A Dark Cave Press Kit

Dark story-driven minimalist incremental village builder

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A Dark Cave is a text-based incremental. You wake in a cave, light a fire, gather resources, and build a village as the story unfolds. Play for free in your browser. A paid Steam edition for Windows is planned for 27 October 2026. A free demo is available now.

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A Dark Cave is a text-based incremental survival and settlement game. You wake at the mouth of a cave with no memory. A small fire is all that stands between you and the dark. You gather wood, craft tools, recruit villagers, and grow a settlement while a story about a lost civilization unfolds below. The game is semi-idle and active: you make choices, manage jobs, explore, and fight, rather than clicking a second-screen idle. Graphics stay minimal so the writing, systems, and atmosphere do the work. If you liked A Dark Room or Kittens Game, this is aimed at that taste. Play for free in your browser on desktop or mobile. A paid Windows edition is coming to Steam on 27 October 2026. A free Steam demo is available now. A Dark Cave will appear at Steam Next Fest from 19 to 26 October 2026. Julian Bauer is the solo developer. Press contact: support@a-dark-cave.com.

Fact sheet

Title
A Dark Cave
Genre
Incremental, text-based survival, settlement builder
Player count
Single-player
Platforms
Web browser (desktop and mobile), Windows (Steam)
Web listing
17 November 2025
Steam release
27 October 2026 (planned)
Steam Next Fest
19-26 October 2026
Developer / publisher
Julian Bauer
Website
https://a-dark-cave.com
Steam
App 4882240 (paid Windows edition)
Steam demo
App 4971800, available now
Browser
Play for free at a-dark-cave.com
Price
Browser: play for free. Steam: paid (price TBA).
Languages
English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Simplified Chinese, Russian. Steam also lists Japanese.
Similar to
A Dark Room, Kittens Game, Universal Paperclips
Contact
support@a-dark-cave.com

Gameplay trailer

YouTube · Download MP4

Assets

Download all assets (ZIP)

Links

Permissions

You may stream, record, and monetize video of A Dark Cave. No extra permission is needed.

Contact

Julian Bauer. support@a-dark-cave.com