Certain games, whether they have indie, AA, or AAA budgets, will go on to become profoundly seminal for their respective gameplay genres, such as what Stardew Valley is for pixel-art farming sims, and what World of Warcraft is for open-world MMORPGs. It’s also becoming increasingly popular for games to not pigeonhole themselves into one particular genre, and instead bear as many influences from various genres and/or subgenres as possible.
There’s always an oversaturation of new games, and it can be difficult to find a diamond in the rough. That said, countless games have become viral sensations overnight or popularized due to the features they have in common with beloved classics, and one massive new RPG with a ton of explicit inspirations of its own is certainly scratching an itch for fans who find themselves at the intersection of Stardew Valley and World of Warcraft.
Per its Steam store page, the charm of SpiderWare’s Soulbound: Online is that it’s an amalgamation of a handful of different gameplay genres. Part bullet heaven/hell roguelite dungeon-crawler, part base-building/farming sim MMORPG, Soulbound: Online is a bountiful, catchall harvest.
At a glance, Soulbound: Online could perhaps best be described as marrying the art styles of Stardew Valley and Final Fantasy’s rich and immense anthology franchise, but with the high-octane action gameplay of Megabonk, the viral 2025 roguelike survival game.
Soulbound: Online allows fans to play solo or in three-player co-op, and “meta progression” expands the game further with a rich crafting system that has players “grow crops, upgrade stations, cook food, forge gear, brew potions,” and more.
With a “classless character system” and the dynamic gameplay that is inherent in any roguelite/roguelike game worth its salt, Soulbound: Online’s “MMO x Roguelite hybrid” is fascinating. Plus, Soulbound: Online is already teasing reasons why players will want to stick around for the long haul, as the game will reportedly include “live events, seasonal content, new dungeon tiers, and expanding world zones.”
Soulbound: Online will be released in early access on Steam later this month. Fortunately, anyone who’s desperate to try Soulbound: Online and simply can’t wait another couple of weeks doesn’t have to.
Soulbound: Online’s demo, which launched as a part of Steam Next Fest 2026, is still free to download and play now. Then, in only a short while, Stardew Valley and World of Warcraft fans alike will be able to “join thousands of players in the quest to explore, trade, and build a new world.” And, with over 75,000 players wishlisting the game on Steam, it seems like its early access period could be quite healthy and fruitful.
Soulbound: Online is scheduled to be released for PC on July 21, 2026.
- Released
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February 26, 2016
- ESRB
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Everyone 10+ / Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Mild Language, Simulated Gambling, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco
- Developer(s)
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ConcernedApe
- Publisher(s)
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ConcernedApe
- Engine
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Proprietary
- Multiplayer
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Local Multiplayer, Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
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Stardew Valley does not currently support crossplay between different consoles and PC
- Cross Save
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cross-progression is only available between the PC and mobile versions of the game
- Number of Players
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1-4 players (console) / 1-8 players (PC)