Hand of Fate: Hordes Enters Early Access on 22 July 2026

Hand of Fate: Hordes, created by the original indie designers of Hand of Fate, launches into Steam Early Access on 22 July 2026. Anthony Skordi reprises his role as the Dealer, the sardonic antagonist who made the first game memorable.

The setting is the Shadow Vaults, where the Dealer has devised a new game for the player's destruction. The core loop blends fast-paced bullet-heaven combat with strategic deckbuilding and story — the deck built between encounters shapes each run, for better or worse.

What's in at launch

• Four playable heroes: the Trickster (ranged, cunning), the Goblin (magic-focused, unpredictable), the Warrior (melee, built for crowd combat), and the Rebel (described as carving their own fate)
• Deckbuilding that governs the shape of each run
• Weapons and enchantments to discover across runs
• A story framed around escaping the Shadow Vaults

The developers describe Early Access as a foundation rather than a finished product. They are actively soliciting feedback on heroes, builds, frustrations, and areas for improvement. A Developer Q&A is planned for one week after launch, with further details promised separately.

For players who followed the original Hand of Fate, Hordes represents a genre shift — from card-driven action-RPG toward the bullet-heaven format — while keeping the Dealer and his theatrical menace intact. How much the deckbuilding meaningfully distinguishes it from the crowded survivor genre is a question Early Access will have to answer.