Interesting Steam games seemingly appear every day lately. Whether players are searching for a new soulslike, a silly friendslop game to play with their friends, or a Vampire Survivors-like experience, Valve’s storefront has them covered. And it’s that final category that is especially busy as of late, with many indie developers taking inspiration from poncle’s hit roguelike in the years since its 2022 debut. While fans wait for the proper spin-off game Vampire Crawlers to release later this year, they have plenty of unofficial successors that try to remember the tenets of Survivors: easy-to-learn gameplay, satisfying progression, and massive build freedom. These are some of the elements that will be present in a game called Erosion, but it has more to offer.
Taking heavy inspiration from just Vampire Survivors would be a surefire way to create a good game, but Erosion developer Plot Twist seems to have been inspired by Arkane Lyon’s Deathloop as well. The 2021 release shines for its titular concept, which sees likable characters like Colt trapped in a cycle where they repeat the same day endlessly. To break the loop, players have to kill eight targets in the same day, something that requires learning patterns, devising strategies to be efficient and kill multiple targets at once, and learning every detail of the world. Erosion may be taking its time manipulation in a different direction — only the main character remains the same after death, with the rest of the world thrown forward a decade — but it’s shaping up to be a defining feature of the Steam title.
According to Erosion’s Steam Page, the game is set to launch in Q2 2026. Players can sign up for a playtest if they’re interested.
Erosion Features at a Glance
- SHOOT your way through hordes of cultists, outlaws, and other enemies. Boss fights are also present, and are based off classic arcade games, from dancing titles to snake.
- RESCUE your daughter from a villainous warlord, with potential for better story endings depending on how often you die.
- MAKE decisions that can pay off down the road, like helping a shop owner who later builds an empire and owes you a favor.
- EXPLORE procedural dungeons and a handcrafted, roguelike open-world that changes drastically after every death.
- BUILD your character with dozens of weapons and over 100 skills.
- RIDE a vehicle through the wasteland and race trucks through the salt flats.
- ENJOY side activities like bounty hunting, poker, gambling, sand fishing, and duels.
- DESTROY the environment, with physics mechanics allowing players to tear up cover and demolish buildings.
