The climbing genre of video games–no, not platformers–specifically titles oriented around the treachery and adrenaline of rock climbing has had several notable entries in the past few years, perhaps spurned on from the dynamic climb-anywhere mechanics beloved in Breath of The Wild. From the moving and artistic, like Jusant, the terrifying, like White Knuckle, to the goofy and cooperative, like Peak, fans of conquering towering mountains and mega-structures have been eating good lately. And soon what looks to be a combination of all of those is finally coming out of the woodwork. Cairn, the survival climbing title from The Game Bakers, is set to release in about 30 days before the end of January, as the devs have posted on X recently.

The adventure of a lifetime begins in LESS than 30 Days!
We’ll see you on Mt. Kami when Cairn releases on January 29th!
Happy New Years! pic.twitter.com/XQj1JLecJ1

— The Game Bakers (@TheGameBakers) January 1, 2026

The game made some headway last year as it reached over 700,000 wishlists on Steam, and despite its delay into Q1 of 2026, away from its original release date last November, its prospects are high. The devs have described it as trying to eke out a foothold in the climbing genre by occupying a space between adventure greats like Tomb Raider and story-focused methodical experiences like Death Stranding, which is definitely a sparsely populated niche. There’s a thrilling combination they’ve promised of sim-esque climbing gameplay where you’ll need to balance the stamina of your every limb, and story that you’ll discover organically as you make your ascent. There’s a central objective to Cairn, which is to summit Mount Kami, but it sounds like virtually any terrain you can see will be climbable the way you want it to be. Though every move you make will have to take into account your resources, as there are undoubtedly many places where equipment like pitons, food, and of course, chalk, will be necessary to progress. And all this is backed up by some notable figures–with sound design from the team responsible for Limbo and Cocoon, as well as the talented comic artist Mathieu Bablet, who has contributed to the game’s gorgeous artstyle.