TORONTO, October 15, 2026 — Lofty Sky and co-publisher NAGA Publishing announced that pre-orders and pre-installs for Hope in the City are available now on XBOX. The narrative mystery now launches November 11, 2026, one day later than planned, and will be available Day One on XBOX Game Pass, XBOX Series X|S, XBOX on PC and Steam.
The slight date change sets up a special announcement the team will share that evening at the Golden Joystick Awards in London.
Hope in the City also heads into Steam Next Fest on Monday, October 19 with an updated demo. Japanese and Traditional Chinese support joins English (fully voiced), Simplified Chinese and Korean, so more players can start Hope’s investigation in their own language.
In Hope in the City, 17-year-old Hope Song comes home to a ransacked apartment and two missing parents. She isn’t a detective. She’s an artist. Players investigate through her eyes, sketching clues into her notebook and turning them into evidence as her family’s mystery grows stranger and darker with every answer. Set in Shenyang, in Northeast China, the city is a character of its own, with neon streets and quiet corners that hide secrets.
“We can’t wait for players to get their hands on Hope in the City,” said Judith Cheung, creative director at Lofty Sky. “Thanks to XBOX, it’s coming to XBOX Game Pass on Day One, and Steam players can try our new demo in their own language starting Monday at Next Fest.”
Availability
● Pre-order and pre-install: available now on XBOX. XBOX Store
● Demo: Steam Next Fest, starting October 19. Steam page
● Launch: November 11, 2026, on XBOX Game Pass, XBOX Series X|S, XBOX on PC and Steam
● Demo languages: English (fully voiced), Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Korean
About Hope in the City
Hope in the City is developed by Lofty Sky with co-publisher NAGA Publishing, and made possible with the support of the Canada Media Fund and Ontario Creates. It comes from the team behind 2026 GDC Best in Play winner Sky of Tides and the Peabody Award-nominated Eternal Spring, Canada’s official submission to the 2023 Academy Awards® for Best International Feature Film. The game has been featured at Future Games Show, the Women-Led Games Showcase at Summer Game Fest and the Game Devs of Color Expo. It was nominated for Most Innovative Game, Most Promising Game and Best Sound Design at the 2026 gamescom dev awards, and for Excellence in Narrative and Excellence in Social Impact at Busan Indie Connect Festival 2026.
The story is told from inside the culture it portrays. Writer and artistic director Masha Loftus was born and raised in Northeast China, where the game is set, and every drawing in Hope’s notebook was hand-drawn by Asian-Canadian artist Callista Antonio. Lofty Sky is led by Peabody Award winner Jason Loftus, who also executive-produced the Oscar®-nominated documentary To Kill a Tiger.
Wishlist Hope in the City on Steam or XBOX, follow Lofty Sky on X, or join their Discord for more information and exciting cryptics to win keys or secret teasers.
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Editors Note: Any press, streamers, or other content creators interested in covering Hope in the City can request a review code here: Form.
Press kit: HITC Press Kit
Demo Link: HITC Steam Page
Xbox Trailer: https://bit.ly/4hvrvPP
Press contact: Elizabeth Olson, ebeth.olson@gmail.com