Screenshots
Watch trailer on Steam ↗Vena
loerting · Published by loerting
Last updated 28 Sept 2026
An automation roguelike where every run fits in one sitting. Place hexagonal tiles to grow a production organism, roll dice in the shop to buy new ones, and pick perks that shape your build. Survive nine phases as the Nexus's hunger outpaces you, then break the economy and do it all differently.
Indie, Simulation, Strategy, Casual · 2026 · More free games
In Vena, place hexagonal tiles to nurture your production organism through perilous phases. Roll dice in the shop for new perks, outsmarting the Nexus's relentless hunger while shaping your unique build strategy.
About this game
Vena is a genre mix you haven’t played before: the depth of an automation game, delivered in self-contained roguelike runs of 15 to 50 minutes.
Game Loop:
You start with the central tile, the Nexus. It consumes six resource types, with demand growing every game phase. Place hexagonal tiles to feed the Nexus through the six veins reaching out from it. Chain converter tiles, duplicate production tiles, gamble on high-risk, high-reward tiles and survive nine phases to beat the game.
Shop & Perks:
After every phase, you are presented with a shop where you can roll dice to buy tiles for the next phase. Hold and reroll dice to hit a perfect triplet and unlock an extra fourth die to break the economy. Don't like the current selection? Shuffle the available tiles and hunt for the specific tile combination. In Vena's shop, smart risks lead to massive rewards. Select one of three perks at the end of the shop to define your run's strategy.
In Vena, you can:
Try to break the game with crazy strategies and hunt for the perfect synergy.
Perfectly optimize your organism by reading statistics and refining flow and layout.
Get better every run — no two are the same, as every session forces you to adapt to new perks and tiles.
Progress deeply in seven distinct game modes and five difficulty tiers, making the game easy to pick up, but hard to fully master.
Relax while listening to the immersive sound design, composed with world instruments, and admire the detailed pixel art.
Simply build the perfect map without any goals in Sandbox mode, or aim to beat the toughest challenge.
Vena contains:
85+ rotatable hex tiles across 5 rarities (base, common, rare, mythic, legendary), each with unique mechanical effects and gorgeous pixel artwork.
92+ perks that allow you to break the rules, enable wild strategies or unlock powerful abilities.
20+ unlockable skins which are bound to achievements, earned by completing challenges and conquering high difficulties.
7 game modes and 5 difficulties.
Game Modes:
Standard: Carefully manage your resources and survive all nine phases to claim victory.
Sandbox: With infinite resources and no impending doom, experiment freely and build the perfect organism.
Compact: A shorter session with a small map and reduced base deck.
Star: Build on a unique star-shaped map that demands distinct planning and creative building styles.
Islands: Build across six isolated map pieces, utilizing portals to connect the network.
Spiral: Build along an Archimedes spiral emerging from the center, making it hard to create separate branches.
Daily: Experience a unique set of starting conditions that changes every day.
All game modes support an "Endless" mode, where you can continue building and see how far you can get.
One run can take from 15 to 50 minutes (or longer in endless mode). Expect around 100+ hours of gameplay to 100% complete the game.
Additional Features:
Accessibility options including reduced visual overload, a static background, configurable controls, and a hyperlegible font.
Localized in 14+ languages.
Highly optimized for smooth performance on older hardware.
Controller support.
Windows, Linux, macOS and Steam Deck support.
Solo Developer Project
Vena is a passion project created by a single developer. From the code and game design to the pixel art and soundtrack, every part of this game was built to provide a unique and polished experience. Thank you for supporting indie development!
System Requirements
Will my PC run this? →Minimum
- OS: 10
- Processor: Quad core 2Ghz+
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: DirectX 11 capable GPU with 1GB VRAM - GeForce GTX 750 Ti, Radeon R7 360 or Intel UHD Graphics 730
- Storage: 1 GB available space
- Additional Notes: Low resolution game (pixel art)
Supported Languages
Latest news
AnnouncementsOfficial
Vena takes part in the Best Indie Games Fall Showcase 2026
Hey everyone,I have good news to share about Vena! Mark your calendars for September 1st, because Vena was accepted for the Best Indie Games Fall Showcase 2026, where the official release date will be announced! It will premiere on Clemmy Games' Youtube channel.Behind the scenes, constant development hasn't stopped. As I gear up for the Steam Next Fest this October, here is a quick update on where things are at:I am in the final stages of polishing the game to make sure everything feels perfect for Steam Next Fest in October.Vena now officially supports multiple new language translations so even more players can jump in.Thank you all for your continued support, feedback, and wishlists. Feel free to join the Discord server for more updates. All the best, LeonhardRead full article on Community Announcements (loerting)AnnouncementsOfficial
Vena at the Deutsche Indie Showcase: New Trailer and Release Window Announced!
Hello everyone,The Deutsche Indie Showcase - Summer Game Fest Edition 2026 is kicking off right now, and I'm incredibly excited to finally share that Vena is part of the lineup.Every game selected for the showcase received the Deutsche Indie Showcase Choice Award, and it feels great to be able to display it alongside so many other brilliant indie projects. To celebrate the event, I have a few major updates to share with you all today.Brand New Trailer & Release WindowI am debuting a brand new trailer as part of the showcase! If you watch it until the end, you will see a pretty big milestone for me: Vena officially has a release window. The game will be coming out in Q4 2026. You can watch the new trailer right here on the Steam page.Demo Update I also wanted you to be able to jump right in and experience the progress I've been making. I just published an overhauled version of the Vena demo. I've added a bunch of new features, improved the gameplay, and spent a lot of time polishing the overall experience. You can download it right now, and I would love to hear what you think.The event is broadcasting right now. You can tune in here:English: Live on The Game Awards YouTube channel.German: Live on Gronkh's YouTube channel, with live reactions happening right now on Twitch by Gronkh and PhunkRoyal.Steam Event Page: Valve and the showcase team put together a special Steam Event page featuring all the participating games. Check out the Deutsche Indie Showcase Steam Event Here!Thank you for sticking with me and supporting the game's development. Enjoy the showcase, and have fun with the new demo! Leonhard, Solo Developer of VenaRead full article on Community Announcements (loerting)Patch NotesOfficial
Vena is part of the Strategems Event & Demo Update!
I am thrilled to announce that Vena is part of the Strategems 2026 festival!A huge thank you to the team behind the event for the opportunity to be featured alongside so many amazing strategy games. You can check out the event and grab some great games here:https://store.steampowered.com/curator/46073222/sale/strategems2026Demo UpdateTo celebrate, I’ve released a small demo update featuring a few things I’ve been working on:Better game-to-player communicationA stronger focus on clarity in the tutorialVarious bug fixes and game feel improvementsThe demo is already at version 104, which really shows how far the game has come since the start of development! I'd love to hear your feedback on this latest version.What's next?I'm not slowing down. I'm working daily to deliver the best possible experience for you! If you’re keeping an eye on the big summer gaming streams early next month, you might want to look closely...I can't spoil too much yet, but Vena will be participating in a massive upcoming event, accompanied by a brand-new trailer and a special announcement. Stay tuned!Thank you so much for playing, wishlisting, and supporting Vena!Read full article on Community Announcements (loerting)AnnouncementsOfficial
The Vena Demo is OUT NOW!
Hello everyone!The day has finally arrived. The Vena Demo is available to play right now!Releasing this demo is a huge milestone for me, and I wanted to take a moment to look back at how we got here. It’s been a crazy journey from a small game jam entry to a full Steam page, and I couldn't have done it without you.Back in September 2025, I entered Godot Wild Jam #85 with a simple idea for the theme "Expansion." I had 9 days to build something from scratch. That little prototype was called World of Vena, and it was just a small experiment in mixing city-building with automation and roguelike mechanics.To my surprise, the game really resonated with people! Winning that jam and seeing players enjoy the unique "bleached" art style and the resource-flow mechanics was the spark I needed. It made me realize that Vena had the potential to be something much bigger than just a jam game.This project has remained a solo development effort, but it definitely hasn't been a lonely one. I want to say a massive thank you to:The Godot Wild Jam Community: For the incredible support and for hosting the event that started it all.The itch.io Players: To everyone who played the early web builds, left comments, and reported bugs. Your feedback helped shape the core loop into what it is today.The Wishlisters: Thank you to everyone who has wishlisted the game here on Steam. It means the world to a solo indie dev and helps keep the momentum going.The demo is just a taste of what’s coming in the full release later this year. I’ve added new tiles, polished the mechanics, and expanded the strategy elements significantly since those early jam days.Please give the demo a try and let me know what you think! Your feedback is just as important now as it was back in September.Play Demo Thank you, Leonhard (loerting)Read full article on Community Announcements (loerting)Patch NotesOfficial
Hello from the Developer! Demo News & Progress Update
Hello everyone!I wanted to share a quick update on how Vena is progressing. Development has been moving fast, and I'm currently polishing the core gameplay loop to make everything feel satisfying. The demo release is getting closer, and localization is a milestone that is important for me to be completed beforehand.I also want to say welcome to my Asian audience! Vena has been getting coverage from Famitsu and gamer.com.tw, which introduced a lot of excited gamers to it. I will make sure to integrate the required language support in the game as well as possible. The game will support 13 languages, including:English, German, French, SpanishJapanese (日本語)Traditional & Simplified Chinese (繁體中文 / 简体中文)Korean (한국어)...and more!In the meantime, you can check out the "Vena - Indie Game" YouTube channel for official uncommented gameplay footage or exchange with other fans on the Discord server. Thank you so much for the wishlists and support. It means the world to a solo developer.- LeonhardRead full article on Community Announcements (loerting)
