Studio Chahut has revealed Dog in the Machine, a tactical roguelite published by Goblinz Publishing and planned for release on PC in Q3 2026.
The game follows an AutoDog trying to escape a dystopian mecha city and make its way back to the humans who were forced into exile. Every encounter plays out on a compact grid packed with moving parts, hazards, enemies, and tools that can turn one good move into a full battlefield collapse.
The main idea behind Dog in the Machine is the domino effect. Each combat arena is built around reactive elements, including conveyor belts, buttons, traps, explosive obstacles, and enemy guardians that can be pushed, redirected, or caught in chain reactions.
Obviously, the first game that comes to mind is Into the Breach, but with angry robot dogs even if it adds its own layer through custom abilities and roguelite progression.
After each battle, the AutoDog learns a new Trick. These Tricks are not fixed upgrades, but players can combine two attacks to create a new ability, which gives the run a deckbuilding style rhythm.
The official page describes this as dual-layered deckbuilding, as players can draft tools, then reshape them into something more specific to their plan. One run might focus on pushing enemies into traps. Another could lean on explosive setups, forced movement, or grid manipulation.
One of the smartest features is the real-time preview timeline. Before committing to an instruction sequence, players can see how their planned actions will unfold.
A free demo is already available on Steam. In the demo, players control Cookie, the first of the game’s three dogs, and explore two districts of Automatown while fighting through enemy waves and facing two bosses.
Dog in the Machine is currently listed as a Q3 2026 release via Steam. Below the announcement trailer.
