In The Regreening, you’re restoring an entire deserted world. Revitalise a barren land with your bare hands, your heart, and just a touch of magic. Watch seeds turn into trees, and the desert turn into a green oasis. Feel the change as it happens: warm breezes ripple through freshly sprouted meadows, frogs return to singing wetlands, and it finally rains.
The Regreening is the debut title from Hamburg-based studio Positive Impact Games and is a self-described “soilpunk fairytale,” and after digging through the details, it sounds like exactly the kind of gentle, ecological power fantasy we could use right about now. There’s no release date yet, but a demo is already out on Steam, and over 55,000 people have already wishlisted it.
What Exactly Is “Soilpunk”?
You’ve heard of solarpunk—the optimistic, solar-powered cousin of cyberpunk. Soilpunk is apparently its earthier, more grounded sibling. The Regreening isn’t about high-tech eco-cities or futuristic green gadgets. It’s about getting your hands down in the Earth and being one with nature.
You play as Viri, who is described as the last human on the planet. The world is a deserted, junk-strewn mess, and your job is to reverse that, not with a laser rifle or a terraforming beam, but with seeds, compost, and a whole lot of patience.
It’s a fairy tale where the magic is just… botany. And also literal magic spirits. More on that in a second.
The Gameplay: Plant, Upcycle, Befriend, Hug
Gameplay in The Regreening is focused on planting. You’ll discover new seeds and learn how different plants vibe with each other. The game emphasises “plant synergies,” which suggests you won’t just be slapping down random shrubs. You’re building a biome. Want a wetland? Better figure out which reeds and mosses complement each other to convince the frogs to move back in. The world responds visibly: warm breezes ripple through meadows, and rain finally falls on parched ground.
The wasteland is littered with abandoned stuff. Instead of just deleting it, you clean it up and break it down into crafting materials. True to the “upcycling hub” pitch, you can turn trash into home decorations or, more practically, into watering systems to keep your growing paradise hydrated. It’s a nice loop: you heal the land by clearing it, and the land gives you the tools to heal it further.
The game draws on Baltic mythology for its nature spirits. They’re ancient entities you befriend. Help them out, maybe bribe them with a few shiny trinkets, and they’ll grant you powerful abilities. It’s a nice twist on the usual “unlock a skill tree” formula—your progression is tied to relationships with the weird, magical locals.
As habitats recover, wildlife returns, and you can harvest berries to give as gifts to your favourite critters and return they’ll give you hugs.
Cozy Relaxed Growth
The Regreening is aggressively, almost defiantly relaxed. There are no timers and no pressure for your mass cultivation. There’s no stamina bar to manage before you pass out at 2 AM, no grandpa’s ghost judging you for not watering the parsnips. The only clock is the natural rhythm of growth.
To sell that atmosphere, the game leans hard on adaptive audio. The soundtrack shifts as you restore the world, layering in more life and melody as barren dirt becomes a meadow. The sound design aims for an ASMR-like quality—rustling leaves, distant birdsong, the gentle patter of rain you essentially summoned by doing a good job.
The Regreening
Restore a deserted world in a cozy soilpunk simulation. Grow plants, rebuild wildlife habitats, and revive entire ecosystems. Upcycle abandoned junk into tools and decorations, befriend ancient nature spirits, and hug ALL the animals as you transform a forgotten world into a thriving paradise.
There’s no release date yet for The Regreening, but the demo is live on Steam right now as part of the run-up to Steam Next Fest.
The Regreening is created by Positive Impact Games, a women-led studio founded in 2024 by industry veterans in Hamburg, Germany. The Regreening is their first project, published by ByteRockers’ Games. Their stated mission is to make “wholesome and cozy games that uplift, connect, and inspire change”.
