Order of the Sinking Star Arrives With Over 1,000 Puzzles

Jonathan Blow, the designer associated with Braid and The Witness, has a new puzzle game scheduled for October 8, 2026. Order of the Sinking Star promises more than 1,000 hand-crafted puzzles spread across four worlds whose rules eventually collide.

That number immediately makes the game sound enormous. The more interesting promise is the structure: different puzzle ideas begin separately and gradually interact, potentially making the player rethink mechanics they thought they already understood.

Four worlds, one connected mystery

Order of the Sinking Star is a top-down puzzle adventure set in a fantasy world of ruins, strange devices and unusual characters. According to its Steam page, players explore four distinct worlds with their own rules and stories.

The game combines characters with different abilities, so a challenge that first looks impossible may become solvable once the player understands how another part of the world works. The studio describes the design as a combination of ideas from several established puzzle creators.

Players do not have to finish every challenge in a strict order. The game invites exploration, revisiting earlier areas and combining clues found across the world.

View the official Steam page for Order of the Sinking Star

Platforms and release date

The studio lists October 8, 2026 as the release date for PC on Steam, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2. Steam also lists the game as Steam Deck Verified.

Because storefront unlock times vary by region, an October 8 release date does not guarantee it will be purchasable at every hour of October 8 in the Philippines. Check the live storefront rather than treating the date as a precise local launch time.

A free Steam demo is already available. For curious players, that is the most useful way to see whether the game's logic and presentation suit them before paying.

Try the free Steam demo

Price: approximately ₱1,881 (US$29.99)

The developer announced a U.S. Steam price of US$29.99, equivalent to about ₱1,881 at the October 8 reference exchange rate. That is only a currency conversion, not confirmation of the Philippine Steam price. Regional pricing, taxes and storefront-specific discounts may differ.

The developer has also announced bundles pairing the game with Animal Well, Mewgenics and the original soundtrack, including stated 10% bundle savings. Availability and final checkout prices depend on the storefront.

See the developer's Steam price and bundle announcement

What about PC system requirements?

There is one unusually important pre-purchase detail: the official Steam listing still shows 'TBD' for minimum and recommended CPU, graphics, memory and storage requirements in the version reviewed for this story. It only identifies a 64-bit processor and operating system as a requirement.

That means articles claiming exact minimum GPUs, a required RAM amount or a confirmed PC install size should not be trusted unless the studio updates the specifications. The verified Steam Deck label is encouraging, but it does not replace a complete PC requirements sheet.

If you are on an older gaming laptop or a small handheld PC, trying the free demo is a better practical check than relying on guessed specifications.

Why puzzle fans should pay attention

The Witness became memorable because exploration and observation taught players what the rules were, rather than relying primarily on instruction popups. Order of the Sinking Star appears interested in a related challenge: discover rules in isolation, then apply them together in surprising combinations.

A huge puzzle count does not guarantee variety. One thousand repetitive problems would be less interesting than a few dozen great ones. The real measure will be whether the worlds continue to reveal new connections as the game progresses.

That is also why this is a launch preview rather than a review. Independent assessments of the complete release are still needed before making claims about puzzle quality, performance or how long the game actually takes to finish.

Should you play it?

If you liked Braid, The Witness or puzzle adventures that reward patient experimentation, Order of the Sinking Star belongs on your watchlist. If you prefer direct combat or constant direction, its open-ended structure may be less appealing.

The sensible first move is to play the demo, check the final Philippine storefront price and wait for tested PC performance if you are unsure about your hardware. It is a big idea with an intriguing pedigree, but the full game still has to prove that its thousand-plus puzzles are worth the journey.