Cole Hunter: Payback

About this game

Latest news

• Announcements·13 Jul 2026Official

  Play the Free Demo during Games Made in Sweden

  Cole Hunter: Payback is taking part in the Games Made in Sweden event!To celebrate, you can jump into the free demo and experience our retro-inspired blend of side-scrolling shoot-'em-up action, bullet hell and roguelite progression.You're Captain Cole HunterBroke, hunted and heavily armed.Fight through hostile star systems, dodge waves of enemy fire and collect enemy cores to upgrade your weapons during each run. Every bounty brings you one step closer to paying off a galaxy-sized debt — but the Syndicate is never far behind.In the demo you can:• Experience fast-paced, side-scrolling shoot-'em-up combat• Collect cores and upgrade your weapons during each run• Experiment with different weapon combinations and builds• Face enemy waves, dangerous projectiles and powerful bosses• Meet Cole and his considerably more responsible droid companion, LucyThe demo is free to download and play and it will remain available afterwards.We are still actively developing Cole Hunter: Payback, so feedback from players is extremely valuable to us. Let us know what you think in the Steam Discussions after playing.Play the demo today, and consider adding Cole Hunter: Payback to your wishlist if you enjoy the journey.Thanks for supporting games made in Sweden and independent developers working in Sweden!
  Read full article on Community Announcements (aroda)

• Patch Notes·25 Jun 2026Official

  Updated Demo: Auto-Fire Mode & Planet RENENDRA

  Cole Hunter: Payback has a fresh demo update live, packed with all the gameplay improvements we’ve been working on over the last few months. This build is equivalent to our recent Bullet Fest demo, but set on Planet RENENDRA as the playable map, so you can dive straight into the latest version of the game’s action.The big new addition is the new Auto-Fire mode. The first time you play, you can choose Auto-Fire, and you can always switch it on or off later from the game settings. With Auto-Fire enabled, your ship handles shooting automatically so you can focus on navigating, positioning, and dodging enemies and projectiles.Energy cores/orbs still matter just as much: you’ll need to hold your selected button to attract them so you can level up and power your build. This keeps the core risk–reward loop intact while lowering the input complexity for players who want to concentrate on movement and tactical choices.If you prefer the original feel, the classic “hold-to-fire” option is still there and fully supported. Swap between Auto-Fire and hold-to-fire whenever you like and find the control style that best fits your playstyle.Jump into the updated demo on Planet RENENDRA, try the new Auto-Fire mode, and let us know how it feels, your feedback will help shape the final release.
  Read full article on Community Announcements (aroda)

• Community & Events·8 Jun 2026Official

  COLE HUNTER: PAYBACK NEW EXCLUSIVE DEMO AVAILABLE DURING BULLET FEST

  Steam Bullet Fest is live!From now until June 15 at 10:00 AM Pacific, you can play a special Steam Bullet Fest version of the Cole Hunter: Payback demo featuring content that will not be available again before release. Explore NebulaThis limited-time demo introduces:Nebula — a brand-new playable planetThe Zealots — a new enemy faction with their own ships and attack patternsAG-69, the Archon of Glass — a new boss waiting at the end of the huntA first glimpse at the game’s narrative, including a new introduction and several in-universe Beyond the Core podcast episodesImproved weapon visuals and balancing, including an updated Reaver laserNumerous improvements and bug fixes based on player feedbackThe demo lets you play through approximately 7–8 in-game days, progressing as far as the second debt milestone unlock.Only available during Bullet FestAfter Steam Bullet Fest ends, the public demo will return to its previous content. Nebula, the Zealots and the Archon of Glass will then remain unavailable until the full game releases.So even if you played an earlier version of the demo, there is plenty of new material waiting for you during the festival.We also want to thank everyone who played the previous demos and took the time to send us feedback. Your reports, suggestions and comments have helped us improve this version of the game.Play the free demo and wishlist Cole Hunter: Payback on Steam: Nebula’s open for business. Bring a ship, bring a gun, and try not to add anything else to the debt. - Cole Hunter & the Oldways team.
  Read full article on Community Announcements (aroda)

• Announcements·20 May 2026Official

  Cole Hunter: Payback is heading to GAME AiCON Seoul 2026

  Hi everyone!Next week, Cole Hunter: Payback will be part of GAME AiCON Seoul 2026, where we’ll be participating in the indie pitch program and showing a special event version of the game to attendees.If you’re attending GAME AiCON Seoul, you’ll be able to play a newer build of Cole Hunter: Payback in person, including improvements and content that are still being tested internally. We’re excited to put the game in front of players, developers, publishers, and investors at the event, and to gather more feedback as we continue development.For everyone who can’t attend, we didn’t want to leave you out - so we’ve also updated the public Steam demo.Demo update: improved CJK language supportThis update focuses mainly on improving localization support, especially for:JapaneseKoreanSimplified ChineseWe’ve updated the game’s font handling and improved support for CJK characters across the UI. This should make the demo much more readable for players using these languages.This is still a work in progress, and some visual issues may remain while we continue testing fonts, UI sizing, and language-specific layouts. If you spot anything strange - missing characters, clipped text, awkward line breaks, or untranslated strings - please let us know in the Community Hub.What changedImproved font support for Japanese, Korean, and Simplified Chinese.Updated localized UI text.Improved fallback handling for characters not supported by the default font.Continued work on making the demo more accessible to non-English players.Thank youLocalization is an important part of making Cole Hunter: Payback reach more players around the world, and this is one more step in that direction.Thanks again to everyone who has played the demo, wishlisted the game, sent feedback, or shared it with others. We’ll have more to share after GAME AiCON Seoul 2026!See you in space pilots, Oldways Studios
  Read full article on Community Announcements (aroda)

• Announcements·3 Feb 2026Official

  Cole Hunter: Payback Demo Available Now

  The Cole Hunter: Payback Demo is live! Experience the full heist mission packed with intense bullet-hell action.What's Included:• 1 complete planet • Full enemy set and epic boss encounter• 5 starter weapons + 1 unique weapon to unlock through gameplay• 4-5 difficulty tiers to match your skill level• Access to all game implants for deep progression • Unlimited replays - reset your profile and play againDive into the action-packed roguelike heist experience. Master the mechanics, discover hidden weapons, and prove you have what it takes to pull off the ultimate payback.Download the Demo Now and join the fight!
  Read full article on Community Announcements (aroda)