Indie · June 1, 2021
Griftlands (2021)
Griftlands is a deck-building rogue-like where you fight and negotiate your way through a broken-down sci-fi world. Every decision is important, be it the jobs you take, the friends you make, or the cards you collect. Death comes quickly, but each play offers new situations and strategies to explore. Play as Sal, Rook, or Smith. Three unique character campaigns with their own specialized decks, abilities and maps to explore. Sal is an adventurer out for profit and revenge. Rook is an aging spy working his own agenda. Smith is an idle loafer who might just save the world. Each playable character's story takes place in a unique environment, with different factions and locations to explore and exploit. Battle Challenging Bosses Test your combat decks against powerful foes with unique mechanics and attacks. Build a Team - or Buy One! Hire mercenaries, find pets, or impose upon your friends to accomplish your goals. Master Hundreds of Cards Each character has unique negotiation and combat decks to draft from. Get powerful item cards from fallen foes, or as rewards. Decisions Matter Killing foes may incur the wrath of their friends, but sparing them leaves a dangerous piece on the board. Choose wisely, everyone remembers everything you do! Welcome to Havaria Each playable character's story takes place in a unique environment, with different factions and locations to explore and exploit. Explore A Broken-Down Sci-Fi World The world of Havaria is a harsh place, full of harsher denizens. Explore lush, hand-illustrated environments full of people who want to kill you. Playing Politics For Keeps Each character has a factional allegiance and an opinion of you. Play politics between rivals, and try to capture the most powerful social boons. But watch out -- doublecross the wrong person, and you'll be subject to their bane! Outwit or Overpower Overcome obstacles with the power of your fists - or your words. You'll need to pick your cards and play them right if you're going to survive. Build two decks simultaneously, balancing the tradeoffs of each. Learn from each attempted run through the various stories of the Griftlands. Encounter different combinations of enemies, quests, and events every time you play. Your fate is determined by your choices, and by fate.
Indie releases from 2021
39 Indie titles launched in 2021 — top 6 by review volume.
Position in Indie
| Metric | This title | Genre position |
|---|---|---|
| Review volume | 14.0k Steam reviews | Top 21% in Indie |
| Positive rating | 94% positive | Genre average: 87% — this title sits in top 30% |
| Metacritic | 84/100 | Genre average 77 — top 22% of Indie titles |
| Engagement hours | 22 h average | Top 28% for session depth among Indie |
Community Tag Signals
Tag weights reflect how many Steam users voted each descriptor — larger pills = stronger consensus.
- Card Battler · 273
- Rogue-lite · 270
- Deckbuilding · 255
- Choices Matter · 245
- RPG · 244
- Turn-Based · 230
- Story Rich · 225
- Card Game · 225
- Strategy · 203
- Dark Humor · 201
- Rogue-like · 196
- Turn-Based Combat · 185
- 2D · 178
- Comic Book · 176
- Choose Your Own Adventure · 165
Peer Indie titles
Comparable titles in the same genre and review-volume band — ranked by Steam positive percentage.
Reception Metrics
Steam community
94%Very Positive · 14.0k reviews
13.1k positive · 837 negative
Metacritic
84/100 critic aggregate
Metacritic user score
7.6/10
Curator recommendations
13.2k
Localization Coverage
Interface / Subtitles (11)
- English
- Simplified Chinese
- Traditional Chinese
- French
- German
- Japanese
- Korean
- Polish
- Portuguese - Brazil
- Russian
- Spanish - Spain
More from Klei Entertainment
Klei Entertainment has 10 titles indexed — top 6 by review volume below.
Press Quotes
“This ingenious blend of RPG mechanics, visual novel-style storytelling, and deck-building roguelike gameplay is a beautiful recipe for a kind of game I never knew I wanted.” 90 – IGN “Those who loved Hades, Slay the Spire, or similar games will find just as much to love in Griftlands.” 90 – Screen Rant
Engagement Profile
All-time avg
22h
moderate (15–40 hours)
Median
8h
Typical completion time
2-week avg
1h
Current engagement
Achievements
13
Steam unlocks available
Features & Capabilities
Community
- Steam Workshop
- Steam Cloud
- Remote Play on Tablet
Input & Comfort
- Partial Controller Support
Other
- Single-player
- Family Sharing
Release & Availability
| Release date | Jun 1, 2021 |
|---|---|
| Developer | Klei Entertainment |
| Base price | $6.79 -66% |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Estimated owners | 1M–10M |
| External links | Official site · Metacritic page · Support · [email protected] |
Content Notes
Cartoon and stylized violence depicted. Implied and direct references to non-glorified violence in dialog.
Editions & Packages
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