Five Dates

About Five Dates

Five Dates is a narrative-driven simulator that turns online dating into a choose-your-own-adventure game. Set during the 2020 pandemic lockdown, it follows Vinny, a London millennial navigating awkward video dates with five distinct women. Developer Good Gate Media released it in 2020, and it runs on PS4, PS5, Xbox, PC, Switch, and Mac. The game uses over seven hours of live-action footage, with Mandip Gill and Georgia Hirst starring. Players pick conversation paths that shape Vinny’s chemistry with each match. It’s a low-stakes, high-charm experiment in interactive dating, blending awkward real-world scenarios with branching decisions. Ideal for short play sessions and fans of sitcom-style storytelling.

Gameplay

Each date unfolds as a 2-3 hour session of multiple-choice dialogue. You pick topics for Vinny to discuss, from hobbies to personal traumas, while avoiding cringe. Mistimed jokes or insensitive questions tank compatibility. Between dates, you unlock mini-games like virtual trivia or “digital icebreakers.” The story splits into five parallel arcs, each with unique personalities and conflicts. Controls are simple, keyboard or controller for text choices, occasional quick-time actions during awkward pauses. Replayability hinges on resetting to date others, but branching paths limit full completion. The pacing mimics real dates: slow starts, mid-point tension, and a final question that decides if they’ll swipe right.

What Players Think

PlayPile data shows 66/100 on Metacritic, 60.1/100 on IGDB. Average playtime is 7 hours, with 31.1% of players unlocking achievements. The rarest, “Crash and Burn,” is earned by botching all dates (6.9% unlock rate). Community moods are split: 42% call it “quirky and charming,” while 31% call it “overhyped.” Reviews note uneven writing, with some dates feeling underdeveloped. 15 achievements include “First Impression” (easiest at 82% unlock) and “Third Wheel” (43%). Critics praise the concept but criticize shallow character arcs. 14% of players finish all dates, with most abandoning after two.

PlayPile's Take

Five Dates is a $19.99 curiosity for fans of low-effort interactive stories. It’s not impressive but offers a brisk, humorous look at modern dating’s absurdity. Achievements are easy, with 15 total, but the game feels incomplete compared to deeper visual novels. Best for PC/Console users with spare hours and a taste for awkward humor. Skip if you crave meaningful consequences or replay value. At its price, it’s a fun, if forgettable, experiment in digital courtship.

Storyline

Vinny, a millennial from London, joins a dating app for the first time while living in lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic. With five potential female matches, Vinny must pluck up courage to video date with wildly different personalities, starring Mandip Gill (Doctor Who) and Georgia Hirst (Vikings). The viewer’s choices will define Vinny’s interactions with each date and their interest in seeing him again. Amidst a branching, multi-directional chain of conversation topics and deep-dive questions, Vinny is faced with digital game dates, awkward scenarios and unexpected truths.