From Press Release:
PORTLAND, SEPTEMBER 9, 2026 – Announced today during the latest Playdate Update showcase, Panic’s Playdate team announced that Playdate Season Three – their curated, mysterious collection of brand new Playdate games that will release weekly for players – will begin on October 8, and pre-orders for the season are available now for $39. Players are encouraged to purchase the season early to ensure they get to play the season games in sync with other owners. Playdate Season Three will include eight games delivered over four weeks.
Today’s showcase took a closer look at three titles from the season and the developers behind them, as well as a sneak peak at the rest of the lineup. The games spotlighted during the showcase are:
- Gloom Gate – Developed by LuBu
- The kingdom is shrouded in darkness. Deep within the castle, a mystical gate was discovered, and a terrible curse poured through it into our world. But a brave knight sets out into the heart of the darkness to find the gate and break the curse. Gloom Gate is a reaction-based action RPG that combines old-school dungeon crawling with soulslike elements. Can you survive the dark world of Gloom Gate?
- Houm – Developed by BuuuuBunnyGames
- You stand outside the decrepit mansion in the seemingly endless drizzle from the gray skies overhead. As you look up to scrutinize the building’s facade, memories crash through your mind. The cold rain pelts your face as you are buried in your thoughts. Houm is a point-and-click adventure game filled with mystery and intrigue created in the spirit of the classic MacVenture games.
- Soggy Froggy – Developed by Team Root
- From the developers of Root Bear comes another silly game! This froggy wants to get soggy. Stir the pot to temper that temperature. Be sure to hit those sweet spots, for froggy’s sake!
Season Three games rounding out the rest of the line up are:
- Sound Mind – Developed by Chuck Jordan
- HELLEVATOR – Developed by DRD
- Bonkhop – Developed by Indiana-Jonas
- Chance’s Lucky Escape 2 – Developed by Goloso Games & Julia Minamata
- Cross Words – Developed by Shaun Inman
Season 3 Lineup
More info on the games of Playdate Season Three can be found at play.date/games/seasons/three
Playdate Seasons are a curated collection of surprise games, written specifically for the handheld, that release weekly onto the Playdates of Season purchasers across the globe at the same time Season Three begins on October 8 with players receiving two games per week until October 29. The idea of a bundle of mysterious games that trickle out over time that everyone gets to experience together, is one that was present in the early days of Playdate’s development and a model that the community still embraces, with over 15,000 Playdate Season Two purchases to date since its release on May 28, 2025.
Apart from Season Three, the showcase also took a look at three notable Playdate Catalog titles coming soon:
- RowBot Rally 2 – Developed by Rae
- A sequel to fan favorite Playdate game RowBot Rally is happening! Turn the tides before they turn you, in the Fish Bowl Champs’ latest all-star escapade!
- Déjà Vu PD
- The classic point-and-click adventure Déjà Vu returns with updated presentation, audio, and interface refinements, bringing one of the original MacVenture noir mysteries to a new generation.
- Post Hero: BedBeard’s Revenge – Developed by Scenic Route Software
- Explore the world and deliver mail in this adorable adventure game and sequel to fan-favorite Playdate game, Post Hero!
And as one final bit of fun news, Playdate Catalog’s Fall Sale will run November 5 through November 19.
More than 80,000 Playdates have been sold to date. While Playdate is currently out of stock on Panic’s store, anyone headed to the Portland Retro Gaming Expo on October 9-11 may purchase one in person at Panic’s booth, and customers can also sign up to be notified when new stock is available at play.date/shop.
About Playdate
Playdate is a truly unique gaming handheld system that is a celebration of video games. It’s yellow. It fits in your pocket. It includes games from amazing creators, it has a beautiful black and white screen, and yes, it also has a crank.
Created with great attention to detail and affection by app developer and video game publisher Panic, in collaboration with Teenage Engineering, Playdate hopes to capture the spirit of endless possibility and excitement that games have given us since the beginning. Playdate’s collection of games will delight players with their inventiveness and ingenuity. And in addition to introducing players to brand new games, Playdate also encourages people to create their own imaginative games and interactive software using a suite of easy development tools. In short, Playdate was made just for fun.
For hardware information, pictures, and more details on Playdate visit the Press Kit here: play.date/mediakit
Find Playdate on Blue Sky at @play.date and on their website at play.date.
For special interview requests or any other requests, get in touch with pr@popagenda.co
About Panic Inc.
Founded in 1999, Panic is an ancient startup in Portland, Oregon that loves to make nice things and bring people everyday joy. Originally — and still — a Mac app developer, Panic has also become a highly-focused video game publisher that helped release games like Big Walk, Thank Goodness You’re Here! and Untitled Goose Game into the world. And in the ultimate spirit of creating products that bring joy, Panic created its very own handheld video game system: Playdate.
Visit their website: https://panic.com/
Find Panic on Bluesky###
