Machines vs. Monsters, home Wishlist

Machines vs. Monsters

STUDIO BARTEK

Machines vs. Monsters is a roguelite tower defense. Build a maze of industrial weapons, hold your Command Center against escalating alien waves, then lose, upgrade, and redeploy stronger.

Wishlist on Steam

Early Access on Steam · March 2027

What you do

Land on a hostile planet. Place towers on open ground to carve the path the monsters have to walk.

Then survive wave after wave while the map grows around you. Each planet is one long run: clear the target wave, then push into endless mode for as long as your defense holds.

  • Towers13
  • Upgrade levels5
  • Cards per draw3
  • Languages15

Gameplay

Gameplay: towers defending the maze

Features

Maze building

Towers block the ground. Enemies always find a route, so make it long and make it hurt.

13 towers

Railguns, plasma torches, spark coils, and heavier machines like orbital uplinks and drone foundries. Each has five upgrade levels and unlocks a special ability at level four.

A map that grows

New terrain arrives between waves: ridgelines, ore seams, and breach points that open new fronts mid-run. No two runs play the same map.

Cards between waves

Wave rewards offer a choice of three cards: new tower lines, economy boosts, or raw stat upgrades. Your build changes every run.

Clear, then endless

Beating the target wave unlocks endless mode. How far past it can you hold?

Permanent progression

Every run pays out stardust. Spend it on a constellation tree that unlocks new towers, cards, and starting bonuses for the next deployment.

The constellation sky

The constellation sky between runs: named constellations in nebula fields, waiting for stardust

Screenshots

Mid-run: a tower maze answering a wave
Mid-run
The maze under pressure from a wave
Under pressure
Picking one of three cards between waves
Card draw
The galaxy map
The galaxy
Buying a permanent upgrade in a constellation
Permanent upgrades

Dev diary

The Steam page is live

Machines vs. Monsters has a Steam page. What the game is, what comes next, and where this diary fits in.

All diary entries

Roadmap

The road to Early Access
  1. December 2026Free demo, on Steam and in your browser
  2. Feb 22 to Mar 1, 2027Steam Next Fest
  3. March 2027Early Access on Steam

See the full roadmap

The setup

You work for Batavia, a mining corporation that calls the local wildlife “native assets.” Your crews call them monsters. The paperwork is immaculate. The planet is not.

Every visual is drawn in code, no sprites: dark industrial hulls, bioluminescent monsters, planets rendered in light. Made by one developer. Available in 15 languages.

Questions

What is Machines vs. Monsters?

A roguelite tower defense. Build a maze of industrial weapons, hold your Command Center against escalating alien waves, then lose, upgrade, and redeploy stronger.

When does it come out?

Early Access on Steam, March 2027. A free demo comes out in December 2026.

What can I play it on?

Windows PC, on Steam. Steam Deck has not been tested yet.

Keyboard and mouse or controller?

Keyboard and mouse.

How much will it cost?

The price has not been announced yet.

Is there co-op?

Online co-op for 2 to 4 players is in testing. It is not on the Steam page yet; this answer changes when it is.

Which languages?

15 interface languages: English, Czech, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Turkish, Ukrainian, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese.

Can I stream it or make videos?

Yes. Streams and videos are welcome, monetized or not, demo included. No key or permission needed.