Hope in the City
The narrative mystery's updated demo is live on Steam now, ahead of its November 11 launch.
TORONTO, October 18, 2026 — Lofty Sky and co-publisher NAGA Publishing today announced a new demo of Hope in the City, available now on Steam as the game heads into Steam Next Fest, starting Monday, October 19.
The updated demo adds two ways to play. Players can choose Story Mode for a more casual experience or Detective Mode for a more challenging one. The demo is available in five languages, with Traditional Chinese newly added: English (fully voiced), Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese and Korean. It also improves player perspective and control in the apartment, smoother camera movement, and a round of bug fixes.
In Hope in the City, 17-year-old Hope Song comes home to a ransacked apartment and two missing parents. She isn’t a detective. She’s an artist. Players investigate through her eyes, sketching clues into her notebook and turning them into evidence as her family’s mystery grows stranger and darker with every answer. Set in Shenyang, in Northeast China, the city is a character of its own, with neon streets and quiet corners that hide secrets.
“We can’t wait for players to get their hands on Hope in the City,” said Judith Cheung, creative director at Lofty Sky. “Steam players can try our new demo in their own language starting Monday at Next Fest, in whichever mode suits how they like to play.”
The full game launches November 11, 2026, one day later than previously planned, with a special announcement that evening at the Golden Joystick Awards in London. Pre-orders and pre-installs are available now on XBOX, and the game will be available Day One on XBOX Game Pass, XBOX Series X|S, XBOX on PC and Steam.
Availability
- Demo: available now on Steam, featured in Steam Next Fest starting October 19. Steam page
- Game modes: Story Mode (casual) and Detective Mode (challenging)
- Demo languages: English (fully voiced), Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Korean
- Launch: November 11, 2026, on XBOX Game Pass, XBOX Series X|S, XBOX on PC and Steam
- Pre-order and pre-install: available now on XBOX. XBOX Store
Hope in the City is developed by Lofty Sky with co-publisher NAGA Publishing, and made possible with the support of the Canada Media Fund and Ontario Creates. It comes from the team behind 2026 GDC Best in Play winner Sky of Tides and the Peabody Award-nominated Eternal Spring, Canada’s official submission to the 2023 Academy Awards® for Best International Feature Film. The game has been featured at Future Games Show, the Women-Led Games Showcase at Summer Game Fest and the Game Devs of Color Expo. It was nominated for Most Innovative Game, Most Promising Game and Best Sound Design at the 2026 gamescom dev awards, and for Excellence in Narrative and Excellence in Social Impact at Busan Indie Connect Festival 2026.
The story is told from inside the culture it portrays. Writer and artistic director Masha Loftus was born and raised in Northeast China, where the game is set, and every drawing in Hope’s notebook was hand-drawn by Asian-Canadian artist Callista Antonio. Lofty Sky is led by Peabody Award winner Jason Loftus, who also executive-produced the Oscar®-nominated documentary To Kill a Tiger.
Any press, streamers or other content creators interested in covering Hope in the City can request a review code here: Form.
Press kit: HITC Press Kit
Store Link: HITC Steam Page
Press contact: Elizabeth Olson · [email protected] · (650) 302-4776 / Thomas Vermeil - [email protected]
About the game
Hope in the City is an impactful narrative mystery game made by the team behind the 2026 GDC Best in Play Winner Sky of Tides and the Annie Award-nominated Eternal Spring. When 17-year-old Hope Song comes home to find her parents gone, she refuses to wait for answers; she becomes the investigator herself.
Sketching clues into her notebook and connecting them into breakthroughs, Hope uncovers the dark secrets hiding just beneath her city's calm, familiar surface. Set in the city of Shenyang China, players explore its beautiful streets in a bold, colorful and stylized visual identity with an edge.
Dive into a deep narrative mystery where every sketch reveals a little more of the truth.
Key features
- Sketchbook-Based Investigation: Gather clues, record observations, and piece them together through sketches in Hope's notebook.
- Thought-Building Mechanic: Turn scattered observations into insights, then chain them into breakthroughs to advance the case.
- Complex Case Structure: Pursue leads in the order you choose as you dig into your parents' disappearance.
- Exploration-Driven Discovery: Explore a seemingly calm and beautiful city with a unique design to uncover the clues and secrets hidden beneath its surface.
- Story-Driven Progression: Custom cutscenes trigger as you solve the mystery, tying investigation progress directly to narrative reveals.
Wishlist Hope in the City on Steam, follow Lofty Sky on X or join their Discord for more information and exciting cryptics to win keys or secret teasers.
About the Studio
Lofty Sky Games is a Toronto-based award-winning studio producing games, animation, VR, and documentary content. Our work has represented Canada at the Academy Awards®, won GDC Pitch and GDC Best in Play, and earned nominations from the Canadian Screen and Canadian Game Awards.
Produced with the participation of the Canada Media Fund and the support of Ontario Creates.