Salty: Evolution Simulator · Press Kit
Salty is in Steam Next Fest, October 19 to 26, 2026. The free demo is public now and appears in Valve's press preview from October 8, so no key is needed to play or cover it. Everything below may be used freely in coverage of the game. For interviews, Early Access review keys or anything not here, email press@garrackgaming.com.
Fact sheet
| Developer | Garrack Gaming Studios (solo developer) |
| Title | Salty: Evolution Simulator |
| Genre | 2D evolution / survival simulation, educational |
| Platform | Windows via Steam; Steam Deck supported |
| Demo | Free, available now; covers the opening chapter through the Level 2 evolution · store.steampowered.com/app/5158680 |
| Full game | Planned release November 10, 2026 (Early Access) · store.steampowered.com/app/5038840 |
| Steam Next Fest | October 19 to 26, 2026 (10 AM Pacific). The demo is public now; press preview from October 8; no key needed |
| Press contact | press@garrackgaming.com (Brad Olson, developer) |
| Players | Single-player, offline, one-time purchase |
| Input | Keyboard & mouse; full Xbox / PlayStation controller support with rebinding and rumble |
| Modes | Hardcore, Normal and Easy Educational, chosen at new game; tutorial, pop-ups, voice-over and learning animations can each be toggled |
| Languages | English, Simplified Chinese, Russian, Spanish, German, Portuguese (Brazil), Japanese, French, Korean (text); English voice-over |
| Engine | Godot 4 |
| Audience | Ages 11+; maps to middle- and high-school cell biology |
| Community | Discord · YouTube |
Short description
Start as a spark of life. Eat, hunt rivals, survive viruses, and craft new organelles to rule the chaotic waters until one cell becomes two. Every upgrade is real biology. You'll be learning the whole time and too busy to notice.
Long description
A lone spark of life. One fragile cell adrift in a vast, chaotic world. Feed, grow, adapt, outmaneuver predators, survive viral invasions, and assemble new organelles that reshape your abilities and your destiny. You're learning the science the whole time, too immersed in survival to notice.
You start with no nucleus and no defenses; everything you become, you build. Hunt and engulf real microorganisms · Paramecium, Noctiluca, diatoms, dinoflagellates · and break them down into protein, lipid and fiber. Spend what you harvest on a nucleus, mitochondria, flagella, lysosomes and more, each of which does in the game exactly what it does in a living cell.
The ocean pushes back. Salt marshes burst cells without a contractile vacuole; volcanic vents dissolve anything without peroxisomes; phages hijack your machinery and hunter cells stalk the dark. A radial skill tree bends your lineage toward Hunter, Gatherer or Drifter, and eventually toward arthropod, vertebrate or plant · convergent evolution with three endings. Mitosis itself, stage by stage, is the climax of the full release, as your cell becomes the first multicellular organism.
Key features
- Biological accuracy as the design pillar: real species, real organelles, real environmental limits
- Full controller support and Steam Deck ready (native 1280×800, no keyboard required)
- A Compendium of real microorganisms with facts and hunting tips
- Three evolutionary paths and three endings
- Nine languages
- Free demo covering the opening chapter, up through the Level 2 evolution
From the developer
Salty started from a simple idea: let players feel the chaos of a living ecosystem while picking up real cellular biology along the way. Every creature in the water is modeled on a real organism, from how it feeds and moves to what it fears, and they interact with each other whether you're involved or not. Much of the game is about competing in that ecosystem, but it's just as rewarding to sit back and watch it unfold.
Play it your way. A gentle tutorial walks you through swimming, hunting, and building your first organelle, then steps aside. Choose Hardcore, Normal, or Easy Educational when you start, and switch the tutorial, pop-ups, voice-over, and learning animations on or off at any time. Full controller and Steam Deck support included.
Trailer
Download the official trailer (MP4, 1080p, 0:58)
Screenshots
1920×1080 originals: click any image.
A closer look at life
Six moments from the microscopic world. Play a loop to explore the action.
Steam Next Fest artwork
October 19–26, 2026. Promotional graphics for the free demo.
Artwork & logos
Download the current Salty artwork for coverage. Original JPGs and transparent PNGs are linked below.
Key art & Steam capsules
Store banners
Matching illustrated banners, 2172 × 724. Download original PNGs for coverage.
Generative AI disclosure
Salty is made by one person, and some tools along the way were AI-assisted. So that coverage can be accurate: game code is written with AI assistance and tested by the developer. Some store artwork and key art were produced with generative AI tools and hand-finished. Several music tracks, some sound effects and the English voice-over were generated with ElevenLabs; underwater ambience comes from a licensed sound library. In-game creature art, animation, level design, the Compendium text and all biology content are made by the studio. Questions about any specific asset: press@garrackgaming.com.
About Garrack Gaming Studios
Garrack Gaming Studios is a one-person indie studio making science-grounded games. Salty: Evolution Simulator is its first title. Press: press@garrackgaming.com. Player support: support@garrackgaming.com.