Poncle Launches Vampire Crawlers Demo as the Vampire Survivors Studio Prepares Its First Spin-Off for an April Release Across Six Platforms

Poncle, the studio behind the indie phenomenon Vampire Survivors, has released a playable demo of Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard on Steam. The full game is scheduled to launch on April 21, 2026, priced at $9.99 across PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Google Play, and the App Store, according to the game’s official page.

The spin-off represents the first standalone expansion of the Vampire Survivors franchise into a new genre: a turn-based card combat game with roguelite progression. Poncle describes the title as a “casual, turn-based deckbuilder with roguelite elements” in which players “deal world-ending combos and blitz through infested dungeons” using the studio’s proprietary “TURBOTURN” system.

Four Years in Development

According to Poncle’s Steam announcements, the project has been “developing in the background for almost 4 years,” making it one of the longest-running efforts in the studio’s history. The developer stated that the game “has been doing everything right since its very first prototype, so it’s also the one that proceeded the fastest” to a public release.

The TURBOTURN system is designed to allow players to “play a turn-based combat system at any pace, even as fast as humanly possible, and still deliver accurate results.” While Poncle identifies deckbuilding as “a major feature,” the studio has emphasized that the game does not play like a conventional deckbuilder.

A Studio Transformed

Poncle has undergone a significant transformation since Vampire Survivors first launched in early access on Steam in December 2021. What began as a solo project by developer Luca Galante has grown into a studio of more than 25 people, according to the Poncle website. The original game has accumulated over 246,000 reviews on Steam with a 98 percent positive rating and expanded to PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, mobile platforms, and most recently a VR edition on the Meta Store in November 2025.

The franchise has also extended through collaborations, including an “Ode to Castlevania” crossover DLC in October 2024 and an “Ante Chamber” crossover with the card game Balatro in October 2025. Online multiplayer arrived in the same month, and the “Emerald Diorama” content pack followed in April 2025.

Beyond its own franchise, Poncle has expanded into publishing, releasing titles by other developers under the studio’s label. Kill The Brickman, a turn-based roguelike, launched in August 2025, and Berserk or Die, an action game by Nao Games, followed in June 2025.

What Comes Next

Vampire Crawlers is not the only project on Poncle’s roadmap. The base Vampire Survivors game is scheduled to receive version 1.15 in the second quarter of 2026, an update that will introduce multiple save slots, stability improvements, and new content including a stage, character, weapon, and darkana. Poncle has also confirmed that it is developing Warhammer Survivors in partnership with Auroch Digital, applying the Vampire Survivors engine to Games Workshop’s Warhammer fantasy setting.

The $9.99 price point for Vampire Crawlers places it at double the cost of the original Vampire Survivors, which launched at $4.99. Whether the turn-based format can attract the same audience that propelled the original to become one of Steam’s most reviewed indie games will be tested when the full release arrives next month.

The demo is available now on Steam.