VHOLUME
A melancholic first-person parkour adventure set in a dystopian brutalist city, where a simple errand turns into an odyssey through a maze of concrete and red tape. It's out now on Steam — released August 21, 2026, from a three-person team published by IronEqual. $8.00 — the 10% launch discount to $7.20 has ended.
What is VHOLUME?
VHOLUME is a first-person parkour game with a distinctly downbeat mood. You play Robert, a citizen of a derelict Afro-Eurasian capital ruled by an all-controlling Ministry. His family's ration tickets just got revoked, and the bureaucratic errand to restore them turns into a long, strange climb through a city that seems built to slow you down. The tone is melancholic rather than heroic: less "speedrun savior," more "one errand, one very long detour."
The game is the work of three developers — Nathan Grange, Léonard Lemaitre, and Niels Tiercelin — under the banner of publisher IronEqual. It launched straight into a warm reception: 96% of the first 163 Steam reviews are positive, which for a day-one indie is about as good as it gets.
How it plays
- Movement is the game. Jump, run, climb and slide with a lot of freedom across a vertical concrete city. The devs talk about exploiting momentum, finding shortcuts and chasing target times — there's a proper speedrun streak under the melancholic surface.
- No combat, just traversal. The store description mentions no fighting at all — this is a pure parkour/exploration experience, closer to something like Mirror's Edge in pacing than to an action game.
- A bureaucratic frame. The story hook is paperwork: the Ministry's rules are part of the obstacle course. Expect signage, barriers and "authorized personnel" energy as set dressing.
- Short and focused. This is a $8 casual/indie title, not a 40-hour epic — the sort of game you finish in a couple of evenings, with time-trial runs as the reason to come back.
Release date and price
VHOLUME launched on Steam on August 21, 2026 for Windows only (no Mac or Linux build yet). It's $8.00 normally; the 10% launch discount down to $7.20 has ended. There's also a free demo (released back in February) if you want to try the movement before buying.
Steam price checked Sep 21, 2026: $8.00 full price. The launch discount (-10%, $7.20) has ended.
Quick facts & FAQ
- When did it come out? August 21, 2026, on Steam.
- What platforms? Windows PC. No Mac, Linux or console versions announced.
- Is it multiplayer? Unclear, honestly. The store description mentions playing levels with friends, ghost replays and Steam Workshop — but the game's official feature tags only list Single-player and Achievements right now. Treat co-op as advertised but not confirmed; the single-player run is definitely there.
- Who made it? Nathan Grange, Léonard Lemaitre and Niels Tiercelin, published by IronEqual.
- Is there a demo? Yes — a free demo has been on Steam since February 2026.
- What languages? English (full audio) plus French, German, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese-Brazil, Russian, Turkish and Ukrainian text.
- What do I need to run it? Light requirements: 64-bit Windows 10 (1903+), an Intel i5-4460 or Ryzen 3 1200, 4GB RAM, a GTX 960 or Radeon R7 370, and 10GB of storage.
- How's the review score? Very Positive territory — 96% of 163 reviews positive as of Aug 22.
Worth a look if
- You like movement-first games — parkour, flow, getting good at traversal for its own sake
- The whole "dystopian bureaucratic city" vibe gets you (think Brazil, or Portal's Aperture without the jokes)
- You want a short, artsy indie you can finish in a couple of evenings for under $8
Skip it if you need combat, a big open world, or multiplayer — none of that is here. And if you're unsure about the movement feel, the free demo settles it in ten minutes, so there's little reason to buy blind.
Watch it
Official trailers (release trailer and the release-date teaser) are hosted on the Steam store page: VHOLUME on Steam. The free demo is at VHOLUME Demo.