Screenshots
Watch trailer on Steam ↗Deck of Stabs
RetroAction Games · Published by RetroAction Games
Last updated 8 Oct 2026
Every card is a weapon. Every decision matters. Five distinct worlds, four unique classes, hundreds of cards, items, skills, and secrets to discover. Burn, curse, explode, and smash your way to victory—just bring your best blades.
Indie, RPG, Strategy · More free games
Navigate through complex strategies and dynamic combat in Deck of Stabs. With four unique classes and hundreds of cards to master, this indie RPG challenges you to make critical decisions that shape your journey across diverse worlds.
About this game
Hundreds of cards. Four heroes. Five worlds. Countless builds, challenges, combinations, and secrets to discover.
Deck of Stabs is a roguelike deck-builder where your deck is your arsenal. Choose from four unique heroes, each with their own collection of 60+ weapons, and build your deck as you battle through five distinct worlds packed with unique enemies, encounters, treasures, and bosses.
Discover over 250 weapon cards, equip powerful items, learn new skills, brew up rare potions, and forge your favorite weapons with special upgrades. Every run gives you new ways to build, experiment, and discover devastating combinations.
FOUR HEROES. FOUR WAYS TO STAB.
Choose from four heroes, each with their own cards, mechanics, skills, and strategies::
Steelhand – A battle-hardened warrior who overwhelms enemies with powerful weapons, stuns, and brute force.
Bladedancer – Strike fast with cheap attacks, thrown weapons, poison, and deadly precision.
Runecutter – Harness ancient runes, tap into elemental energies, and unleash explosive magical attacks.
Hexrazor – Curse your enemies, turn corpses into fuel for dark magic, and maybe even raise the dead.
As your hero levels up, you'll learn unique skills that open up new strategies and enhance different styles of play. Reach level 10 to unlock a devastating ultimate skill, from cheating death to raising your enemies as undead servants.
BUILD MORE THAN A DECK
Your cards are only the beginning.
Equip up to eight items from a huge collection of weapons, armor, rings, and other treasures. Items belong to sets of three—and discovering and equipping a complete set can unlock a powerful hidden ability.
Find forge stones and use them to customize your favorite cards. Make a weapon cheaper to play, increase its damage, coat it in poison, make it heal you, or choose from a variety of other upgrades. Instead of simply making a card "better," you decide how to make it better—and which upgrades best fit your build.
Potions provide another trick up your sleeve, offering everything from healing and armor to experience, dodging, and some particularly powerful effects if you're lucky enough to find the rarest brews.
FIVE WORLDS TO CONQUER AND ENDLESS CHALLENGE
Fight your way through the Forest, Desert, Dungeon, Graveyard, and Mountain, each with its own enemies and a unique world boss waiting at the end.
But reaching the end is only the beginning.
Your Collection grows as you discover new weapons, items, and skills, giving you new options for future runs. Experiment with different heroes, starting abilities, equipment, card combinations, skills, item sets, and forge upgrades to find entirely new ways to play.
Then put those builds to the test with Challenges that transform the rules. Can you win without items? Without skills? Against much stronger enemies? With a deck you can never cull?
SECRETS, CODES, AND...???
Find secret abilities. Discover hidden scrolls. Decode hidden messages. Crack the codes and see what happens...
System Requirements
Will my PC run this? →Minimum
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS *: Windows 7 or later
- Processor: 2.0 Ghz
- Memory: 2 GB RAM
- Graphics: 1Gb Video Memory
- Storage: 1 GB available space
Recommended
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
Supported Languages
Latest news
Patch NotesOfficial
Bug Fixes!
We're only a week in but a few pesky bugs have already shown up. There are still a few I'm hunting down but I released a patch just now to fix a number of the more critical bugs, including one game crashing bug! Thanks to all those who reported these issues. If you encounter a bug please report it in the Discussion Boards. And if for some reason this version of the game introduces new bugs you can always revert to the previous version of Deck of Stabs in the Properties > Game Versions in your Steam Menu and select "last_stable".Thanks all! Here are the list of changes...Fixed a game crashing bug on the Summit Beast boss fightFixed a bug where Back Row enemies would never come forward if their allies fled Fixed a bug that stopped the Rewarding Brew from granting XP if the Boss Chest was open Fixed a bug that caused the Reaper to split into 7 copies Shop price tags update from yellow to red accurately now Transmuting Cards now affects Card Discovery Bleed Out and Bad Break can now be removed from deck of Energy Clarified that Red Ring deals Poison to YOU Clarified that Anvil Gloves and Studded Gloves effects do not stackRead full article on Community Announcements (Jay1001)AnnouncementsOfficial
Deck of Stabs is out now!
It’s been a long journey getting here, and I’m excited for you to finally explore the game! It's out now!There are four heroes to master, five worlds to conquer, and plenty of weapons, items, skills, secrets, and combinations to discover. I hope you have fun finding your own favorite builds.I’ve tested the game as thoroughly as I could, and I’m hoping everything runs smoothly for you. If you run into a significant bug, please use the in-game Report a Bug feature. It’s a big help, especially during launch.Otherwise, come say hello on the discussion boards. I’d love to hear what you think... and what you discover!Thanks for playing, Jay / RetroAction GamesRead full article on Community Announcements (Jay1001)AnnouncementsOfficial
DECK OF STABS LAUNCHES SEPTEMBER 30!
It’s finally happening: Deck of Stabs will launch on Steam on September 30, 2026!Deck of Stabs has been a huge solo-development project, and I’m incredibly excited to finally share the finished game with everyone. Thank you to everyone who played the demo, shared feedback, made videos, joined the community, or added the game to their wishlist. Your support has helped me carry the game all the way to release.Deck of Stabs is a roguelike deckbuilder where every card is a weapon. Choose from four unique heroes, build your arsenal from more than 250 weapon cards, and battle through five deadly worlds filled with strange enemies, powerful treasures, dangerous bosses, and plenty of secrets.The full game features:4 playable heroes, each with their own cards and playstyle5 distinct worlds with completely unique enemies and bossesMore than 250 weapon cards to discoverPowerful items, skills, and class-defining buildsSecrets, challenges, and surprises to uncoverA lot of stabbing...If you haven’t done so already, wishlist Deck of Stabs and follow the game here on Steam to be notified when it launches.Read full article on Community Announcements (Jay1001)Patch NotesOfficial
⚔️ Hotfix Update – Bugs Crushed, Boss Buffed, Slimes Restored!
🛠 BIG BUG FIXThe new 3D card view system introduced a nasty issue in the released build that could freeze the game during play.That bug has now been fixed.Sorry about that everyone — and thank you to everyone who reported it so quickly!🌀 Recursion Cloak UpdateThe Recursion Cloak previously drew a card whenever you played a card.Unfortunately... this allowed the Bladedancer to create effectively infinite turns by chaining together enough 0-cost cards.To prevent endless loops while keeping the item fun, the cloak now includes an 8-card play limit per turn.👑 World Boss UpdateThe demo’s final boss has been made tougher and more climactic.Changes include:Increased final HPAdjusted Block/Armor intent patternsEarlier access to Burn attacksMore varied combat behavior overallThe goal is to make the final demo battle feel like a true end-of-run achievement.🟢 Slime Regeneration RestoredGreen and Purple Slimes once again regenerate health at the start of their turns:Green Slimes: +1 HPPurple Slimes: +2 HPThe slimy menace returns.⚔️ Other Enemy TweaksSeveral enemies received smaller balance adjustments to health values and abilities.🔨 Fixed Anvil Gloves Store PriceThe shop price for Anvil Gloves has been corrected.Read full article on Community Announcements (Jay1001)Patch NotesOfficial
🔥 Deck of Stabs Demo Update — Version 1.4 is LIVE!
This update brings major new systems, tons of replayability, and a full UI/feel overhaul. Whether you’re jumping in for the first time or coming back, there’s a lot to discover.🧙♂️ NEW: Character Selection OverhaulBrand new selection screen with enhanced visualsLarge character previewsChoose skins, starting skills, and starting itemsMore ways to shape your run right from the start⚔️ Starting Items & SkillsEach hero now begins with customizable starting items and skillsUnlock them by discovering them in-gameCreate wildly different starting builds for replayability📚 Collections & DiscoveryNew collection system tracks everything you’ve foundBrowse outside of battleSee your progress and hints of what’s still out there🧪 PotionsNew potions system adds more tactical optionsMore ways to adapt mid-run💎 Stones & ForgingAdd gem stones to your weapons to enhance themMost weapons can hold 1–2 stonesEven basic gear can become powerful🔥 Campsite UpgradesChoose 1 action per campsite:HealForgeOr use a unique character abilityAdds meaningful decisions every time you rest🏪 Shop OverhaulThe original store is now the Armory (weapons & items)New shop run by Jules sells Potions and Stones🤖 Smarter EnemiesEnemies now have variable intentsBosses are more dynamic and unpredictable💾 Save SystemRuns now auto-save as you playQuit and return laterOr start a new run anytime (1 active run at a time)💬 Tooltip RevampFully redesigned tooltipsCleaner, clearer, more informativeImproved visuals across the board🎴 Card Animation ImprovementsComplete backend rewrite of animationsSmoother, cleaner, more responsive feel☠️ New Card Effects — BurdensNew negative cards: BurdensAdded by enemy attacksSome expire after battleOthers must be removed at:ShopsCampsites (Steelhand exclusive option)✨ Quality of Life & UI ImprovementsDeck preview now supports search & filtersMany UI upgrades and smoother interactionsImproved clarity across systems⚖️ Balance ChangesStun reworked:Now prevents enemies from acting for their...Read full article on Community Announcements (Jay1001)
