Full release planned for December 1, 2026
Every map has a code: build yours, send it to a friend and play theirs. A hex-grid tower defense with 14 towers, a 16-mission campaign and a run mode with 40 relics.
The demo is free and includes the complete campaign. Wishlisting costs nothing.
Towers
14 · 4 tiers each
Campaign
16 missions
Demo
Free to play
Release
Dec 1, 2026
Trailer
Gateshock in motion
Towers, waves and bosses – this is what Gateshock looks like in battle.
What you play with
Towers, enemies and your ship
Bringing more of the same gun is rarely the answer. Here's what's inside:
14 towers, no filler
Every tower has four upgrade tiers and its own skill tree. The Ray burns through armor, the Boombox buffs its neighbours, the Outpost creates new building ground.
Enemies that punish builds
Fast swarms, armored units, phased enemies that go untouchable, splitters and bosses that drop loot worth the trouble.
Orbital support
Ten abilities called down from your ship: kinetic strikes, chain lightning, an orbital laser, gravity wells. Only three slots – what you bring decides what you leave behind.
40 relics
In runs, relics reshape the whole attempt: more lives for less damage, cheaper towers for slower income.
Progress across every mode
Ranks, materials and socket items carry you through campaign, runs and endless. Master keystones change how a tower behaves – not just how hard it hits.
Every map is a code
Paths, water, obstacles, building plates: the editor turns your whole map into one short code. Paste it, play it – no account, no upload.
Three modes and an editor
Game modes
A campaign to learn, runs to gamble, endless for the record – and an editor that turns any idea into a shareable map.
01
Campaign
16 hand-crafted missions across four planets: Overgroan, Toodry, DemRox and Shugaria. Each mission introduces a tower, an enemy or a mechanic and asks the same question: which tower answers this map? Admiral Peaches comes along – fully voiced, with opinions about your build.
- 16 missions on 4 planets
- Five lives – a leaked boss ends the mission
- Fully playable in the demo
02
Runs
Four acts on a branching node map. Pick your way through shops, events and elite fights and collect relics that reshape the whole run. Lives carry across the run – lose them and it's over.
- Four acts, branching map
- Shops, events and elite fights
- 40 relics
- In the full game
03
Endless
One map, waves without end. Choose planet and biome, build the strongest setup you can and chase a single number: your own record.
- Free choice of planet and biome
- Waves without end
- Your record as the target
- In the full game
04
Map editor
Draw paths, place water and obstacles and decide where towers can be built. Hit save and the whole map becomes a short block of text – paste it into a chat and someone else plays exactly your map. Procedurally generated maps are in there too.
- Paths, water, obstacles, building plates
- Share via map code
- Procedurally generated maps
- Included in the demo
Impressions
The current images from the Steam page.
Demo
The demo is the whole campaign
Not a slice: the free demo has all 16 missions – every planet, every tower, every boss – plus the map editor. What's held back for the full game is listed right next to it.
In the demo
- Complete 16-mission campaign
- Map editor with map codes
- Forge up to tier 3
- Custom maps up to wave 10
Held back for the full game
- Runs – the roguelite mode with 40 relics
- Endless mode
- Forge up to tier 6
- Custom maps without a wave cap
FAQ
When does Gateshock release?
The full game is planned for December 1, 2026 on Steam. The free demo has been available since September 12, 2026.
What's in the demo?
The complete campaign with all 16 missions and the map editor. Runs, endless mode, the Forge beyond tier 3 and custom maps past wave 10 come with the full game.
Which platforms does Gateshock run on?
Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit) via Steam. You need at least 4 GB of RAM and a DirectX 11 or Vulkan capable GPU with 4 GB VRAM.
How do I share my own map?
When you save, the map becomes a short code. Send it in a chat, the other person pastes it into their editor and plays exactly your map – no account, no server, no upload.
Which languages does the game support?
English and German – fully voiced, with interface and subtitles in both languages.
What does Gateshock cost?
The demo is free. The full game is a one-time purchase with no microtransactions; you'll see the price on Steam at release.
Hold the gate. Survive the wave. Repeat.
Play the complete campaign for free in the demo and add Gateshock to your wishlist – so you won't miss the release on December 1.
The demo is free and includes the complete campaign. Wishlisting costs nothing.