There are both positive and negative types of dice, which can be added to a roll represent advantages or disadvantages in a skill check.

[9] Richard Jansen-Parkes, for the UK print magazine Tabletop Gaming in 2018, stated that "Genesys trades specialisation for adaptability, and will likely lose out in direct competition with the well-established masters of certain genres.

However, if you want to buy one rulebook for your gaming group and run half a dozen weird and wonderful worlds without learning new rules, it may well be the new top dog of setting-free RPGs".

[10] John Farrell, for Gaming Trend in 2018, rated the Core Rulebook a 60 out of 100 and stated that the "Genesys RPG system is one of the best designed breaths of fresh air the market has had in years, but this core book comes off as a cynical attempt to sell you further books at the cost of important content".

[11] Farrell praised the design of the system, calling it "tremendous work", "a true tour de force" and a "brilliant, vibrant collection of rules that I wanted to see so much more of".

[11] Farrell believes that the Core Rulebook "may pay off eventually" once enough additional material is released but the "current state" is insufficient.