Voidling Bound Is the Monster Taming Game That Dominated Steam Next Fest

Most monster taming games give you a menu and tell you to pick an attack. Voidling Bound puts you inside the creature and hands you a gun. It is a third person shooter where you directly control alien beings called Voidlings, evolving them through branching paths and DNA splicing as you blast through corrupted planets.

The game dominated Steam Next Fest in February, ranking in the top 25 most played demos with an Overwhelmingly Positive rating from over 600 reviews (98% positive). It has surpassed 150,000 wishlists. It launches June 9 on Steam and Epic Games Store.

Spore Meets Warframe

The pitch is simple. You hatch creatures, evolve them through branching upgrade paths, and fight with them directly in third person. Each evolution changes both the Voidling’s abilities and its physical appearance. The game also features a DNA splicing system that lets you combine traits from different creatures to create hybrid builds.

Players who tried the demo have been comparing it to a mix of Spore and Warframe. The Spore comparison comes from the creature evolution system, where your choices visually reshape the Voidling. The Warframe comparison comes from the fast, fluid third person combat against swarms of enemies. You fight pestilent bosses, clear corrupted biomes, and reclaim planets overrun by an alien plague.

Built by Skylanders Veterans

Hatchery Games is a Quebec City studio founded by former developers from Beenox who worked on the Skylanders franchise. Co-founder Frederick brings 17 years of experience from Skylanders and Borderlands 3. Co-founder Carl-Simon spent 13 years as a team lead and animator on Skylanders and The Amazing Spider-Man.

The Skylanders pedigree shows. That franchise was built on the idea of characters with distinct identities and upgradeable abilities. Voidling Bound takes the same philosophy and pushes it further with full creature evolution rather than just leveling up.

What to Expect at Launch

Voidling Bound launches June 9 on PC (Steam and Epic Games Store). Console versions for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2 are confirmed but without a release date yet. A free demo is currently available on Steam if you want to try it before committing.

With 150,000 wishlists and one of the best demo receptions in recent Steam Next Fest history, this is one of the most anticipated indie launches of summer 2026. The monster taming genre has been exploding over the last few years, and Voidling Bound might be the game that finally merges it with the action shooter crowd.

For more indie games worth watching, check out our best roguelike games in 2026 roundup or explore what was announced at the Triple-i Initiative 2026.