The Witness remains Jonathan Blow's benchmark puzzle game, and its 39.99 dollar list price and launch sales are now the direct comparison point for Thekla's Order of the Sinking Star. Blow reported on October 16 that the new game's first-week Steam sales were 45 percent higher than The Witness's.
The Witness is the older of the two puzzle games Jonathan Blow's studio Thekla, Inc. is known for in these stories, and it has become the measuring stick for the studio's newest release. When Order of the Sinking Star launched on PC via Steam on October 9, 2026, coverage tied it back to The Witness at every step. The game was developed over about 10 years since The Witness, and Blow later said the new game's story is larger than those of Braid and The Witness.
The commercial comparison is the throughline. The Witness carries a 39.99 dollar list price, and Order of the Sinking Star costs 29.99 dollars, 25 percent lower. On October 16, 2026, Blow reported that Order of the Sinking Star's first-week Steam sales were 45 percent higher than The Witness's. He said he expects revenue to approach or eventually surpass The Witness. Earlier sales or review figures for The Witness itself do not appear in these stories, so the comparison rests on Blow's own disclosure.
The Witness also anchors Blow's working method. He has released three commercial games in roughly two decades, and he does not follow Braid or The Witness with a sequel. The Witness is one of the two titles the stories name as a reference point for Blow's design reputation, alongside Braid, and it is the one his new game is directly priced and sold against.
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Publisher Arc Games released Thekla's Order of the Sinking Star on PC via Steam on October 9. Jonathan Blow reported on October 16 that first-week Steam sales were 45 percent higher than The Witness's. The game costs 29.99 dollars, 25 percent below The Witness's 39.99 dollar list price. Blow spent about 10 years on the project and expects revenue to approach or eventually surpass The Witness.
Arc Games released Thekla's Order of the Sinking Star on PC via Steam on October 9, 2026, priced at 3,400 yen including tax. The game is directed by Jonathan Blow, known for Braid and The Witness, and was developed over about 10 years since The Witness. Steam user reviews exceeded 470 as of the time of writing, with 97 percent positive and a Very Positive rating. The game features more than 1,000 handcrafted puzzles across four worlds, each with its own mechanics, characters, and story. Players control characters on grid-divided stages, solving puzzles by moving objects and using abilities such as pushing, pulling, and teleporting. As the story progresses, worlds merge through a special area called the Gold Room, unlocking combined areas. The demo topped player numbers for single-player demos at Steam Next Fest in June. Japanese PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2 versions are scheduled for release by PLAYISM within 2026, with Japanese display and subtitles supported.
At ChinaJoy 2026, Jonathan Blow discussed his approach to game development and why he does not build sequels. His next game, Order of the Sinking Star, was announced at The Game Awards on December 11, 2025 and is due October 8, 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and Nintendo Switch. He also said its story is larger than those of Braid and The Witness.
The puzzle game Satelital launches on Steam on November 13, developed and published by solo developer Miguel Dorta. Players explore a solar system of six celestial bodies, one moon, one star, and four planets, each with its own rules, placing markers on boards and reading the reactions. There are over 120 puzzles, an estimated 4 to 6 hours of playtime, ambient music that reacts to player actions, and Japanese support. A demo with two areas, over 30 puzzles, and about an hour of playtime has been available since September 9, drawing 65 Steam user reviews, all positive.
PLAYISM will publish the Japanese console version of Order of the Sinking Star, the puzzle adventure from Thekla, Inc., the studio of Jonathan Blow. The game is scheduled for release within 2026 on Nintendo Switch 2 and PlayStation 5. The project has been in the works for roughly a decade, first shown as a prototype at the Reboot Develop 2017 developer event, and now carries more than 1,000 puzzles. Players explore four worlds, each with its own mechanics, characters, and story, in any order they choose, and can resume each puzzle stage from where they stopped. The playable cast includes a queen, a thief, a warrior, a sorcerer, and a talking ship, with abilities that differ by character. A playable demo is set for the PLAYISM booth at Tokyo Game Show 2026, which runs September 17 to 21 at Makuhari Messe. The PC version arrives October 9 through an overseas publisher.
Thekla announced on August 18, 2026, that Order of the Sinking Star, the new puzzle adventure by Jonathan Blow, will launch on October 8. The game, which has been in development for about ten years, will be available on PC via Steam, Nintendo Switch 2, and PS5. It features over 1,000 puzzles spread across four vast worlds, each with its own mechanics, characters, and story. Players control a queen exploring these worlds, while puzzle stages involve characters such as thieves, warriors, and mages, each with unique abilities. The thief can pull blocks or characters, the warrior can push them, and the mage can swap positions with a block or character. Puzzles incorporate dozens of mechanics that deepen as the game progresses, and some stages require all characters to stand on goal squares. As worlds intersect and characters meet, a mysterious story unfolds. A demo is currently available on Steam, and save data can carry over to the full version. The Steam version supports Japanese interface and subtitles. The game was first revealed as a prototype at Reboot Develop 2017.
Arc Games and Thekla extended the demo for Order of the Sinking Star until June 27 after it became one of the top demos at Steam Next Fest. The demo offers over 100 handcrafted puzzles and 110 levels across three worlds, with save transfer to the full version. The game launches on PC in 2026.