What it is
Keeper is Double Fine’s surreal, wordless puzzle adventure about a lighthouse that grows legs and leaves its ruined island home with a seabird called Twig. It first launched on PC and Xbox in October 2025, then arrived on PlayStation 5 on 3 September 2026. It is a compact, single-player journey built around exploration, environmental puzzles and visual surprises rather than combat or conventional dialogue.
- UK release
- 3 September 2026 on PS5; 17 October 2025 on PC and Xbox Series X|S
- Platforms
- PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC
- Developer
- Double Fine Productions
- Publisher
- Double Fine Productions on PS5 and Steam; Xbox Game Studios on Xbox and Windows PC
- UK price
- £15.99 on PS5 and Steam; £17.99 on Xbox
- PEGI
- PEGI 7 — mild violence and fear
- Genre
- Adventure, puzzle and third-person
- Online mode
- No — single-player only
- Game Pass / PS Plus
- Included with PC Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate; not currently listed in the UK PS Plus catalogue
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
Story and setting
The game opens on an island in a long-lost sea, where an ancient lighthouse lies dormant beneath a distant mountain. As dark, withering tendrils spread across the landscape, the lighthouse awakens, its masonry reassembling around newly formed legs. It sets off towards the island’s centre, guided by an unexplained sense of purpose.
The lighthouse soon meets Twig, a spirited seabird seeking refuge from the spreading Wither. Their relationship is the emotional centre of Keeper. The story is told without spoken dialogue, relying on animation, music, environmental details and the changing behaviour of the world. Double Fine keeps the strangest developments largely concealed, so it is best approached with as little prior knowledge as possible.
How it plays
Keeper is played from a third-person perspective and combines gentle exploration with environmental puzzle-solving. The lighthouse’s beam is more than a source of illumination: it can affect plants and creatures, reveal routes and hold back the Wither. Twig provides a second set of abilities, interacting with mechanisms and reaching places the lighthouse cannot.
There is no combat and no conventional failure state. The emphasis is on reading the environment, working out how the lighthouse and Twig can help one another, and moving through a sequence of increasingly strange locations. The puzzles are generally approachable rather than demanding, while the game’s later sections place more weight on movement, transformation and spectacle. Double Fine estimates a six-to-eight-hour play time, depending on how thoroughly you explore.
Updates since launch
The main post-launch addition is Psychedelic Mode, released on 3 September 2026 alongside the PS5 version. It is a visual overlay that can be enabled from Display Options, pushing the game’s colours and distortions into a more aggressively kaleidoscopic direction. It is available on every platform, not just PS5.
The December 2025 Back in Black and White update added Noir Mode, a carefully adjusted monochrome presentation rather than a simple desaturation filter. That update also introduced ultrawide monitor support on PC and high-contrast and highlighting options for accessibility. A later end-of-year update added PS5 controller support on PC and forced aspect-ratio options. No story expansion has been released.
Platforms, editions and UK price
Keeper is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC through Steam and the Xbox app. Xbox versions support Play Anywhere, cloud saves and cloud play, while the PS5 release supports DualSense features and offline play. The game is sold digitally as a standard edition; no separate deluxe edition is listed.
The current UK price is £15.99 on PS5 and £17.99 on Xbox. The Steam version has also received the permanent price reduction announced for 3 September 2026, with the standard UK listing at £15.99. On Xbox, Keeper is included with PC Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate, with cloud play included in Ultimate. It is not currently listed in the UK PlayStation Plus catalogue. There is no announced physical UK edition or boxed retailer release.
Performance and critical reception
The Xbox Series version is optimised for Series X|S and advertises 4K Ultra HD, HDR10 and variable refresh-rate support. Pure Xbox reported that Series X performance could fluctuate between roughly 30 and 60 frames per second depending on the scene, while other reviews found the presentation largely smooth apart from occasional stutters or short loading transitions. PC performance depends heavily on hardware: the recommended specification calls for an RTX 4080 or Radeon RX 7900 XT and 16GB of video memory, which is unusually demanding for a relatively short adventure.
Critics were broadly enthusiastic about Keeper’s art direction, sound and atmosphere. IGN awarded it 9/10, GameSpot gave it 9/10 and PC Gamer scored it 90/100. Eurogamer awarded five stars. The recurring reservations are its modest length, forgiving puzzles and limited replay value, rather than any major problem with its central idea.
Should you buy it?
Keeper is a good fit if you want a focused, atmospheric adventure with a distinctive visual identity and little mechanical stress. It is closer to a carefully staged journey than a traditional action game, and its lack of combat makes it suitable for players who prefer discovery and environmental problem-solving.
The short campaign and straightforward puzzles mean it is not the right choice if you want a long, difficult game or extensive side content. At its reduced UK price, however, the standard edition is easier to recommend, particularly for Xbox and PC players who already have Game Pass. The PS5 version is the same compact experience, with the benefit of DualSense support and the new Psychedelic Mode included.
Not yet confirmed
- An exact UK launch time for the PS5 release was not published, so there is no confirmed BST or GMT launch hour to report.
- No physical UK edition, boxed release or retailer pre-order has been announced.
- No story DLC, additional campaign or new playable mode beyond Noir Mode and Psychedelic Mode has been announced.
- A dedicated PS5 Pro enhancement or separate performance mode has not been formally confirmed.
Keeper: your questions
Is Keeper on PS5 in the UK?
Yes. The PS5 version launched digitally in the UK on 3 September 2026 and is published by Double Fine Productions.
Is Keeper on Xbox Game Pass?
Yes. Keeper is included with PC Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate. Cloud play is included with Ultimate, while Xbox’s current listing says a purchase is required to stream it with Essential or Premium.
Does Keeper have online multiplayer?
No. Keeper is a single-player game with no online co-op, competitive multiplayer or shared-world mode.
How long does Keeper take to complete?
Double Fine describes it as a six-to-eight-hour adventure. The exact time depends on how much optional exploration and secret-finding you do.
Does Keeper have combat?
No. The game is built around exploration, environmental puzzles and the complementary abilities of the lighthouse and Twig, with no combat or conventional failure state.
