What kind of game is it
PAPERHEAD is a boomer shooter — a fast, old-school FPS built around constant movement — mixed with an adventure horror game. It is set in a cute cardboard world where "something went horribly wrong": you explore an abandoned research facility and find out why cardboard… bleeds.
The key ingredients, according to the developers:
- Combat: a shotgun and other weapons, plus kicks — toss enemies into the air, kick exploding barrels at them and stomp on their heads.
- The magic pencil: a weapon and a tool at once. Sketch bombs and kick them at enemies, draw doors to kick down, write words on walls.
- Tone: cute cardboard, but "with more meat than expected" — the game is meant to be scary.
- Music: an industrial soundtrack by Joonas Turner, composer for Cult of the Lamb, Noita, Nuclear Throne and Broforce.
The game is made by Paperhead te4m and published by HypeTrain Digital.
Price and editions
| Edition | Price (US store) | Contents |
|---|---|---|
| PAPERHEAD | $19.99 (launch −20%: $15.99) | the game |
| Supporter Bundle | — | the game, the Supporter Pack with 14 leg skins and the original soundtrack |
The developers have not said when the launch discount ends — check the store page before buying.
System requirements and Steam Deck
The minimum requirements are very low — it will run on practically any PC from the last 15 years:
| Component | Minimum |
|---|---|
| OS | Windows 7 64-bit or later |
| CPU | any 64-bit processor |
| Memory | 2 GB RAM |
| Graphics | GeForce 9800GT or equivalent |
| DirectX | 9.0 |
| Storage | 2 GB |
- Steam Deck: Verified.
- Controller: full controller support, including DualShock and DualSense.
- Platforms: Windows (Steam) only. No console versions have been announced.
Languages
English, French, German, Spanish (Spain), Japanese, Korean, Polish, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Portuguese (Brazil) and Turkish.
The road to release
- Years earlier the developers released a free prologue, PAPERHEAD EP.0. Its Steam page closed on September 24, 2026 — if you added it to your library before then, you keep it forever.
- On February 23, 2026 a new demo went live for Steam Next Fest, with a level from the full game and controller support for the first time.
- Launch was set for September 18, 2026, then moved three weeks to October 9 in July for "a better release window" and extra polish.
Reviews after launch
On the morning of October 10 the game had 97 Steam reviews, 93 of them positive (96%) — a "Very Positive" rating.
Players praise: the cardboard art style, Joonas Turner's industrial soundtrack, fast movement (jumps, slides, bunny hopping), the magic pencil, the story hidden in lore collectibles, enemy variety and how much the game has grown compared with the free prologue EP.0.
Players complain about: bugs where enemies don't spawn after a checkpoint reload and you cannot progress, frame drops for some, a rushed ending with few boss fights, the pencil being underused, a skill tree gated behind hidden golden paperclips and, in some reviews, the price.
Press: French site NoFrag (no numeric score) calls it "almost a full house" — praising the atmosphere and gunplay, criticising a slower second half and skills hidden behind secrets. There are no Metacritic scores yet.
How long the game is, the chapter list and known bugs: chapters, length and difficulty.
The game has 25 achievements, including five unlockable characters and some well-hidden secrets. Full list with unlock rates: PAPERHEAD achievements.