Screenshots
Watch trailer on Steam ↗SHARDS
LUMICROFT · Published by LUMICROFT
Content notice: SHARDS is a horror game and contains frequent gore imagery. Its central element is a grotesque, realistically rendered living core — a caged anatomical heart that pulses, swells, bleeds, and finally bursts as the situation nears collapse, accompanied by blood and unsettling red horror visuals. This imagery is present throughout play and intensifies as you approach failure. SHARDS does NOT contain sexual content, nudity, sexual violence, depictions of drug or alcohol abuse, or self-harm, and there is no real-world or human-on-human violence. Intense red effects can be reduced or turned off (photosensitivity option).
Last updated 29 Sept 2026
An asymmetric co-op horror puzzle for 2–4 (best as a duo). One works the board, the rest hold the rules — you never see each other's screen, only your voices connect. The symbols you must describe have no names. Convey them before the caged core collapses. Miscommunication is fatal.
About this game
You and your partner are looking at different screens. One of you is the Operator, working the board; the other is the Guide, who holds only the rules. You can never see each other's screen — your voices are the only link. It plays best as a duo, but scales up to four — adding the Suppressor and the Decoder — while any number of others can join as listeners.
But the symbols you must convey have no names. Not a triangle, not a circle — alien marks that resist words. You'll have to invent your own language with your partner, fast.
At the center, a caged core is pulsing. Every mistake swells it redder, closer to collapse. Let it collapse, and the core breaks free of its cage.
Roguelike runs, never the same twice. Solve a stream of "anomalies" — symbol locks, ciphers, sequence locks — with your voice alone. The difficulty doesn't come from more; it comes from how hard it is to communicate clearly. A tense co-op horror puzzle, built for streams.
Key Features
- Voice-only asymmetric co-op: separate screens, different information.
- Nameless symbols you can barely describe — invent your own words for them.
- A collapse on the clock: the caged core swells red and finally breaks loose.
- Roguelike anomalies: symbol locks, ciphers, sequence locks, and more.
- Difficulty by communication, not count.
- Built for streams: panic, miscommunication, last-second tension. Spectator / viewer-join supported — unlimited listeners.
- Online co-op for 2–4, best as a duo (roles: Operator, Guide, Suppressor, Decoder; join code), plus solo practice & tutorial.
System Requirements
Will my PC run this? →Minimum
- OS: Windows 10 (64-bit)
- Processor: Intel Core i3 / AMD equivalent (dual-core 2.4 GHz)
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: DirectX 11 capable GPU, 1 GB VRAM (Intel HD Graphics 4000 or equivalent)
- DirectX: Version 11
- Network: Broadband Internet connection
- Storage: 1 GB available space
- Additional Notes: Online co-op requires an internet connection. Voice chat (Discord/Steam) strongly recommended. Includes solo practice & tutorial.
Recommended
- OS: Windows 10/11 (64-bit)
- Processor: Intel Core i5 (quad-core) / AMD equivalent
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: Dedicated GPU, 2 GB VRAM (NVIDIA GTX 1050 or equivalent)
- DirectX: Version 11
- Network: Broadband Internet connection
- Storage: 1 MB available space
- Additional Notes: Online co-op requires an internet connection. Voice chat (Discord/Steam) strongly recommended. Includes solo practice & tutorial.
Supported Languages
Latest news
Patch NotesOfficial
SHARDS Demo — big update: now much easier to learn
The SHARDS demo just got a big update — it's much easier to learn. Huge thanks to everyone (and the streamers!) who played the demo and shared feedback. The #1 thing we heard was "it takes a while to click." So we rebuilt onboarding. What's new See the correct answer when you slip up. Get a puzzle wrong and the demo now highlights the right button for the Operator and the exact rule/cell the Guide should read — wrong options dim out, so the "aha" is instant. In the tutorial and First-Timer Co-op it pauses on a Retry button so you can study it before continuing. Clearer guidance. The yellow frame now clearly means "the button to describe — not your own pick," instruction text was reworded throughout, and tutorials start at a clearer difficulty. Smoother First-Timer Co-op. Trimmed extra UI so newcomers can focus on talking to each other. Localization polish across all supported languages. How it plays SHARDS is a no-language, asymmetric co-op horror puzzle for 2 (best as a duo). You never see each other's screen — only your voices connect you. Describe nameless symbols and solve the locks before the caged core collapses. Voice chat recommended — grab a friend. Like it? Wishlist! If the demo clicks for you, add SHARDS to your wishlist — it's the biggest way to help us, and you'll be notified the moment the full game launches. Find teammates on Discord: discord.gg/RESVq4FXf See you in the dark. — The LUMICROFT teamRead full article on Community Announcements (LUMICROFT)AnnouncementsOfficial
The SHARDS Demo is out now — play it free!
The SHARDS Demo is out now — free. You can finally play SHARDS. Grab the demo from this page, bring a friend, and see if you can describe the indescribable. What's in the demo The free demo includes the first 3 sectors plus Free Play (Lv1–2). The full game adds all 20 sectors, every difficulty, extra modes (Stage Mode and the "Descent" roguelite), online co-op for up to 4 with extra roles (Suppressor, Decoder), and more. How it plays SHARDS is a no-language, asymmetric co-op horror puzzle for 2 players (best as a duo). You never see each other's screen — only your voices connect you. Describe nameless symbols and solve the puzzles before the caged core collapses. Miscommunication is fatal. Voice chat recommended — grab a friend. Like it? Wishlist! If you enjoy the demo, add SHARDS to your wishlist — it's the single biggest way to help us, and you'll be notified the moment the full game launches. Join the community Find teammates and tell us what you think on Discord: discord.gg/RESVq4FXf See you in the dark. — The LUMICROFT teamRead full article on Community Announcements (LUMICROFT)AnnouncementsOfficial
SHARDS is now on Steam — Wishlist now!
Describe the indescribable. The SHARDS Steam page is live — and you can wishlist it right now. We're a small studio, LUMICROFT, and this is the game we've been quietly building. Thanks for being here early. What is SHARDS? A no-language, asymmetric co-op horror puzzle for 2–4 players (best as a duo). You and your partner look at different screens and can never see each other's — only your voices connect you. Voice-only, asymmetric co-op — separate screens, different information. Nameless symbols you can barely describe — invent your own language, fast. A caged core pulses at the center; every mistake swells it redder, closer to collapse. Roguelike anomalies — symbol locks, ciphers, sequence locks, and more. Built for streams — panic, miscommunication, last-second tension. Spectators welcome. Miscommunication is fatal. Convey the symbols before the core breaks free of its cage. Wishlist now Wishlisting is the single biggest way to help us — it tells Steam to show SHARDS to more players, and you'll be notified the moment we launch. Add SHARDS to your wishlist today. Launching soon at $9.99, with a 10% launch discount. Join us on Discord Come say hi, find teammates, and follow development: discord.gg/RESVq4FXf See you in the dark. — The LUMICROFT teamRead full article on Community Announcements (LUMICROFT)
