poppy playtime chapter 5

November 22nd, 1990
Incident Report
[RESTRICTED_conditioning_1990]
EXPERIMENT #1188 “CATNAP”

From the beginning, it was clear 1188 would need extensive treatment.

What is your name?
What is your experiment number?
Can you tell me who you are?

Total treatment time: 49 days.
Treatment outcome: Successful.

—M̶̠̒͠Y̷̲̌̽ ̸̱͂N̴̠͘AM̶͍͉̍Ë̷͔̙́ ̸̩̪̾Í̷͇̯S ̸̦̈́̕T̶̤̆HE̴͉͛Ȍ̵͙͒D̶̜̊͝OR̴͆͜E—

Further observation continues: https://discord.com/invite/FmsXQDK7Zp

Poppy Playtime: Chapter 5 — “Broken Things” launches February 18, 2026, on PC. Wishlist now on Steam and Epic Games. Console versions will be available in the months to follow.

Masters of Albion

Build By Day, Defend By Night. A God Game Reimagined – Watch the Action Unfold in the New Release Date Trailer HERE

Guildford, UK – January 12, 2026 – 22cans, led by legendary game creator Peter Molyneux, today announced that Masters of Albion will launch on Wednesday, April 22, 2026 at 18:00 BST, exclusively on PC via Steam. A brand-new release date trailer showcases the game’s unique blend of cosy creativity by day and brutal survival by night.Built by a team that includes legends of the industry, Mark Healey, Russell Shaw, Iain Wright and Kareem Ettouney, who were key in developing Dungeon Keeper, Black & White, and Fable, Masters of Albion reimagines the god game for today. Blending strategy, simulation, town management, and real-time defence, the game gives players extraordinary freedom to play the game the way they want to play it.Taking inspiration from some of Peter’s classic titles, Masters of Albion is a return to form, blending gameplay mechanics from multiple genres, strategy with simulation, town management with defence, to reinvigorate the god game, and give players the power and freedom to create.

Or destroy…

Said Peter Molyneux:
“Masters of Albion is the culmination of my life’s work, a game that owes so much to titles like Dungeon Keeper, Black & White, and Fable. It’s a totally unique game that we hope will delight players, a game that brings God Games into the modern gaming landscape and puts the genre firmly back on the map.”

Albion, a land shaped by the hands of heroes, is at a great turning point in its history. Its lords and luminaries have pulled Albion’s society into a new age of manufacturing and production, a golden era, an industrial revolution. But behind this modernisation lurks a painful past of magic and mayhem, one that threatens to drag Albion back into a dark age of mysticism.

Shape the world from above as a god or step directly into it by possessing heroes, workers, animals and more.

Masters of Albion mixes strategy, simulation, town management, and real-time defence, all woven into a rich narrative-driven world.

“Some are born with power, some achieve power, and some have great power thrust upon them.”

Build, Create, and Customise

As a god, you have absolute freedom over your towns and villages:

• Design and build every structure
• Hire, house and manage your workforce
• Customise buildings with paint, patterns and embellishments
• Combine building types into unique multi-purpose structures
• No timers or waiting, build instantly and iterate freely

From small workshops to sprawling towns, Albion grows exactly how you decide.

Wield the Power of the God Hand
Command the world with ancient powers:

• Manipulate buildings and objects freely
• Possess and control the living
• Inspire, reward, insult, or punish your people
• Throw giant boulders, spiked balls, exploding barrels or just plain old-fashioned people
• Rain lightning, fire and destruction down upon your enemies
• Shape Albion with absolute authority

Enjoy the freedom that being a god brings, but with great freedom comes great responsibility.

Roam Freely Across Albion
Experience the world from multiple perspectives:

• View Albion from the heavens or possess living beings to explore on foot
• Control heroes, dogs, workers and even chickens
• Complete quests to unlock treasures and secrets
• Delve into dangerous underground cave networks
• Craft weapons and armour for your heroes
• Design the clothes that your workers wear (however bizarre)
• Explore, experiment and uncover the forgotten history of Albion

Defend the Night
When night falls, Albion is no longer safe. Malevolent creatures emerge from the darkness, attacking towns and killing indiscriminately. Survival depends on preparation and decisive action:

• Design, build and arm powerful defensive turrets
• Hire heroes to protect the people
• Escort the vulnerable through the terrors of the night
• Construct walls, choke points, and deadly defences
• Channel enemies into carefully planned kill zones
• Use god powers to strike fear into the undead
• Possess heroes and fight enemies directly in real-time combat

Each night tests your planning, creativity, and resolve.

Key Themes
• Power and responsibility
• Industry versus ancient magic
• Freedom of choice and consequence
• Cosy creativity contrasted with chaos and danger

Players can enjoy the freedom that comes with being a God by Wishlisting the game now via Steam ahead of its release on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. Keep up to date on the latest news via X, Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Players can get exclusive news and content by signing up to the official Discord.

Anthem#9

Turn-Based Gem-Matching Roguelite ANTHEM#9 Launches February 5th on PC via Steam

New “Extra Mission” Endgame Content Promises Unprecedented Challenges

Tokyo, Japan – January 13th, 2026 – Shueisha Games is excited to announce that the gem-matching roguelite ANTHEM#9 will launch on February 5th on PC via Steam. Along with the release date, the new “Extra Mission” mode has been revealed – a high-difficulty endgame challenge for players who complete the main campaign. The publisher also confirmed that ANTHEM#9’s creator Koeda will also host a special developer talk and Q&A session on January 30th at 8:00 PM JST via the official Discord server.

Watch the ANTHEM#9 Release Date Trailer:

Extra Mission: A Brutal Endgame Challenge
“Extra Mission” is a challenging endgame mode in ANTHEM#9, unlocked after completing the standard campaign (Missions 1-4) and designed for players seeking the ultimate test. Players begin with Extra-1 and progress through increasingly brutal stages. Each level boosts enemy stats and adds restrictions that push players to their limits. Clearing Extra-1 unlocks Extra-2, challenging players to test how far their skills can go in an escalating gauntlet.

Refined UI Based on Community Feedback
Based on recent community feedback from the ANTHEM#9 demo, the full release has undergone a major user interface overhaul. The redesigned UI is cleaner, more intuitive, and streamlined to make gameplay smoother and more accessible for players. Every element has been refined to keep players focused on the core gameplay and maximize enjoyment in the fast-paced roguelite action.

Developer Talk & Q&A – January 30th
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to go behind the scenes with ANTHEM#9’s creator, Koeda! On January 30th at 8:00 PM JST, Shueisha Games will host a special live developer talk on the official ANTHEM#9 Discord server, where fans can hear never-before-shared stories from the game’s development and ask Koeda questions directly. The session will be presented live in both English and Japanese, making it accessible to fans around the world. Another creator talk is planned for the launch period — stay tuned!

Join the official Discord server: https://discord.gg/Ap3JGdmECq

About ANTHEM#9
ANTHEM#9 is a turn-based roguelite where players match red, green and blue gems to activate skills and unleash dazzling combo chains. Quick thinking and smart deck-building are the keys to survival as every run challenges you to adapt, strategize and push your combos to the limit.

Match gems to trigger powerful skills, chain them together for massive damage and crush bosses with style. Collect new skills and “Blessings” as you progress through procedurally generated dungeons as you customize your deck to fit your strategy. The higher the combo, the greater the thrill of battle!

Obey the insect god

Obey the Insect God Offers an Eerie Retro Narrative Full of Fighting and Fun

Behold a modern take on an era-defining genre with digitized 2D sprites and intense action.

[January 15, 2025] – Award-winning actor and filmmaker Charles Davis and his studio Chunkle Freaky’s Movies Games is proud to announce the studio’s first video game, Obey the Insect God! Coming to PC later this year, Obey the Insect God is your time machine back to the beloved digitized sprites of the late 1990’s. With live-action characters placed into the lair of the Insect God, this one is throwing it back to the classic games you love from the ’90s. Enter if you dare.

YouTube Video.

Step into the role of a lone warrior in this 2D platforming narrative that takes heavy inspiration from the Kalevala, the national epic of Finland. Fight your way through the lair to find answers that oftentimes create more questions. Difficult fights, powerful boss battles, and mysteries galore await you in Obey the Insect God.

Key Features:

Digitized Sprites Bring the Lair to Life: With digitized sprites created by live action video clips and photos that were then collaged together and animated into the game, Obey the Insect God throws it back to the height of the ’90s arcade craze.

Embark on a Retro-Inspired 2D Narrative: Based on the national poem of Finland, the story is as deep as the Insect God’s lair, with live actors, full voice acting, and secrets revealed every step of the way.

Discover and Deliver Unmatched Fighting Combos: With a variety of enemies and boss types, you’ll need to unlock powers and abilities to survive the lair. Master the timing, the blocking, and the combos to unleash brutal beatdowns on anyone and anything that stands in your way.

Explore the Lair of the Insect God Your Way: Obey the Insect God features over two dozen unique zones that include a multitude of rooms for you to take the fight to. And with nearly every traversal mechanic available from the start, you can platform your way through the lair in whatever way you see fit.

The lair of the Insect God is full of danger and terror, so wishlist Obey the Insect God on Steam now to prepare! Stay tuned for more updates as we get closer and closer to the day you can finally uncover the mysteries the lair has to offer.

Sword Heros kickstarter

Exciting News: Sword Hero’s Kickstarter launches on the 27th, and if you’ve been following the project, this is the moment where your support directly helps push the game toward its best possible full release.

In the meantime, you can head to the Kickstarter page and click “Notify me on launch” to get alerted the moment it goes live. Every bit of early support helps ForestWare, the solo developer behind Sword Hero, get closer to his dream of making the game as ambitious, polished, and special as it can be for all of you.

Mark the date
January 27 · 10 AM CST / 11 AM EST / 8 AM PST / 5 PM CEST

Sword Hero is a third-person open-world RPG with sandbox DNA, inspired by the early 2000s era of the genre: strong reactivity, real player freedom, minimal hand-holding, and immersion as the priority.

You play as the Delver — a nobody dropped onto the quarantined, war-torn island of Wes with almost nothing. You’re not chosen. You’re not “the hero.” And the world won’t wait for you.

WHAT MAKES SWORD HERO DIFFIRENT

Sword Hero is built around one rule:
If you think you should be able to do something, it should work.

That means systems you can actually use: fire that spreads, weather that changes the battlefield, NPC behavior you can manipulate, and an ecosystem that doesn’t revolve around you.

A FEW HIGHLIGHTS
Seamless, dense open world (no invisible walls — progression is earned through the dangers you overcome)

Dynamic systems: day/night, weather, fire propagation, crime, routines, persistent bodies, simulated wounds, and more

Body-part combat & dismemberment: armor/health/debuffs tracked per limb

Colossal creatures with grapple points and weak points you can reach and exploit

Housing & ownership: rent early, buy later, furnish and display trophies and items freely

Visible character progression: scars, muscle growth, prosthetics, mutations, tattoos, necromancy… your character tells a story

No level-scaling enemies: the world stays organic — a wolf is a wolf

JOIN OFFICIAL DISCORD
Connect with the community, discuss builds and systems, share feedback, and stay up to date as Sword Hero continues development.

Tomb of the Bloodletter

A Strategic Roguelike Where Typing Is the Weapon

[California – January 15] – Prepare to enter Tomb of the Bloodletter, a strategic typing roguelike where combat is less about min-maxing builds and more about pulling off the perfect word at exactly the right moment. The game launches on PC via Steam on February 5, 2026, developed by solo developer Ethan’s Secretions, with a demo available now.

YouTube Video.
Tomb of the Bloodletter is a roguelike built entirely around typing, turning the keyboard into an arsenal and every word into a potential weapon. When players enter a floor, Magicks are assigned directly to individual letters, each obeying strange and specific rules. A letter may strike harder when placed at the end of a word, another might restore health, while other Magicks punish certain patterns or combinations, requiring careful consideration of not just what word to spell, but how it is constructed.

The game is structured like a traditional roguelike, with tightly paced, randomized runs lasting around 30 minutes that end in either victory or defeat. Rather than focusing on long-term build optimization, the experience emphasizes the moment-to-moment puzzle each turn presents. Players always have access to their full keyboard, with Magicks shaping how letters behave rather than limiting which words can be played. Success isn’t about having the largest vocabulary, but about tactical combinations, sequencing magick-infused letters at the right time to turn volatile interactions into powerful tools.

Each run sends players into a shifting, cursed tomb as one of four ill-fated grave robbers, each bringing unique quirks and abilities that twist the rules of combat. No matter who enters the tomb, survival is never clean, easy, or guaranteed. Every descent reshapes the dungeon, forcing adaptation as new threats and challenges emerge. The tomb crawls with cursed beasts, deceitful specters, and entities best left unspoken, each handcrafted with unique mechanics that demand clever thinking and precise wordplay to overcome. As runs progress, new Magicks are acquired whether players want them or not, slowly transforming the keyboard into an unstable spellbook that serves as both weapon and liability.

Players can get an early taste of the tomb ahead of launch with a playable demo available now on Steam, featuring the first two grave robbers. Stay up to date by following the developer on Bluesky and joining the official Discord

pie in the sky release date

Become a Magpie, Pluck the World: Pie in the Sky to Release on February 2, 2026

Become Australia’s apex predator in a retro bird simulator

[Australia] – January 12, 2026 – Monster Shop Games and indie.io are proud and only slightly terrified to announce that Pie in the Sky, a unique retro arcade adventure, will release on February 2, 2026 for PC on Steam. Players will take to the skies as one of Australia’s most dangerous airborne threats, a creature whose heart is as black as its plumage: The Magpie.

The goal of the Magpie is twofold: First, find enough food to feed its ever-hungry chicks, second, wreak havoc, cause mayhem, and terrorize humans in any way possible: Swoop in like a missile to knock over pedestrians, topple cyclists, and spill trash bins; gorge on food, then carry out bombing runs on the weird hairless apes; divebomb them with litter; find clever uses for everyday objects to teach humans the meaning of fear.

Players can be a feathered menace across six different levels inspired by iconic Australian locations, packed to the brim with secrets, interactions, and humans to terrorize. From idyllic suburbia, through picturesque beaches, to busy downtowns, there is no shortage of collectibles to find, mayhem to unleash, food to steal, while objectives only get crazier and more challenging.

While the Magpie is already a perfect organism, unclouded by delusions of morality, its perfection can be further refined and specialized: Make it fly and walk faster, swoop more often, digest more readily to carry out bombing runs. If players prefer to, they can also change the colors of its feathers to mimic other amazing examples of avian perfection – or have their beautiful bird wear a nifty pirate hat.

There is nothing quite like a magpie in a pirate hat. Or a retro-themed game that features not just high fidelity graphics of the PlayStation 2 era, but also a retro approach to progression: There are no vital parts of the game gated behind DLCs, no pay-to-win features, no lootboxes: Everything in the game can be unlocked simply by playing and introducing Aussies to the real terror of Australia…

“As an Australian, I’ve always seen magpies swooping people (including my kids) and thought, ‘It would be fun playing as a magpie in a game and turning the tables’”, says Mark Smith, the developer behind the game. “That’s where the idea began and before I knew it, I had a game on my hands that played like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater in the Sky but instead of skate tricks, you swooped people, stole their food and flew through gaps to keep your combo going. I’m a solo developer from Perth, Australia and I’m thrilled to share the terrifying reality of what Magpies are capable of with the rest of the world!”

Ready to put the fear of the Magpie in humanity? Pie in the Sky will release on February 2, 2026 for PC via Steam.

Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch Gets Major Update Adding New Abilities, Relics, and Quality of Life Improvements

Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch Gets Major Update Adding New Abilities, Relics, and Quality of Life Improvements

The tactical RPG roguelike just unveiled a raft of improvements

El Segundo, California – January 12, 2026 | Ocean Drive Studio and Kakao Games have announced that a major new update for Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch is available now across PC and console.

Update 1.2 brings a bevy of new features and quality of life improvements to the acclaimed roguelite tactical RPG, which boasts Very Positive reviews on Steam. Leading the charge is the new Blessed Relics system, allowing players to obtain more powerful versions of Relics with added effects or removed penalties.

Watch the Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch – 1.2 Update Trailer here:

Additionally, new Talent Skills have been added to the game, with each character getting two new skills to boost them in combat – one to boost their key attributes, and another to increase the chance of activating their Partnership effect.

Following feedback from players, Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch is also making it easier to try out different unit and character combinations with a new Morale Boost system. Now, even units who don’t take part in previous expeditions will have the chance to gain buffs for your next expedition.

Other Quality of Life changes include streamlining of some combat encounters, with the number of enemies and dialogue lines adjusted; an improved Chaos Encounter system to replace Random Encounters; boosts to Unguardable Attacks; and more. You can check out the full patch notes on Steam here.

Update 1.2 for Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch is available now for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.

Astrobotanica

ASTROBOTANICA™ BLOOMS AHEAD OF STEAM EARLY ACCESS LAUNCH

Space Goblin Studio’s relaxed, science-driven survival game arrives soon

WARSAW, POLAND – JANUARY 14, 2026 – Space Goblin Studio has unveiled a new teaser trailer today for ASTROBOTANICA, showcasing progress made following community feedback during Steam Next Fest, ahead of its fast-approaching Steam Early Access launch on February 16.

YouTube Video.
ASTROBOTANICA is a curiosity-led survival game built around exploration and scientific experimentation. Set 300,000 years ago on prehistoric Earth, the game casts players as an alien botanist stranded during a mission to save their home planet. Surrounded by unknown plants, wild animals, primal humans, and an oxygen-rich atmosphere they can’t breathe, players must adapt quickly to survive – not through brute force, but through alien botany, experimentation, and discovery. Once establishing a home base with a blooming garden, players will set off to explore the surroundings, where ancient puzzles await alongside the mysteries of prehistoric Earth. Discovery, experimentation and scientific problem-solving lead the way in ASTROBOTANICA, offering a relaxed and welcoming approach to the survival genre.

Launching soon in Steam Early Access, ASTROBOTANICA has been designed from the ground up as a playable playground, encompassing core systems from day one, including botany and crafting, exploration and puzzle-solving, farming and base-building, and healing and helping primal humans. Throughout Early Access, Space Goblin Studio plans to expand ASTROBOTANICA’s world, introduce new systems and mechanics, and develop its evolving storyline through ongoing updates, shaped in collaboration with the community.

Following a successful Kickstarter campaign and a strong showing during the latest Steam Next Fest – where ASTROBOTANICA ranked among the top 100 demos – the team has already built a passionate community, with over 83,000 wishlists to date, and now looks forward to welcoming new players to its fresh take on survival. Recent improvements driven by community feedback include a fully reworked inventory system, upgraded level art, and enhanced performance optimisations designed to support a wide range of hardware.

For more information and the latest updates from the development team, head over to the official Steam page, where players can wishlist the game now. They can also join the game’s official Discord server to follow development and share feedback directly with the team. Space Goblin also welcomes comic fans to read the game’s official comic series, Sprout Out! on Webtoons.

Turnbound welcomes a familiar relic from Slay the Spire + Launch Bundle

Hello Spirits and Slayers,

Independent studio 1TK Games is excited to announce a new collaboration between Turnbound, its strategic autobattler heading into Early Access, and the acclaimed deckbuilding roguelike Slay the Spire.

As part of this collaboration, a Slay the Spire–inspired relic, the Snecko Eye, is joining Turnbound as a fully playable gameplay item.

The Snecko Eye joins Turnbound permanently

Starting January 22, alongside the launch of Early Access, the Snecko Eye will be fully and permanently playable in Turnbound.

Rather than a cosmetic cameo, the Snecko Eye has been designed to slot naturally into Turnbound’s core systems. It behaves as a true gameplay item, encouraging experimentation, risk-taking, and creative builds, while staying faithful to what players recognize from the Spire.

An exclusive achievement and cosmetic reward for Slay the Spire owners

Players can unlock a special achievement during the collaboration window, running from Early Access launch on January 22 until the release of Turnbound 1.0.

By completing a battle in Turnbound with the Snecko Eye tile on their board, players earn a unique achievement that rewards an exclusive cosmetic profile frame. This reward is purely visual, carries no gameplay advantage, and remains permanently unlocked once earned.

While the Snecko Eye item will remain available indefinitely, the achievement and cosmetic reward are time-limited to the collaboration period.

A special launch bundle on Steam

To celebrate the collaboration, Turnbound and Slay the Spire will be available together in a special launch bundle on Steam when Early Access begins on January 22.

The bundle offers a 10% discount and provides players with an easy way to pick up both games at once, combining two strategy-driven experiences built around experimentation, mastery, and emergent gameplay.

A celebration of shared inspirations

This collaboration reflects Turnbound’s roots in strategic experimentation and its admiration for games that reward curiosity, adaptation, and mastery. The Snecko Eye serves as a nod to a genre-defining title, while inviting players to explore how familiar ideas can evolve within a new system.