Screenshots
Watch trailer on Steam ↗Ritual Tides
Vertpaint · Published by Vertpaint · Official site ↗
Content notice: This game may contain content unsuitable for all ages or for viewing at work, including frequent violence, gore, and general mature themes.
Last updated 7 Oct 2026
Ritual Tides is a story rich, psychological horror game set on the dark, atmospheric, isolated British island of Hortus. Explore the island, uncover its dark past, loot food, ammunition and supplies, evade the cult of the Fallow Parish, as you fight for survival against Lovecraftian horrors.
Action, Adventure, Indie · More free games
Explore the hauntingly isolated island of Hortus and uncover its sinister secrets in Ritual Tides. As an indie action-adventure game, navigate through dark corridors and survive against cultists and ancient horrors.
About this game
The island of Hortus was not supposed to exist.
No record of it appears on any map. No ships pass it. And yet, washed ashore with no memory of who you are or how you arrived, you’re soon to find yourself on its coast.
Ritual Tides is a first-person psychological horror game set on a remote Victorian island off the British coast. Explore the island, survive its cult, and uncover the truth of what Hortus really is… and who you really are.
EARN YOUR SURVIVAL
Ammunition is scarce. Count your shells.
Climbing requires control of both of your hands. Find your next grip, don't fall.
Traversing a plank requires balance. Being chased will make this even harder.
Combat exists, but it does not make you powerful. On Hortus, a gun is not always reliable.
A STORY YOU WILL SLOWLY UNCOVER
You’ll wake up with no memory. A man named Malcolm will come to help you find your footing. The Fallow Parish speak of devotion, salvation, and a figure they call Mother Hortus. The creatures you encounter were not always creatures.
Every answer you find asks a harder question. Your truth is ready to be unveiled.
PAINSTAKING DETAIL
Every flower, wall, tree, and stretch of coastline in Ritual Tides was captured through high-fidelity photogrammetry scans taken on location across the moorlands of England and Scotland.
Every inch of Hortus has been built from the ground up, from close-up reference photography of real bark, stone, moss, and soil, rebuilt and placed by hand into a world that earns the weight it carries.
BUILT BY PEOPLE WHO NEEDED TO MAKE IT
Vertpaint are industry veterans making the game they could not stop thinking about.
The team that has spent years working on other people's projects, and is now pouring everything learned into making Ritual Tides a game that deserves to be made.
Fans of Amnesia: The Dark Descent, Resident Evil Village, Silent Hill, and the work of H.P. Lovecraft, this game has been made for you.
System Requirements
Will my PC run this? →Minimum
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: Windows 11 (64bit required)
- Processor: Intel corei5-8500 / AMD Ryzen 5 3500
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics: GeForce GTX 1660 6GB / Radeon RX 5500 XT 8GB
- DirectX: Version 12
Recommended
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: Windows 11 (64bit required)
- Processor: Intel corei5-8500 / AMD Ryzen 5 3500
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics: GeForce GTX 1660 6GB / Radeon RX 5500 XT 8GB
- DirectX: Version 12
Supported Languages
*languages with full audio support
Latest news
AnnouncementsOfficial
Resident Evil Requiem Cast Talk Ritual Tides
A pretty surreal momentIt’s not every day that the actors behind two of your favourite video game characters talk about your game.That was pretty much the feeling across the Vertpaint team while watching the latest Future Games Show.Not only was Ritual Tides selected as an editorial pick, it was also chosen as the Grand Finale, introduced by none other than Nick Apostolides, who plays Leon S. Kennedy, and Angela Sant’Albano, who plays Grace Ashcroft in Resident Evil Requiem.Honestly, that was a bit surreal for us. Games that inspired usResident Evil is a franchise very close to our hearts. Resident Evil Biohazard, Village, and many of the earlier games have been huge inspirations to us over the years, alongside games like Silent Hill.These are the games and worlds we escaped into growing up. They helped build our love for horror games and played a big part in inspiring us to eventually create something of our own. A huge thank you ❤️So, a huge thank you from everyone at Vertpaint to all the developers, artists, actors and creators who made these incredible games.And hearing the voices behind Leon and Grace talking about Ritual Tides?That is something we’re not going to forget that one anytime soon.Read full article on Community Announcements (Vertpaint)AnnouncementsOfficial
Daz Games Joins Ritual Tides!
We’re incredibly excited to welcome Daz Games to Ritual Tides, taking one of the leading roles as Phineam! Who are we?We (The Vertpaint team) have been around for years, but mostly behind the scenes helping other studios bring their games to life. Ritual Tides is our first real step out on our own as a developer, and we're attempting to do so without the backing or reach of a big publisher. Making a SplashFrom early on in the projects development, we all knew that we wanted to work with Daz, and we knew we probably weren’t going to get on Daz’s radar the same way a bigger studio might. As such, we felt that we needed to do something that could in some way capture his attention. James (the project’s creative director) grabbed a kitchen chair, carried it down to the ocean, sat beside the water and announced Ritual Tides to the world. What made the stunt notable was that he did so draped in Daz Games merch, without ever mentioning Daz. The hope was that he’d be tagged in the little skit. It was a little ridiculous, but somehow, it worked. Daz discovered Ritual Tides, fell in love with the project and what we’re trying to create, and now he’s officially part of it, bringing the enigmatic Phineam to life as one of the game’s leading characters. Having Daz join us means a huge amount to everyone at Vertpaint. Ritual Tides is a big gamble for our small team, and we’re incredibly excited to now have Daz along for the ride. Want the full story?Find out more in Daz’s YouTube video titled: Interested in Supporting Ritual Tides?We don’t have a big publisher behind us or a massive marketing budget to make noise, so every bit of support genuinely makes a difference. Liking or sharing our content, telling a friend about the game, or, best of all, wishlisting Ritual Tides on Steam helps us enormously with the algorithms and gets the game in front of more people.It’s because of you all that we’ve been able to get this far, and we’re incredibly grateful for it. We won’t rest until we...Read full article on Community Announcements (Vertpaint)
