Cairn, a new climbing game in which you control every hand and foot, came out in January 2026. And it’s making waves! It comes from The Game Bakers, the Montpellier-based studio behind Furi and Haven, and has been available on PC and PS5 since 29 January 2026. Cairn sold more than 200,000 copies in its first three days of release and is one of the best-reviewed games of the month.
One mountain, four limbs
In this simulation you play the part of celebrated climber Aava as she tries to be the first to the summit of the fictional Mount Kami. You pick a limb and move it with the stick to place it on the rock. No stamina bar for Aava – her trembling arms and ragged breathing will give you an indication of how close she is to losing her grip. You can use pitons as temporary anchors and a small robot called Climbot can even catch a fall for you. As Aava, you will also need to manage her hunger, thirst and temperature between camps. However, these survival elements can be switched off if you so choose.
What critics praised
PC Gamer scored it 91 and ranked it among the best games its reviewer had played in years. The reviewer argued that the survival pressure gives the story its weight, since this is a game about the limits of a body. IGN gave it 9/10, praising route planning in which every path up the rock is valid, and a story told through what you find on the mountain: an abandoned cable car, the ruins of a vanished cave-dwelling culture and the bodies of climbers who didn’t make it.
Where it slips
GamesRadar+ was cooler. It admired the meditative pace but felt the climbing controls were too clumsy for the precision the later walls demand. Two brutal climbs near the end took up almost half of that reviewer’s playtime, and Aava’s behaviour sometimes didn’t fit the elite athlete she was meant to be. PC Gamer noted rare bugs as well, including one that skipped the last stretch of a summit altogether.
Critic scores and details last checked in September 2026.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Release date | 29 January 2026 |
| Platforms | PC, PlayStation 5 |
| Developer | The Game Bakers |
| Publisher | The Game Bakers |
| Critic score | 86 Top Critic Average on OpenCritic, 93% of critics recommend (as of Sep 2026) |
Verdict
Cairn is a solid game that lives up to its reputation. While some games attempt to portray physical exertion, few can really make one feel like they are actually struggling. Reaching a ledge after a long and arduous climb can be so satisfying. It’s not a perfect game: it can be stubborn and occasionally clumsy, and its hardest climbs will test your patience. However, it’s worth playing, especially if you liked Death Stranding or Baby Steps.
Quick questions
How long does Cairn take to finish?
Expect about 15 hours on the first ascent. That’s the figure given by both PC Gamer and GamesRadar+, and IGN’s reviewer took 19 hours after thoroughly exploring the open routes. Hence a second climb on Kami can be quite different depending on how much risk is taken on each of the various routes.
Is Cairn too hard for casual players?
It’s demanding, with climbing assistance and the survival systems both on by default. But difficulty can be decreased, and the survival systems totally switched off, although PC Gamer argues you’d lose something by doing so. Selection of individual limbs by hand is hidden in the menus and effectively serves as a hard mode, so new players should leave it alone.
Is Cairn coming to Nintendo Switch 2?
Yes, a Switch 2 version is in the works but hadn’t been released at the time of writing. The latest reported window for this was early 2027. Meanwhile you can play Cairn on PC (including Steam Deck, listed as Verified by PC Gamer) or PlayStation 5.
More Review of the Month: Previous pick: December 2025, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond | Next pick: February 2026, Resident Evil Requiem
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