If you’ve ever looked at a messy crime scene in a movie and thought, “I could tidy that up with a bit of logic,” your dream job (or nightmare) has arrived. Numskull Games and indie developer Smitner Studio have officially announced that their dystopian pixel-art puzzler, Hazard Pay, is set to launch in June 2026.

The game will be bringing its unique brand of grim, block-pushing cleanup to PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam.

The Mission: Silence is Golden

Set in 1982 within a secretive research facility of an authoritarian Cold War-era state, Hazard Pay puts you in the boots of a government cleanup specialist. After a catastrophic containment breach at the Institut für Proteintherapie (IPT), you aren’t there to save lives—you’re there to erase the evidence.

Your objectives are chillingly simple:

Mop the floors: Literally. Scrub away blood trails before they attract unwanted attention.

Destroy the ? Use chemical barrels and environmental hazards to dispose of… let’s just call them “assets.”

Hide the truth: Gather scattered documents and restore a semblance of order so the public never knows what happened.

Survival Horror Meets Sokoban

While the core gameplay utilises classic “block-pushing” (Sokoban) mechanics, Hazard Pay adds a layer of tension by introducing survival horror elements. You aren’t alone in these labs. You’ll have to outsmart terrifying biological failures like:

PRS-86: A blind predator that tracks the scent of blood with lethal precision.

The Collector: An evolving organism that has outgrown its creators’ control.

“The mission seems simple: destroy evidence, restore order, and collect your hazard pay. But inside the facility, the truth behind the experiments quickly begins to surface.” — Smitner Studio

Key Features to Look Out For

Handcrafted Puzzles: Intricate, compact levels that require precise planning. One wrong move could see you dissolved in acid.

Branching Narratives: Your choices matter. Will you remain an obedient tool of the state, or will you risk your life to expose the facility’s crimes?

Atmospheric Pixel Art: A dark, 1980s-inspired aesthetic that captures the bleakness of a decaying research complex.

Global Leaderboards: For the competitive cleaners out there, every move is tracked. Aim for the perfect run to top the rankings.

Play the Demo Today

Can’t wait until 2026 to start your shift? A playable demo is currently available on Steam, featuring 16 handcrafted levels to give you a taste of the hazardous work ahead.

The full game launches this June, promising a tense blend of stealth, strategy, and moral dilemmas. Just remember: if you die on the job, the government already has your replacement waiting.

Find out more here – https://numskullgames.com/game/hazard-pay/

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