Key Points
Key Points
- Order of the Sinking Star launched October 8, 2026 for Switch 2, PS5, and PC at $29.99
- Jonathan Blow's puzzle adventure has 1,000+ handcrafted puzzles and multiple endings
- Critics call it the puzzle game of the generation with an 86 Metacritic score
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Puzzle fans have a new obsession. Order of the Sinking Star launched on October 8, 2026 for Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.
The game costs $29.99 and is Steam Deck-verified. It was published by Arc Games and developed by Thekla, Inc.
From the Creator of Braid and The Witness
This is the third game from Jonathan Blow, the designer behind Braid and The Witness. Both of those games are considered classics of the puzzle genre.
Order of the Sinking Star is a grid-based puzzle adventure. Players explore four worlds plus a shared Overworld hub. The game features more than 1,000 handcrafted puzzles and multiple endings.
Rave Reviews
Critics love it. The game holds a Metacritic score of 86 on PS5, 85 on Switch 2, and 83 on PC. OpenCritic shows an 84 percent recommendation rate with a user score of 8.5.
Several outlets gave it 9 out of 10. Reviewers called it “the puzzle game of the generation” and “the best puzzle game on PS5.”
Hundreds of Hours of Play
The game was originally planned as a 10 to 20 hour experience. But Blow estimates it will take around 500 hours for full completion.
Demo save data carries over to the full game. Launch bundles with Mewgenics or Animal Well save buyers 10 percent. For puzzle lovers, this is the must-play game of the season.
Blow’s Design Philosophy
Jonathan Blow is known for making puzzle games that respect the player’s intelligence. Braid played with time mechanics, while The Witness built an entire island of line puzzles.
He spends years perfecting his games. Order of the Sinking Star continues his tradition of deep, carefully crafted puzzle design that reveals its secrets slowly.
What Makes the Puzzles Special
The game features over 1,000 handcrafted puzzles. Each one is designed by hand, not generated by computer. This gives them a human touch that players can feel.
The four worlds each have their own visual style and puzzle ideas. The shared Overworld hub ties everything together and hides secrets for dedicated explorers.
A Genre Milestone
Puzzle games rarely get this kind of critical acclaim. By calling it “the puzzle game of the generation,” reviewers are placing it alongside classics of the genre.
At $29.99, it is also great value. With 500 hours of content for completionists, it offers more gameplay per dollar than almost anything else this year.
The game’s attention to detail extends to its sound design. Every puzzle solved brings a satisfying audio cue. It is the kind of polish that only comes from years of careful development.
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