DANGEN Entertainment has announced that BONEREADER, a dark card game adventure set in a surreal version of purgatory, will launch on August 6, 2026, for PC via Steam, GOG, and itch.io.
The game will arrive alongside a digital artbook containing more than 40 pages of illustrations, developer commentary, and detailed looks at its cards, dice, items, characters, and endings.
Developed by the two-person studio Bonereaders, the game casts players as an executed prisoner whose soul awakens in an afterlife governed by gambling. Convinced that betrayal led to their death, the protagonist must defeat a succession of mysterious spirits, uncover the circumstances surrounding the execution, and earn another chance at life.
Matches combine deckbuilding with dice-based mechanics. Players assemble collections of supernatural cards, dice, and items, then look for combinations capable of generating increasingly high scores.
However, pushing for a better result also carries additional risk, making every roll a choice between securing progress and gambling everything for a more valuable outcome.
Each opponent introduces a different supernatural “house rule” that changes how the game is played. These conditions require players to adjust their decks and tactics rather than relying on the same strategy throughout the journey.
Victories can also provide new dice and abilities taken from defeated spirits, gradually expanding the options available in later encounters.
Beyond the card battles, BONEREADER includes narrative sequences that reveal the histories of its otherworldly opponents and offer clues about the protagonist’s past. Its psychedelic environments and unsettling character designs support a story in which justice remains uncertain, and redemption must be taken rather than granted.
The accompanying BONEREADER Digital Artbook will provide an expanded look at the game’s visual development, with commentary from creators Yakov Butuzov and Daria Vodyanaya. The duo previously worked on dark, story-driven titles including Loretta, Anoxia Station, and DOM RUSALOK. BONEREADER launches for PC via Steam on August 6.
