REPLACED, the long awaiting 2.5D sci-fi adventure game with a neat pixel-art style has released a development update via IGN, and is now set to release in 2026.
Sad Cat Studio’s Game Director, Yura Zhdanovich filled fans in with the latest update, saying “Last year, we unveiled an extended gameplay look and were truly blown away by the positive response from the community. I have to admit, it was a little bit scary showing gameplay for the first time. But I’m sure you’re wondering, how far are we from completing the game? So let’s dive in.” He continued, “As you probably know, the game has seen a couple of delays. And even though we understand that it’s somewhat frustrating, we have always been trying to do what’s best for the project, which in turn meant doing everything to try bringing you a truly special experience. Right now, we’re really close to finishing production, swiftly going into testing and polishing of the game.“
He goes on to share that the every aspect of the game has been improved since the original announcement of REPLACED, and all of the environments we’ve seen previously have now had multiple upgrades, with the team aiming to increase the overall immersion and visual fidelity. The team’s goal is to take no shortcuts, with everything made in handcrafted pixel art.
The animation side of things has also seen massive improvements, and the team have created over 600 different animations just for the main protagonist alone, resulting in ‘several thousands of hand painted frames’.
Finally, Yura shared the most important piece of information for fans of all – when is the game coming? “This is the first time I’m addressing this in person, and that’s because I can finally say it with confidence. REPLACED will be released in Spring of 2026.“
(They just need a little more time for polish) The good news there will be a final trailer for the game later this year. Until then, fans will have to sit tight. REPLACED is releasing on PC and Xbox Series X|S and Xbox Game Pass.
Are you excited for REPLACED? Let us know in the comments below on our forums, or make some noise on the XboxEra Community Discord.
