Speed-climbing Horror Roguelite, White Knuckle Lands on Steam Early Access April 17th

Los Angeles, USA - March 26, 2025 — Five months after the reveal of White Knuckle at the 2024 Indie Horror Showcase, Dark Machine Games and DreadXP are ready to share that the first-person speed-climbing horror roguelite will be coming to Steam Early Access on April 17th! At the start of Early Access, players can explore the first three regions of SUB-STRUCTURE 17 as they climb to escape the horrors of the decrepit underground megacomplex in a variety of gameplay modes.

Trapped in the decaying depths of SUB-STRUCTURE 17, you take on the role of a lone climber attempting to ascend the subterranean compound using a combination of precise movement, quick reflexes, and resource management. Climb deteriorating walls, jump over dangerous gaps, dodge lethal traps, and avoid the malevolent creatures lurking in the shadows as an encroaching mass rises below you, ready to consume you should you lose your grip. As you climb, you’ll find various tools to aid your ascent, but carrying too much will leave you encumbered and that much more likely to fall. Pulling tools from your inventory will also require quick thinking as you’ll need the hands you’re climbing with to grab the items in your bag, and spending too long fumbling with them will surely lead to a deadly drop.

As you ascend SUB-STRUCTURE 17 you’ll encounter new and more dangerous environments, each with unique challenges and increasingly hostile enemies to face. Travel through the deep dry storage of the Silos, the putrid sewers of the Pipeworks, and the haunted piers of Habitation as you make your way up ten thousand meters of crumbling concrete in an attempt to reach freedom.

While falling is ill-advised, it’s also inevitable. Choose from unlockable augmentations during runs to improve a variety of traits to aid your ascent. Increasing stats like jump height, climb speed, and stamina will help your chances of escaping the depths of SUB-STRUCTURE 17.

White Knuckle launches into Steam Early Access on April 17th and to prepare for the upcoming launch, players can hone their climbing skills in the highly-acclaimed demo available on Steam.

For more information:

Wishlist on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3195790/White_Knuckle/

Visit the official White Knuckle website: https://whiteknuckle.net/

Follow DreadXP on X: https://twitter.com/DreadXPGames

Follow DreadXP on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dreadxpgames

Join the White Knuckle Discord: https://discord.gg/f2CqdmUSap

Join the DreadXP Discord: https://discord.gg/JTPfXdSFXq

Press kit: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1zThNT5RKHFk-QKrZqczSbIJ6kOGp7A5S

Dark Machine Games is a three-person development studio based in New Mexico. The trio has been involved in game development for years, but formed a studio in 2024 with the intent of developing unique, strange, and otherwise enigmatic experiences and titles.

After various prototypes and experiments, the team has landed on White Knuckle to be their first official game as a studio. They look forward to continuing to bring surreal content to players.

DreadXP is a leading independent horror games publisher. DreadXP’s goal is to seek out and publish great titles, and uplift members of the indie dev community. DreadXP releases include award-winning games such as The Mortuary Assistant, Sucker for Love: First Date, My Friendly Neighborhood, Dread Delusion, and the Dread X Collections, an anthology series of mini-horror games. DreadXP’s upcoming titles include Heartworm, White Knuckle, and Paranormal Activity. DreadXP is a sister company of the horror media website Dread Central, as well as the independent horror film production company, DREAD.

To learn more about DreadXP, please visit www.dreadxp.com.