Developer Cyber Temple has officially revealed DarkSwitch, a bold and atmospheric take on the city-building genre that dares players to build up instead of out. Announced during the PC Gaming Show 2025, this debut title takes survival strategy sky-high with a layered narrative, woodpunk visuals, and an ominous threat creeping up from below. DarkSwitch launches on Steam this October.
When the World Below Falls, Build Above
In the world of DarkSwitch, a deadly, corrupting fog has consumed the surface. The last remnants of civilization now cling to survival in treetop settlements, desperately trying to outbuild the darkness rising below. You take on the role of a leader tasked with guiding your community upward—constructing, managing, and defending a vertical city in an ecosystem that’s as harsh as it is haunting.
The story is anchored by a layered mystery surrounding the fog, with four protagonists each bringing a unique lens to the unfolding events. Your decisions—both mechanical and narrative—will shape their fate, and that of the entire treetop civilization.
A City Builder with a Towering Twist
At its core, DarkSwitch blends city management and survival gameplay with exploration, tower defense, and narrative progression. You’ll juggle resource scarcity, citizen morale, and relentless environmental threats as you push your city ever higher.
Dynamic fog behavior is a key mechanic, powered by voxel-based tech that creates unpredictable weather patterns and environmental hazards. Light becomes a resource as important as food or metal—used to stave off the fog’s corruption and keep your people sane.
And tying it all together is a hauntingly atmospheric soundtrack composed by none other than Akira Yamaoka (Silent Hill), lending a desolate beauty to a world on the brink.
Key Features:
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Vertical City Building – Construct a layered, modular city atop a colossal tree. Expand outward or build skyward to stay ahead of the rising fog.
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Resource Management with Stakes – Balance raw materials between housing, defense, research, and survival needs. Every decision matters.
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The Fog is Alive – A living, encroaching threat with real-time movement, changing intensity, and psychological effects on your citizens.
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Exploration and Expeditions – Brave the fog to scavenge lost artifacts, rescue survivors, and uncover the origins of the catastrophe.
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Narrative-Driven Survival – Follow a deep, character-focused story told through missions, cutscenes, and environmental storytelling.
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Defend the Heights – Engage in tower defense-style combat as corrupted creatures emerge from the mist to challenge your stronghold.
DarkSwitch is shaping up to be one of 2025’s most unique survival games, combining heart-pounding decision-making with a world unlike anything else in the genre. With vertical strategy, fog-fueled dread, and a score from Akira Yamaoka, this is one October release you’ll want firmly on your radar.
Add it to your Steam Wishlist now, and prepare to rise above the darkness.