Indie · June 1, 2021

Griftlands (2021)

trophy13 achievementslocal_offer-66% current discountgroup1M–10M ownersrecommend13.2k recommendations
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

MetricThis titleGenre position
Review volume14.0k Steam reviewsTop 21% in Indie
Positive rating94% positiveGenre average: 87% — this title sits in top 30%
Metacritic84/100Genre average 77 — top 22% of Indie titles
Engagement hours22 h averageTop 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

Open Metacritic page

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 dateJun 1, 2021
DeveloperKlei Entertainment
Base price$6.79 -66%
PlatformsWindows, macOS, Linux
Estimated owners1M–10M
External linksOfficial 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

  • Buy Griftlands