Los Angeles, USA - April 17th, 2026 — Developer Dark Machine Games and publisher DreadXP are proud to announce today’s global release of the major Anniversary Update for the studio’s celebrated horror speed-climbing roguelike, White Knuckle. First released into Early Access on Steam a year ago today, White Knuckle quickly earned praise for its uniquely punishing climbing mechanics and its irresistible roguelike runs. Now, the three-person team at Dark Machine Games are ready to take their debut project to the next level, deepening the core gameplay loop with buff/debuff equippables, Facility Upgrades that open new strategic options, a Competitive Mode for the true escape artists in the community, and much more!
Watch the Anniversary Update OUT NOW Trailer!
In addition to the new Anniversary Update Trailer, this past week saw Dark Machine Games broadcast a Watch the Devs Play stream on the White Knuckle Steam page, and even publish a comprehensive Retrospective post directly to their community. The heartfelt message includes fascinating behind-the-scenes details, images and anecdotes regarding the game’s inception and production, as well as some of the team’s most beloved fanart. While looking back on a whirlwind year, the devs also hinted at future plans for White Knuckle as well, emphasizing their appreciation for the dedicated community that’s driven the game’s success up to this point:
“A year and a half ago, Dark Machine was little more than three friends who didn't expect their niche project to make a splash. Now, thanks to your support? We can make the kinds of games we love and put all of our weird and horrifying and difficult and exciting and funny ideas all into the kind of work we love, for a community we love. We also want to thank our publisher DreadXP, for the sheer volume of help they have provided, and for being chill people all around.
Thank you, for giving us this chance, for rating our game so highly, for playing it and talking about it. We aren't planning on letting you down.”
Some of the new features included in the White Knuckle Anniversary Update include:
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Trinkets & Bindings — Provide unique buff/debuff mechanics. Unlocked by reaching various points in the game or completing objectives, and selected when starting a Run.
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Facility Upgrades — Divided into Sector and Global. Allows access to new stations in each safe area, permanent buffs, and cosmetics.
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Facility Credits & Economy — Metaprogression currency used to purchase Facility Upgrades in Interlude safe rooms.
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New Challenge Map — Unlocked after reaching the Abyss, the Boost Course tests momentum & throwing skills to chain mid-air jumps and reach the top.
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New Competitive Mode — New game setting alongside Hard Mode & Iron Knuckle Mode, dedicated to Speedrunners.
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New Score Calculation, Alternate Interlude 2 Levels, Cosmetics, & more!
The full patch notes and change log for the Anniversary Update can be found at this link.
White Knuckle is now available on Steam in Early Access for $14.99 USD / €14.79 / £12.79. As White Knuckle’s content develops throughout the Early Access period, pricing will be adjusted accordingly. As well, the demo is available for all players to try out the game, which has maintained an Overwhelmingly Positive rating since releasing in October 2024.
For More Information:
Wishlist on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3195790/White_Knuckle/
Visit the official White Knuckle website: https://whiteknuckle.net/
Follow DreadXP on X: https://twitter.com/DreadXPGames
Follow DreadXP on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dreadxpgames
Join the White Knuckle Discord: https://discord.gg/f2CqdmUSap
Join the DreadXP Discord: https://discord.gg/JTPfXdSFXq
About Dark Machine Games
Dark Machine Games is a three-person development studio based in New Mexico. The trio has been involved in game development for years, but formed a studio in 2024 with the intent of developing unique, strange, and otherwise enigmatic experiences and titles. After various prototypes and experiments, the team landed on White Knuckle to be their first official game as a studio. They look forward to continuing to bring surreal content to players.
About DreadXP
DreadXP is a leading independent horror games publisher. DreadXP’s goal is to seek out and publish great titles, and uplift members of the indie dev community. DreadXP releases include award-winning games such as White Knuckle, The Mortuary Assistant, Sucker for Love: First Date, My Friendly Neighborhood, Dread Delusion, and the Dread X Collections, an anthology series of mini-horror games. DreadXP’s upcoming titles include The Secret of Weepstone, RUNT and Paranormal Activity. DreadXP is a sister company of the horror media website Dread Central, as well as the independent horror film production company, DREAD.
To learn more about DreadXP, please visit www.dreadxp.com.