Order of the Sinking Star

Last updated
Order of the Sinking Star
Developers Thekla, Inc.
Publisher Arc Games
Director Jonathan Blow
Platform Windows
Release2026
Genre Puzzle
Mode Single-player

Order of the Sinking Star is an upcoming puzzle video game created by Thekla, Inc. and published by Arc Games. The game was announced in December 2025 at The Game Awards. It is scheduled for release on Windows in 2026.

Contents

Gameplay

The Order of the Sinking Star has four completely different sets of puzzle mechanics which combine over the course of the game. [1] Many of the game's mechanics are inspired by Sokoban -style games including Heroes of Sokoban (Jonah Ostroff), Skipping Stones to Lonely Homes (Alan Hazelden) and the Promesst series (Sean Barrett). [2] Early puzzles in the game work on a 2D plane, but later puzzles are 3D. [3]

The mechanics can start off simple yet lead to unexpected consequences. For example, in the "Mirror Isles" world of the game, a character can use a single mirror to teleport their reflection and change places with it. However, it is possible to use more than one mirror to cast more than one reflection, thereby making clones of the character that all move at once. [3]

While the reveal trailer stated the game has more than 1000 puzzles, director Jonathan Blow has stated that the game actually has more than 1400 puzzles. [3] Blow also stated that the game can take up to 250 hours to complete at a normal pace, and more than 500 hours to solve all puzzles. [4]

Development

When announced, the game had been in development for nearly 10 years. [2] Thekla created a new game engine for the game, which was itself was created using a new programming language developed by the studio. [1] Thekla has plans to release the programming language for free after the game is released. [1]

Release

The game was announced at The Game Awards on Dec 11, 2025. [5] The trailer revealed that the game will feature over 1000 puzzles and will be released in 2026. [2]

Notes and references

    1. 1 2 3 "Braid and The Witness creator announces first new video game in nine years". Metro . Dec 11, 2025. Retrieved Dec 11, 2025.
    2. 1 2 3 McWhertor, Michael (Dec 11, 2025). "The Witness creator reveals his next massive puzzle adventure, Order of the Sinking Star". Polygon . Retrieved Dec 11, 2025.
    3. 1 2 3 Pelliccio, Meg (Dec 11, 2025). "Jonathan Blow Says Order Of The Sinking Star Has "Much Higher" Puzzle Quality Than Braid Or The Witness". TheGamer. Valnet . Retrieved Dec 11, 2025.
    4. ↑ Higham, Michael (Dec 11, 2025). "The Witness and Braid Creator Jonathan Blow Announces New 250-Hour Puzzle Game, Order of the Sinking Star". IGN . Retrieved Dec 11, 2025.
    5. ↑ Earl, William (Dec 11, 2025). "'Order of the Sinking Star' Puzzle Adventure Game From Jonathan Blow, Arc Games Set for 2026 Launch". Variety . Retrieved Dec 11, 2025.


    This page is based on this Wikipedia article
    Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
    Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.