- Dreadwinter Devlog - August 2026 - 24 August 2026
WelcomeHey there, welcome to this month's Dreadwinter devlog! ːespressoːIn this edition, there's updates on what I've added to the game, like fleshing out the regular customer storylines, more seasonal events, and some new unlockables.I'll also go over some plans for release as November approaches, which may end up being early access(!), more on that below.Let's get started! ːsteamhappyːRegular Customer StorylinesSo the bulk on what I've been working on this month is the regular customer encounters, and their individual storylines. As you'd expect, it's mostly dialogue, so there isn't too much I can show off, but there are special cutscenes that will play out as you progress through the game.Over time, your regulars will meet, and your community will start to take shape. Certain encounters will require you to have reached a certain level with your other regulars, so don't neglect them!P…
- Dreadwinter - July 2026 Devlog - 27 July 2026
WelcomeHey there, welcome to another Dreadwinter devlog! ːsteamhappyːWe've got new content in all sorts of places, so let's get right into it! ːluvːMerryAutumn Coffee HouseYou can now visit the MerryAutumn Coffee House!MerryAutumn is the world's leading producer of coffee beans and coffee machines, and their café isn't anything to scoff at as well!When you visit, you can buy Little D-Mons, which if you remember, help you brew and serve coffee, as well as the Espresso bar, which can let you develop your espresso into lattes, cappuccinos, and more!On wednesday evenings, there's a rogue D-Mon selling MerryAutumn coffee beans in limited amounts, but if you visit MerryAutumn, you'll be able to buy as much as you want!You can also acquire the MerryAutumn café theme for yourself!MerryAutumn is located in Neo Solara, which you can travel to by taking the Sky Train in Lunara, once you've purchas…
- Dreadwinter Devlog - June 2026 - 25 June 2026
WelcomeHey there, welcome to this month's Dreadwinter devlog! This month was more content heavy, with additional furniture and decoration options, a new dungeon, and another seasonal event. Let's go over the highlights! ːsteamhappyːEven More Café Customisation!I've added furniture themes to Dreadwinter! I mentioned this in the last devlog, but while you could change the flooring and wallpaper in the café, some of the permanent fixtures, such as the bar area, would stay the same, which caused some colour clashes, and didn't really look good.Now, you can apply matching themes to the cafe, which will change the colour of the bar, as well as other parts of the cafe, like the kitchen. When decorating the cafe, there is now a third tab in the painting section, where you can apply themes separately! Themes are automatically acquired when you buy a wallpaper, though not all wallpapers will have…
- Dreadwinter Devlog - May 2026 - 22 May 2026
WelcomeHey there, it's that time of month again, it's another Dreadwinter update! ːluvːAs we enter the later stages of development, there aren't too many big features being added in at this point, so sometimes it gets hard to find things to talk about, since a lot of it will either be spoilers, or tiny things you won't notice. That being said, there's always things I want to show off, so let's go over some of them! Approximate Release DateIf you've checked the store page recently, the release date has been changed to Q4 2026! I'm aiming to be able to release in late October-November, which is around 6 months away at the time of writing this. It feels both like it's a long way away, but there also isn't much time left to finish the game, it's a weird feeling. ːsteamsadːHopefully there's enough time, and I can stay focused for the next 6 months, so let's put that as the target for now!Cus…
- Dreadwinter Devlog - April 2026 - 27 April 2026
WelcomeHey there, welcome to this month's Dreadwinter devlog!There was quite a lot of work going on outside of development this month, so progress was a little bit slower. Still, there are a lot of little things that have been added to the game, and many changes behind the scenes, so I'll go over the highlights! ːsteamhappyːAlso, Dreadwinter is part of the 2026 Wholesome Kitchen Event, which as you might guess, showcases a load of games focused around cooking, kitchens, and anything culinary related (like coffee!). It runs until May 11, and there's plenty of discounts going on during the event!MapI've added a map into the game! You can hover over most locations, (such as Dreadwinter, the observatory, or Gelado & Co.) to see who's in the area. Hopefully, this makes it easier to find people, and navigate around. I had a lot of fun making this, since I never really took the time to look at…
- Dreadwinter Devlog - March 2026 - 27 March 2026
WelcomeHey there! It's time for this month's devlog. ːsteamhappyːThis month was a little slower, as it turns out there were (and still are) quite a few bugs bundled with the updated demo. Most of them have been fixed, but the battle continues.Apart from that, I've added some new content to the game, and made some existing stuff playable, so let's go over it! ːespressoːGetting to know your regularsA core part of the game is building up a community of regular customers, who may do favours for you as you bond with them over time. If you've played the demo, you may have met them already, and in the full game, you'll need to fulfil specific requests for them, by serving them the drink that they've ordered.This could be a specific drink, or they may let you decide, and instead ask for a drink with (or without) a specific taste. After you've fulfilled enough requests, you should have an idea o…
- Dreadwinter - Demo Patch Notes (March 2026) - 2 March 2026
WelcomeHey! I've just released an update to the Dreadwinter demo! There's a lot of gameplay and Quality of Life updates, as well as some new content. I would highly recommend making a new save if you've played before, as the save file has changed a lot since the last update.If you'd like to see a more detailed explanation of the changes made, and the rationale behind them, I'd recommend checking out the monthly devlogs I've been releasing!With that being said, let's get into the patch notes! ːsteamhappyːHotfixes (As of 3/4/26)Fixed an incorrect setting when starting the game for the first time, causing it to crash (!!!)Fixed clothes on zombie customers and interaction highlights not appearingCutscenes in the cafe that trigger at night also trigger in the early morning (12am - 5am)Drinks no longer sell for 0 LsFixed some character schedules that were not being carried outFixed a bug that…
- Dreadwinter - February 2026 Devlog - 20 February 2026
Whose home do you think this is?WelcomeHello, and welcome to this month's development update! This month focused on improvements and changes to gameplay mechanics, as well as adding more content to the game. It's been a bit of a blur lately, with updates being made all over the place, so I'll try to keep it coherent ːsteamhappyːLittle D-MonsFirst up, I've introduced Little D-Mons to the cafe. They're small mechanical demons that can carry out tasks for you! They first made their appearance in the coffee farm, which you won't have had access to yet, and I've added the ability to place Server-Mons and Barista-Mons to help you serve customers.Server-Mon, as the name suggests, will serve drinks to customers, but you have to make the drinks first. Once you've made a drink, hand it to a Server-Mon, and they will deliver it to whoever ordered the drink.Barista-Mon is a little more advanced, as…
- Dreadwinter - January 2026 Devlog - 22 January 2026
WelcomeHello! It's a bit late, but happy new year! I hope the year has started off well! ːsteamhappyːThis month has been rather busy, with a lot of behind the scenes changes, but there are some new additions to the game as well. Let's go over them!Book ShopThere's a new store in town! As you progress through the game, you'll unlock the ability to turn your coffee into new drinks! You'll need to acquire recipes in order to make them, so there needs to be a place you can buy them from.As you might guess, you can also buy gifts that you can give to others! These will be available in a weekly rotation, so you shouldn't have too much trouble buying them.The book store won't be open for business at the start of the game, but once you have a need for some recipe books, you'll find that it's conveniently opened up..BathYou can now relax in the bathhouse, which is part of Lin Fei's Diner!The bat…
- Dreadwinter - December 2025 Devlog - 22 December 2025
WelcomeHey there! Hope you're enjoying the festive season! Here's this month's update on the development of Dreadwinter. There's a lot of things added to the game, and some festive stuff too!CharactersAll of the key characters in Lunara, the main town, have been added to the game! These are the people you'll be seeing as you go about your daily life, and there's quite a lot of them now!The Taikoji family is a set of characters I'm quite proud of ːsteamhappyːThere are some additional characters I would like to add later on, and I think there are some improvements to be made to some of the older characters, but the important part of having them in the game is done.Cafe ExpansionsYou can now build expansions in Dreadwinter! The expansions were already added to the game, but there wasn't a way to actually unlock them, until now.There are currently 4 expansions you can add, with those being:…
- Dreadwinter is in Midwinter Spirits + Development Update - 1 December 2025
Hey there! This is just a quick post to say that Dreadwinter is in Midwinter Spirits! It's a week long event showcasing loads of games and demos, with a spooky, cozy theme!I'll be releasing a more detailed update later this month, but here's a short summary of what I'm planning to work on this month:Cafe Expansions - open up the top floor, expand outwards, set up a kitchen, and an animal sanctuary!Manual Saves - Save (almost) any time and start from where you left offMore townspeople - All of the characters you can meet in Lunara will be added to the game. They will also have unique interactions with each other that will randomly occur!That's it for now! Check out the event, and thanks for reading!-Alex
- Dreadwinter - November 2025 Devlog - 18 November 2025
Welcome Hey! It's that time again, another Dreadwinter development update! There's quite a lot of small changes added to the game, alongside working on filling out the rest of the game's content, so let's go through it all.Demo UpdatesI recently released another update to the Dreadwinter demo, it's mostly bugfixes, but there's a few little things I added as well! Here's some mini patch notes:Gameplay updates:Move speed increased by around 25%Added sprinting (hold Shift)This is mouse and keyboard only right now, but the next update will add it for controllersYou can buy a special coffee bean from the merchant on Wednesday eveningsThis was already in the game, but the shop option was bugged (sorry!)You can now read books in the libraryThere's only one right now, but I'll be adding more over timeThe library is located inside the observatoryOn November 18, there was a brief period where the…
- Dreadwinter - October 2025 Devlog - 22 October 2025
WelcomeHey! Welcome to another Dreadwinter blog, this time around it's the spooky edition (not that anything changes). There's a few things that happened that I want to talk about, and I'll also elaborate more on what the next steps are in the game's development, so stick around!Steam Next FestDreadwinter was part of this years October Steam Next Fest! It's a week long event made to showcase upcoming games and demos, and is very useful for getting eyes on your game. There have been a lot of people playing the demo, and putting Dreadwinter on their wishlist! Thanks for playing, and/or wishlisting. The demo will still be around, and will get updates when available, so keep an eye out!Bugs and ImprovementsI think one thing that needs to be improved is guiding the player at the start of the game. There were a few comments that players weren't sure what to do or where to go. I wanted to give…
- Dreadwinter - September 2025 Development Update - 6 October 2025
WelcomeHello! Welcome to another Dreadwinter development update! This one is a bit late, since there's been a lot going on, but none of it is particularly interesting. Here's a quick summary of what's been going on!BugfixesThe majority of what I've been working on in the past month has been bugfixes. The demo released with quite a few bugs, some even causing crashes, which needed to be urgently fixed. There's still some I'm working on fixing, and there are probably more to be found. Any feedback is appreciated, so give the demo a go!Here's some notable and funny bugs that have been fixed:The auto brewer didn't use any coffee grounds, which meant you could create infinite coffeesThe auto brewer did not load when starting the game, instead being replaced by a regular brewerThe D-Mon merchant that appears on Wednesday nights would freeze the game if you chatted to itDread & Winter would oc…
- The Dreadwinter Demo is now available to play! - 15 August 2025
Hey there! The Dreadwinter Demo is now available to play!FeaturesThe demo has the following features:Play the first 7 days of the game - equivalent to around 2-3 hours of gameplayBrew coffee, mix your own blend of coffee beans, and add additional ingredients to make unique drinks!Day and night shifts - serve ordinary humans during the day, and the supernatural at night!Customize your café! - Add furniture, change the flooring and wallpapers, and adopt a pet!Meet 6 of your regular customers, who will visit the cafe weekly in the full game!Fast-paced, turn-based combat using magical cards!Explore a charming, timeless town and get to know the people thereI hope you enjoy the demo!-Alex
- Dreadwinter Demo - Releasing August 15 2025! - 1 August 2025
WelcomeHi there, welcome to another Dreadwinter update! This is a quick, but important one, so make sure to read on!Demo Release DateFirst of all, the demo will be (re-)releasing on Friday, 15th August 2025! There's been a lot of updates since the last one, and it should be a much better taste of what the game will be like. It's not 100% perfect, but it's in a state that I'm happy to show off! I felt like if I kept trying to perfect every last detail and add things, you'd probably be waiting for another year, so I really should just release it.I'm currently working on updating the store page; adding new screenshots, updating the graphical assets and making a new trailer. There's also a bunch of small things to take care of in the game, and making sure it doesn't immediately break.FeaturesThe demo has the following features:Playable for 7-days of in-game time, which is about 2-3 hours of…
- Dreadwinter - June 2025 Development Update - 24 June 2025
WelcomeHi, welcome to this month's dev blog! This was quite a busy month, with a lot of content added, as well as some under the hood stuff, so I'm going to give a quick overview on some of the changes.Regular customersOne of the main features of Dreadwinter is its regular customers. These are special NPCs that will visit every week, and bonding with them can provide alternative methods to progress the game. Initially, I only had 2 added into the game, so I've been working on creating the rest of them.For example, you have Peabody, a dwarf, builder and owner of a construction company. After you build up your relationship enough with her, she may offer to expand the café for free, rather than you having to pay someone to do it.Regular customers have a different relationship system from the townspeople, as it's influenced by serving them drinks they like, which you'll have to experiment w…
- Dreadwinter - May 2025 Development Update - 5 May 2025
Welcome Hey there! It's been a while since I've posted an update here, but I've finally gotten some time to give another one. There's been a lot of things added, but here are some highlights! Updates to the combat system I've changed the combat system in Dreadwinter, from a hack and slash dungeon crawler, to a turn-based card battler. I wasn't happy with how the previous system played, and I didn't enjoy working on it. Rather than work on something I didn't like, and end up with something that wasn't great, I thought it would be better to change it to something I actually enjoyed working on. If you're interested in how it works, check out my blog post or my youtube devlog. Outside of that, you're still exploring dungeons like before, but now you can buy packs from Blunder Muffin, the local hobby store, to acquire new cards and upgrade your deck! Game intros One thing I've been meaning t…
- Dreadwinter - February 2025 Development Update - 7 February 2025
Welcome Hey there! Thanks for taking the time to check out this blog post. If you're not caught up on what's been going on, I'd recommend watching my video devlogs on my Youtube channel to get an idea of what I've been doing so far. January Progress So the main goal for January was to add a new town into Dreadwinter, known as Neo Solara. It's the financial capital of Lindengard, the country that Dreadwinter takes place in, and is the complete opposite of Lunara, where you live and work. Lunara is a small, cozy village that's beginning to transition into the modern age, while Neo Solara entered the modern age a long time ago. My inspiration was big cities like London and New York, where you're surrounded by skyscrapers and massive buildings. You can travel there from Lunara by taking the Sky Train, a train that travels in the sky! It's rather expensive, so you'll need to save for a while…
- Dreadwinter Devlog - January 2025 - 2 January 2025
Hello! It's been a long while since my last devlog, my goal for this year is to give more frequent updates, alongside working on Dreadwinter. Anyhow, there's been a lot of progress since the last update, and I think the game has come a long way from when I started working on it 2 years ago. I'll go over a few highlights, and outline my plans for this year. I've updated a lot of the graphics, since a good chunk of it was made a long time ago. There's still quite a bit to do, but I'm happy with the direction it's going in! I've also started working on seasonal designs for the world. Currently, spring, summer and autumn are complete, but winter is still a work in progress. There will be plenty of seasonal events alongside it as well! There are also a load of new areas in the works! Gameplay wise, I've added an espresso minigame, which is a separate experience from making coffee. It's a mor…
