At Fate's End Slips to 2027, but a Free PC Demo Is Out Now

At Fate's End, the next game from Spiritfarer studio Thunder Lotus, will not make its 2026 window. The Montreal developer announced on October 6 that the action-adventure game is moving to 2027. The same post brought something to make up for it: a free demo is out now on Steam, so PC players can try the game today.

What changed

Thunder Lotus put the bad news first in its announcement. The team says it has made a lot of progress since revealing the game in 2025, but it needs more time to make sure the launch goes smoothly. There is no new day or month yet, only the year. The studio says it will share a firmer date once it has everything lined up.

The platforms are unchanged. At Fate's End is still coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, and on PC it will be sold on Steam, the Epic Games Store and the Microsoft Store. The full game's Steam page now lists 2027 as the release date. It also shows Windows, macOS and Linux support.

The demo is out now

The demo has its own Steam listing, separate from the full game. It went live on October 6 and is free to download. It runs on Windows only for now, even though the full game's store page lists Mac and Linux support. Thunder Lotus calls it a first taste of everything in the game: the world, the cast, a mystery to work through and a good amount of combat.

The studio is openly asking for feedback. Its announcement links a player survey alongside the download, and asks players to leave a Steam review of the demo. With the full release a year or more away, what demo players say now can still shape the final game. That is a big part of why a studio releases a demo this early.

Shan stands in a dim hall beneath a large family portrait, with on-screen prompts labelled Your sister Camilla, Your brother Roman and Inspect the vase — Investigation happens in the world itself. Shan inspects a family portrait that singles out her sister Camilla and her brother Roman.

A family drama with a sword

At Fate's End is a side-scrolling action-adventure game. You play as Shan, the young heiress of the Hemlock clan, who carries a legendary weapon called the God Sword Aesus. The game's main idea is in its tagline: you fight the people you love, and your skill tree is your family tree. Shan's estranged siblings are the major opponents. Each confrontation is built as an emotional duel, and over the course of the game you decide where the family ends up.

Between those fights, Thunder Lotus describes narrative puzzles. Shan explores a lush fantasy world, fights the creatures roaming it and gathers clues about what drove the family apart. The store screenshots show both halves. One shows Shan reading a room full of interactive points of interest. Others show fights in which dialogue choices appear in the middle of combat, so the argument and the duel happen at the same time.

A white-haired swordfighter in red clashes blades with a pale-haired rival as dialogue options reading You betrayed me! and You — Duels mix combat and conversation, with dialogue options appearing mid-fight.

A new gameplay trailer introduces Roman

Thunder Lotus released a new trailer alongside the delay. Earlier footage leaned on the story; this one focuses on gameplay, with more combat and more investigation. It also shows how the two sides feed into each other as the siblings' stories unfold. The trailer properly introduces one of Shan's brothers, Roman. The studio describes him as a show-off who hides painful secrets behind that confidence. The trailer is embedded in the studio's Steam announcement.

Roman joins Camilla as one of the named siblings players have now seen. The game is about tracking down a whole fractured family, so expect more of them to appear as the studio gets closer to a release date.

Why this one is worth watching

Thunder Lotus has a strong track record for a studio of its size. It made Jotun and Sundered before Spiritfarer, its game about caring for spirits and then letting them go. Spiritfarer became one of the best-known indie games of its generation, and its hand-drawn look and gentle handling of grief built the studio a loyal audience. At Fate's End keeps the painterly 2D art style but moves the studio's emotional storytelling into a more combat-heavy structure.

A red-clad swordfighter faces winged insect enemies and a hunched creature in front of a moonlit gothic castle, with a large crackling yellow energy ring on the left — Beyond the sibling duels, Shan fights the creatures that roam the realm, like these winged enemies outside a castle at night.

A one-year slip is a familiar story for a team this size, and the studio's message is that it would rather take more time than ship something rough. For now, anyone curious can download the free demo on Steam and send feedback through the studio's survey, while At Fate's End moves from late 2026 into an as-yet undated 2027 release on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.