- SquarePlay Games is launching a new Demo Tomorrow! - 5 March 2026
Hi All,Tomorrow myself and Sarah are launching a demo for our upcoming game Monk Took Book. What is that? It's a game about organizing, stacking and remembering where you put hundreds of books in a cozy-creepy medieval library. You can play solo or with up to three fellow monks.It's not a management game, but we made it with the same love we did Overcrowd, and I think some of you may like it though its a bit more casual. If we can survive as a micro-studio, we haven't ruled out returning to some past games or making "spiritual successors".Below is some of the key art, and link to our developer profile which has a link to see the new trailer.SquarePlay Developer ProfileOr you can click though here: Developer Profile. If you give it a wishlist, you will get notified when the demo launches.Thanks again everyone for your support!Al and Sarah (SquarePlay Games)
- Developer profile update - 31 October 2025
Hi everyone,We're coming up to 5 years since Overcrowd went full release, and 6 since Early Access. How time files! I wanted to drop a quick note to let you know we have updated our Steam developer profile. This is the hub on Steam that shows what games me and Sarah (SquarePlay Games) have made, but also what games we will be working on in the future.As a small indie studio its not always the easiest to gain an audience, to put it mildly, and we'd love to take you with us on our gamedev journey. Personally, I tend to enjoy making a variety of game types, but there is always a chance we will return to a genre, or make a spiritual successor or even sequel to one of our games.So if you're interested to see what's next, click through here and have a look, and consider following us there!Al and Sarah (SquarePlay Games) Discord: https://discord.com/invite/squareplaygamesThanks!
- We're making a new game called Monk Took Book - 19 September 2025
Hi everyone,I wanted to let you know that we're making a new game called Monk Took Book! Check it out and maybe give us a wishlist here:
- Revealed🪐Space Trash Scavenger🪐Available to wishlist now!💥 - 4 December 2021
We're excited to announce that our next game, Space Trash Scavenger, is available to wishlist now. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1759350/
- Anniversary update! And what we're doing next... - 5 October 2021
Hi everyone, One year ago today we released Overcrowd: A Commute 'Em Up on Steam, after nearly 1.5 years in early access. Since then we've been blown away by the great feedback and support we have had from the community. Overcrowd was an absolute passion project: when we started, Sarah and I had no experience in making games or pixel art, we just had an idea and a dream. We faced some big challenges along the way, but over five years later, we're proud that we managed to finish and publish our first game by ourselves. Thanks to everyone who helped, especially all you beta testers, everyone who took the time to file a bug report, and everyone who left us a review - always a massive help, especially for a small micro studio like ours. Hue knew? To mark the day, I decided to add a free update that gives you the ability to select new train colours. This has always been a popular request, so…
- Bugs fixes and tweaks: Build 1.1.0 is live - 26 April 2021
Hi all, Build 1.1.0 is live. I continue to check in and fix up any remaining issues I can that you have reported. I'm keen to have the game in as best a state as I can going forward. So if you have an issue, please just use the bug form (also linked in game), leave a comment on the Steam bug forum, or drop me line at [email protected] and I will look into it. So what we have got in build 1.1.0? Lets take a look. Build 1.1.0 -Fixes rare issue causing some saves to crash on loading, due to rats being saved out of bounds. Previously damaged saves should now open. -Prevent rare crash when selling multi-celled shops with a corrupted/missing cell that occured during save. -Wall and floor tile depths correctly update after selling a shop. Removes slight graphical glitch with floors running over the base of walls, evident until you rotated or built more floor. -Do not ever set track or…
- Build 1.0.42 live - 5 March 2021
Hi all, Thanks to everyone for taking the time to file issues you have come across in Overcrowd in recent months. This build fixes all known crashes and few remaining serious bugs I am aware of that have been filed for the game. Regular readers will notice I have taken a bit of a step back from the frequent updates of the last 1-2 years during early access and post release. After over five years working solely on Overcrowd, I have needed a little time out from the project before returning to make these tweaks. This has meant a slightly longer wait for the fixes than the daily/weekly dev cycle of last year. I hope you can understand. On the whole I'm super happy with the stability of the game, as there seem really very few issues and those I have encountered seem very rare edge cases. Those few that remain are not game breaking, so therefore I am happy with the state the game is in. I'm…
- Build 1.0.41 - 10 January 2021
Setting beta branch changes lives along with additional fixes. Thanks for those filing bugs using the bug form, a big help. Build 1.0.41: -Further fixes on track extension/reduction process. -Level 2 maps do not erroneously prevent building on adjacent cells when facing SE. -Fixed track extension dialogue freezing errors and track extension crashes. -Do not add duplicate build goals if sequential scenarios required same item (should also prevent occasional -1 optional goals score) -Can now abort previously finished stations on network, with confirmation dialogue warning of save loss. (prevent being trapped if level completed at 1% rep and you wish to return later and cannot max stars) -Added confirmation dialogue to exit with no save actions on network and singles. -Corrected draw errors on footbridge -Corrected draw issues with spills and footprints sometimes not visible -commuters do…
- Beta 1.0.39 - 7 January 2021
Hi all You can help beta test the latest updates to Overcrowd by opting into the open beta branch. Right click on the game in your library > Properties > Beta tab > select beta from the dropdown. Beta 1.0.39: -Do not add duplicate build goals if sequential scenarios required same item (should also prevent occasional -1 optional goals score) -Can now abort previously finished stations on network, with confirmation dialogue warning of save loss. (prevent being trapped if level completed at 1% rep and you wish to return later and cannot max stars) -Added confirmation dialogue to exit with no save actions on network and singles. -Corrected draw errors on footbridge -Corrected draw issues with spills and footprints sometimes not visible -commuters do not glitch at double speed (vibrating people effect fixed) -When returning to station having gained a higher tech level, level at which next bo…
- Competition winner + Build 1.0.38 - 5 January 2021
Happy New Year! Lets hope 2021 works out better than 2020 for obvious reasons. Although COVID ruined 2020, professionally it has gone well for me and Sarah (aka SquarePlay Games). I'm really happy with what we achieved, launching Overcrowd, supporting it through early access, getting some juicy PR coverage and even some top award nominations along the way to full release. Most importantly - I'm happy you guys seem to like what we did with the game :) Thanks so much for picking it up. Especially thanks if you liked it enough to leave a review! Steam reviews are vital to small devs like us, so if you get a moment - please do take a second to leave us a review if you would like to help us out. (Oh, it also helps a tonne if you tag the game in simulation, management or whatever other tags you feel might work!) Screenshot competition Finally, I'm happy to announce the winner of the Overcrowd…
- Hotfix 1.0.36 - 18 December 2020
Hotfix 1.0.36 Hi all. Today's hotfix will resolve a few little issues you have let me know about. Do feel free to let me know about anything using the in-game bug form. Also, a quick reminder about the screenshot competition! Just make your best looking station - be as inventive as you like! - and take a Steam screenshot by pressing f12. Use steam library to upload it to the community page. You can disable the GUI in screenshots in display options. Can't wait to see what you come up with! Finally, thanks so much to those who have left a review! Steam reviews make a remarkable difference to small indie devs, so it is super appreciated. So please do consider leaving one if you have a spare moment and enjoy what we did with Overcrowd :) Hotfix 1.0.36: -Platform signage is visible above stairs and turnstiles. This was a regression that I accidentally introduced with the recent optimisation.…
- Hotfix 1.0.35 - 15 December 2020
Hi all Quick hotfix for you. Build 1.0.35: -K.O. commuters are no longer invisible (little error related to depth setting from the optimisations last week) -HUD clock updates more frequently, so doesn't appear to only update every 2 minutes. -Track editing costs are now rounded correctly. Thanks for continuing to let me know of any issues you encounter via the in-game bug form.
- Festive Pack: Winter Update - 10 December 2020
Season's Greetings! Today's free Festive Pack brings a stocking-load of Christmas themed items to both entertain and delight your commuters with this winter. Along with a snowy themed landscape, you can expect Christmas trees, Santa's Grotto's, presents, carol singers and giant Christmas puddings. Just start a new game and these cosmetic items will be there to buy in Facilities. Now is the perfect time to try Commute of the Day, the daily procedurally generated challenge mode, and spice it up with some snowy Xmas content. Major optimisations On top of that, I've been working hard to optimise the game further. This is to address feedback from some players on slower systems. There is now up to a 25% or so increase in performance that should be evident on lower specs. Just what Santa ordered! Screen shot competition! This winter I've decided to run a screenshot competition. Just make your…
- Beta 1.0.33 - 9 December 2020
Beta 1.0.32: -Correct entrance door depth -Correct escalator railing depths -updated floor and wall retiling to function and remove walls after selling stairs, escalators, lifts -Updated languages -Check staff chair exists when standing to prevent rare crash -cannot earn hidden rep above 100%
- Beta 1.0.31 - 8 December 2020
You can help test the beta branch by right licking on the game in your library, going to properties and selecting the beta tab followed by the beta dropdown. Beta 1.0.31: -Major optimisation to the layering/tiling system. Possibly significant speed increases possible. -very exciting seasonal content for beta testing this week! -I'd like to have your feedback, with a new save, ideally on a new network or COTD/sandbox, or with old saves.
- Autumn Update - Steam Cloud, Optimisations, Bug fixes - 3 December 2020
Hi all, Since I put Overcrowd into 1.0 full release almost 2 months ago I've been working away tweaking, updating and fixing any issues you have brought to me. I've also made some optimisations, so there are some performance improvements, along with a few quality of life improvements and new features such as Steam Cloud support. I'm still working on a few other things, including some further potential optimisations for lower spec systems, so stay tuned. Thanks for your support I just wanted to thank everyone who has supported me (and the game) by leaving a review on Steam. You might not know but it's hard to overstate how vital reviews are on Steam for a tiny dev like me. So if you like the game and ever have a spare moment, please take a minute to feed the Steam algorithm and drop us a review - it is super appreciated! Al. Build 1.0.30: -enabled steam cloud support -Optimisation. Move…
- Hotfix - Beta 1.0.30 - 29 November 2020
Hi Hotfix Beta 1.0.30 fixes up a compiling error causing unusual regular crashes that I introduced in 1.0.29. Sorry about that! Al.
- Beta 1.0.28 - 27 November 2020
Beta 1.0.28 -tests approach to prevent save/load crash from unknown causes related to corrupted saves where commuters and staff are outside the station/grid. Potentially related to incomplete steam cloud overwrite/upload or save interference by Norton or other antivirus. If you load you game and see something like this, please let me know using the bug form with all details around cloud and antivirus and I can take a look. This may potentially only occur when you save an unopened new station.
- Beta 1.0.26 - 18 November 2020
Beta 1.0.26 -Optimisation. Move walls textures into same group as floors to minimise swaps. -Optimisation. Changed sleep timing mode to default v_sync rather than sleep margin which may improve performance on some systems eg laptops, may prevent speed up/slow down behaviour. -Optimisation. Removed redundant depth calculation which should marginally improve performance as commuters move.
- Beta 1.0.25 - 16 November 2020
Beta 1.0.25 -Correctly add internal wall corner pillars on loading game for certain room shapes (prevent occasional buggy looking gaps in room corners) -Cannot cancel action/menus etc when dialogue is open. Prevents locking the game UI if you press escape/tab when a sell track dialogue yes/no window is open.
