In development

EARSHOT

Quiet friends get out. Loud jerks get eaten.

A co-op top-down survival shooter for 1 to 12 players. You see only what your character sees. The dead hunt by sound. Your friends are very loud.

See how it plays Coming soon to Steam
  • 1–12 players
  • Online co-op
  • Windows, macOS, Linux

How it plays

Narrow eyes. Wide ears.

You see a narrow slice of the woods. Everything you do makes a sound. The rest comes down to how well you talk to each other, and how badly your friends listen.

Footage below is from an early build. Everything may change except the zombies' appetite.

Eyes front

You see what's in front of you, as far as the trees, rocks and cabins let you. Nobody else sees what you see, so if you spot something, say so. "Over there" is not a direction.

They hunt by sound

Every step, shot and shattered bottle carries so far, and any zombie within earshot comes looking. Throw a rock to send them somewhere else. Or open fire and bring them all to you.

Pick each other up

Go down and you're left crawling and crying for help, which every zombie nearby can hear. A friend has until you bleed out to get you back on your feet. Choose your friends accordingly.

Find the way out

The exit isn't marked. Track down a paper map, wake an old radar station or read the land. Or wander around and hope. We don't recommend it.

Sound is danger

Every sound has a radius.

When you make a noise, a ring goes out exactly as far as it carries, and every zombie inside it hears you. A rock barely makes a ripple. A gunshot rings the dinner bell for half the forest.

Crying for help
10 m
A rock landing
12 m
Sprinting
18 m
A slammed door
30 m
A gunshot
60 m
Something exploding
120 m

So do you fight or sneak past? Each is the right call some of the time. Working out which is the game. Getting it wrong is also the game.

Noise radii to scale: a rock carries 12 metres, a sprint 18, a slammed door 30, a gunshot 60 and an explosion 120. Zombies inside a ring hear it. 12 30 60 m 120 m
You Your noise Very much your noise Zombies

Every run is new

Escape with your friends, or die trying.

Each run is ten to twenty minutes in a forest nobody's seen before. Some of you will make it out. Ideally, more than none.

A fresh map every time

Every map is built from a seed: forests, rivers, bridges, cabins and clearings. Found a good one? Share the seed. Found a cursed one? Definitely share the seed.

The ground decides the danger

Some woods are quiet. Some are crawling. Zombies only come out where nobody's looked yet, so the flank you cleared stays clear. The flank you didn't is your problem.

You'll hear it first

Some things out there are bigger. The Screecher gives away its position with a scream that rattles the trees. Once it spots you, it's faster than you can sprint. Luckily, you don't have to outrun it. You just have to outrun your friends.

Ammo is short. Noise isn't.

Every shot empties your pockets and tells the whole forest where you are. Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is walk away quietly.

Friendly fire is on

Always. A downed friend lies low, so you can shoot right over them. Anyone standing is on their own. Your friends will tell you it was an accident.

Leave together

Whether it's a gap in a fence or an old truck, everyone still breathing has to get there before anyone escapes. The dead are excused.

Six survivors stand round a campfire at night: a knight, a wolf-helmed knight, a ranger, a man in a chicken suit, a barbarian in a bear hood and a masked cyber kitsune.

Co-op

Solo is horror. Twelve is chaos.

Solo, it's a slow, tense creep through the dark. With friends, you cover each other's blind spots until someone panics and opens fire. Best with two to six players. Up to twelve, if you don't mind the whole forest hearing you.

  1. 1
    Invite your friends. Host a game and they join through Steam. No port forwarding, no excuses.
  2. 2
    Warm up in the lobby. Pick your character and loadout, then shoot some targets while everyone finds their headphones.
  3. 3
    Ready up and drop in. A new map, a long night and one way out.

FAQ

Questions, answered quietly.

When does it come out?

When it's ready. Earshot is still in development, and its Steam page is coming soon. The zombies are already waiting.

What can I play it on?

Windows, macOS and Linux, through Steam.

Can I play solo?

Yes. Solo is a full way to play: just you, the dark and the noise you make. Nobody to blame but yourself.

Do I need voice chat?

Talking helps, since nobody sees what you see, but use whatever you like: Discord, the same couch or yelling down the hall. Zombies can't hear Discord. Probably.

Is friendly fire really always on?

Yes. It's the fastest way to find out who your real friends are.

How much will it cost?

Not announced yet. The game is cheap. Keeping your friends alive is the expensive part.

Keep it down.

Earshot is coming soon to Steam. Tell your friends, unless a zombie can hear.