Underkeep News: Old-School Dungeon Crawler Launches on Steam to Strong First Impressions

Underkeep News: What Launched and When

The Underkeep news that dungeon-crawler fans have been waiting for arrived without much fanfare: Rake in Grass's grid-based RPG launched on PC through Steam and GOG on November 5, 2026, and the first hands-on write-up calls it the best game of its kind since Legend of Grimrock 2. If you grew up on The Bard's Tale, Dungeon Master, or Eye of the Beholder and want that structure back without the era's rough edges, this round of Underkeep news deserves a spot on your radar. Coverage published on November 6 describes interconnected dungeons, a bigger-than-expected overworld, and combat that is entirely turn-based.

Here is the release picture as reported in coverage dated November 5–6, 2026.

The release was picked up quickly by genre-focused outlets: RPG Codex's "Underkeep Released" notice sits under its Thursday, November 5, 2026 headline list, the same day the game went live.

Old-School Roots, Modern Manners

The reference points here are specific and early. Yahoo Tech's hands-on impressions place Underkeep firmly in the early 1990s — and even earlier — citing Wizardry, Dungeon Master, The Bard's Tale, and Eye of the Beholder as clear ancestors. The writer singles out Eye of the Beholder II: The Legend of Darkmoon as the closest visual and audio echo, to the point of recognizing a few cues.

That resemblance initially raised the "cheap knockoff" flag for the reviewer, who says the concern faded fast. Roughly four hours in, the impression was of a much larger game than expected: multiple dungeons connected both horizontally and vertically, and an overworld with more room than the early screenshots suggested. Notably, the writer had not yet reached the village of Underkeep itself — the place the title points to — which suggests a long runway before the supposed main event.

That matters for buyers weighing a purchase. Whatever else Underkeep news has delivered so far, the coverage points to scale rather than a short nostalgia trip.

Turn-Based Combat That Rewards Patience

The design decision that shapes everything else is the combat clock. Underkeep is fully turn-based, which removes the classic hit-and-step-back trick that carried players through decades of real-time grid crawlers. You can reposition, think, or walk away from the keyboard while an enemy is visible at a distance.

Once melee actually starts, the round locks in: every party member finishes their turn, then the enemies take theirs, and only after that can you run — likely with something chasing you — or commit to another round. The reviewer, who generally prefers real-time-with-pause for isometric RPGs, argues that turn-based is the right fit here.

Quality-of-life changes the genre needed

• Shared inventory split into categories, so swapping gear between party members is quick
• Detailed automapping that still allows freehand annotations
• Tools that activate automatically instead of eating an equipment slot

None of those features are flashy, but each one removes a friction point that made 1990s crawlers hard to return to.

Building a Party: Classes, Races, and Odd Combinations

Classes stay familiar — fighter, paladin, wizard, thief, and the rest of the standard kit. The races are where Underkeep gets strange, and it is the better for it.

Ravens are the standout mechanical hook. The reviewer's own raven mutated a healing buff called Roommate from the Void, complete with flavor text about something that moved into the character's body and never left, paying its rent in blood.

There are no restrictions on pairing races with classes. A stoneborn thief will probably struggle — no body armor and the agility of a freight truck — but the game lets you find that out yourself.

The Art Debate and Where to Follow Underkeep News

Any discussion of Underkeep news now includes an uncomfortable question: were the assets generated with AI? The reviewer admits the thought occurred immediately and notes that arguments are playing out on the Steam forums. The Steam store page carries no AI disclosure, and Rake in Grass has consistently denied using generative AI.

The developer's FAQ states that all artwork was hand-drawn by their artists, that style variation is natural because several artists contributed, and that visible pixel irregularities come from dynamic scaling used to simulate 3D perspective and smooth animation.

For updates, the game's Steam store page is the hub to watch, along with the Steam news feed where the "News from the Underkeep!" post is timestamped February 27, 2025 — evidence the developer was publishing updates well before launch. Whether Underkeep news brings patches, expansions, or mod support next is unconfirmed in the current coverage.

FAQ

When did Underkeep release? Underkeep launched on Steam on November 5, 2026, according to RPG Codex's release notice dated November 5, 2026 and Yahoo Tech's hands-on published November 6, 2026.

Is Underkeep turn-based? Yes. Combat is entirely turn-based. You move freely until melee begins, then the party and the enemies alternate full rounds, with the option to flee — and be chased — once a round ends.

Which races and classes can I play? Classes are the genre standard: fighter, paladin, wizard, thief, and similar. Races include humans, dwarves, elk, stoneborn, ravens, and slugmen, with no restrictions on combining the two.

Where should I look for future Underkeep news? The Steam store page and the game's Steam news feed are the primary channels, since that is where the developer has posted updates dating back to February 27, 2025.