The upcoming title blends puzzle-solving with platforming challenges, all set against a surreal vision of 1970s-era San Francisco. Players step into the role of Barb, a young woman who discovers she is living inside an abandoned video game production. With the city facing destruction, it becomes Barb’s responsibility to manipulate the world around her and uncover a path forward.

Central to the experience is the game’s inventive “Copy and Paste” system. Barb uses a device called the Oscillator to scan the environment and extract properties from nearby objects. Those properties can then be applied to other elements in the world, allowing players to reshape the environment in creative ways.

For example, the left-to-right movement of a passing car can be copied and applied to a building, causing it to slide across the level. A trampoline’s bounce can be transferred onto solid ground, turning ordinary surfaces into springboards. Even environmental effects—such as gas leaking from a broken pipe—can be captured and pasted elsewhere to create unexpected solutions to puzzles.

The system encourages experimentation, as multiple properties can be layered together to produce new interactions. Players can freely reset their actions, making it easier to test different ideas while solving the game’s increasingly complex platforming challenges.

Those curious to try the mechanics firsthand can download the newly released demo on Steam. The preview includes the game’s opening tutorial along with its first three levels, introducing players to Barb and the colorful characters she encounters throughout the story. Progress made during the demo will carry over into the full game upon release.

Yerba Buena launches May 26, 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam. Pre-orders are currently available with a 10% launch discount.

With its unusual premise and world-altering puzzle mechanics, Yerba Buena looks set to deliver a distinctive platforming adventure when it arrives later this spring.