks, and content review. That is more lenient than ESRB E10+: industry ratings reflect content intensity, while ours also weighs how the game is designed to be played.

How long should kids play From Dust?

Our session recommendation for From Dust is up to 120 minutes per day. It is derived from the game's own structure (natural stopping points, compulsion-loop design, monetization pressure, and social dynamics), not from a universal screen-time dose.

Session recommendations are design-based heuristics. Evidence linking specific daily durations to child outcomes is limited, and context matters as much as time; treat this as a starting point for household rules, not a clinical threshold.

What are the main risks of From Dust?

As an older, single-player strategy game, From Dust presents minimal risks related to compulsion-loop design, monetization, or social pressures. Its E10+ rating indicates low content risk, primarily involving natural disasters rather than violence. The main risks are limited to potential frustration from challenging puzzles or the time commitment typical of strategy games.