Expand on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information

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Expand is a meditative video game in which you explore a circular labyrinth that constantly twists, stretches and expands around you.

Expand is a minimalist, soundtrack and atmospheric game developed and published by Chris Johnson and Chris Larkin.
Released on September 30th 2015 is available on Windows, MacOS and Linux in 5 languages: English, French, Japanese, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese.

It has received 433 reviews of which 382 were positive and 51 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.2 out of 10. 😎

The game is currently priced at 4.99€ on Steam.

The Steam community has classified Expand into these genres:

Minimalist Soundtrack Atmospheric Short Controller Rhythm Abstract Exploration 2D Relaxing Adventure Singleplayer Music Puzzle Arcade Indie Great Soundtrack Music-Based Procedural Generation Pixel Graphics Casual

Media & Screenshots

Get an in-depth look at Expand through various videos and screenshots.

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System requirements

These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.

Windows
  • OS *: Windows Vista
  • Processor: 2.0 GHz
  • Memory: 512 MB RAM
  • Graphics: GeForce 8800 or Radeon® HD4800 series, 512 MB of memory
  • Storage: 300 MB available space
MacOS
  • OS: Mac OS X 10.9 - Mavericks
  • Processor: 2.0 GHz
  • Memory: 512 MB RAM
  • Storage: 300 MB available space
Linux
  • OS: Ubuntu 14.04 64bit
  • Processor: 2.0 GHz
  • Memory: 300 MB RAM
  • Graphics: GeForce 8800 or Radeon® HD4800 series, 512 MB of memory
  • Storage: 300 MB available space

User reviews & Ratings

Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.

Jan. 2025
The game looks very unusual, gameplay is enjoyable, and the music suits just fine! The game is not very long, but some moments were a bit challenging for me (the ending of 'Elude' part in particular)... I wish they had some achievement awarded for finishing the game!.. :) The game seems to be quite playable on Steam Deck! :)
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Feb. 2021
Spoilers, I guess? If you don't want to know anything about the mechanics since that's the entire game. I'll spoiler out the important parts. TLDR if you just want to sit down for a few hours and get your mind off anything it's great. Despite the controller recommendation this was still really enjoyable on keyboard - in fact, possibly even more than it would have been on controller, but who knows since I seem to have lost it ever since I beat Celeste. When I began, I had absolutely no idea how the movement even worked, nor of how the levels were structured, and the whole thing was very disorienting. It didn't feel like I was "going anywhere" or progressing at all, it's hard to describe it besides just saying it was directionless. As time went on and I understood where I should be navigating myself to, that sense of direction and purpose began to be established. I unconsciously learned how to move around, albeit with constant slip ups. Just as everything became more clear, the goal of finding the four missing pieces was revealed, and the game really started to take shape. I soon figured out how the controls worked; they were "polar" - the arrow keys do not move you across an x/y axis, but rather through angle/distance from centre. Right/left moves you parallel to the circumference, up/down the radius. . This of course felt extremely unintuitive at the beginning, but got a lot more comfortable with time. As other reviews have mentioned, a lot of the time a certain range of angles will be easiest to move in; for me, ~30° to 60°, since there it felt most similar to traditional x/y controls. As time goes on, you'll feel equally comfortable with navigating the rest of the circle, though even by the end I still somewhat preferred that range - probably because the game isn't particularly long and more practice would have changed that further. . I felt that a lot of the game was really just becoming fully adapted to these new controls, and it knows exactly the pace at which it should teach you them. This game is about two things: its atmosphere (especially the dynamic music, which is always difficult to get right but was done very well here), and "patience, not hesitation". For a game that (I think?) is supposed to be calming, I did find it quite frustrating at times, but it becomes less so when you remember the latter point. If those phrases have peaked your interest, grab it, it's not very long but rewarding if you're able to get into it. Definitely worth the price.
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June 2020
What a phenomenal emotional trip! One of the best games I've played, fantastic combination of character control, puzzles and music. Highly recommended!
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July 2019
Wonderful little game if you want something a bit different. Expand is very basic in concept, but it sells itself with its presentation and music. All you have to do is use the left analog stick to steer a red square around a maze, but what a maze! The entire thing is like a living entity, morphing, mutating, spreading, contracting, it's quite a hypnotic thing to watch. Essentially you're presented with a bite-sized navigational problem, and once you solve it the maze evolves into the next one, leading you onwards through its stages. While you're doing this, ambient music plays, tracks becoming more urgent as the action does, and slowing down again as the action does. The music really fits each level, almost urging you forwards through the harder sections, and towards the end it all builds up to a crescendo that'll have you (well it had me) on the edge of the seat. The only downside is that while it starts off extremely slow, like a lethargic Super Hexagon, about halfway through it really starts to throw some difficult challenges your way. Every time you fail (eg. get squashed, or hit a red wall) the maze rewinds a few seconds so you don't lose much progress, but for a "relaxing" game there are a handful of "you've got to be kidding me" stages... but then the moment passes because you succeed, and move on. Anyway, cheap, cheerful, different, occasionally frustrating, and worth a shot.
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Dec. 2015
This game is goddamn lovely, and I'd recommend it to everyone. It's short, almost meditative, wonderfully designed, with a beautiful soundtrack and a fantastic flow to it. Brilliantly executed, and lasts exactly as long as it needs to. Buy it now.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Expand is currently priced at 4.99€ on Steam.

Expand is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 4.99€ on Steam.

Expand received 382 positive votes out of a total of 433 achieving a rating of 8.21.
😎

Expand was developed and published by Chris Johnson and Chris Larkin.

Expand is playable and fully supported on Windows.

Expand is playable and fully supported on MacOS.

Expand is playable and fully supported on Linux.

Expand is a single-player game.

There is a DLC available for Expand. Explore additional content available for Expand on Steam.

Expand does not support mods via Steam Workshop.

Expand does not support Steam Remote Play.

Expand is enabled for Steam Family Sharing. This means you can share the game with authorized users from your Steam Library, allowing them to play it on their own accounts. For more details on how the feature works, you can read the original Steam Family Sharing announcement or visit the Steam Family Sharing user guide and FAQ page.

You can find solutions or submit a support ticket by visiting the Steam Support page for Expand.

Data sources

The information presented on this page is sourced from reliable APIs to ensure accuracy and relevance. We utilize the Steam API to gather data on game details, including titles, descriptions, prices, and user reviews. This allows us to provide you with the most up-to-date information directly from the Steam platform.

Additionally, we incorporate data from the SteamSpy API, which offers insights into game sales and player statistics. This helps us present a comprehensive view of each game's popularity and performance within the gaming community.

Last Updates
Steam data 24 January 2026 14:22
SteamSpy data 27 January 2026 15:13
Steam price 29 January 2026 04:47
Steam reviews 28 January 2026 00:03

If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about Expand, we invite you to check out a few dedicated websites that offer extensive information and insights. These platforms provide valuable data, analysis, and user-generated reports to enhance your understanding of the game and its performance.

  • SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about Expand
  • SteamCharts - Analysis of Expand concurrent players on Steam
  • ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck Expand compatibility
Expand
4.99€ Buy Now
Rating
8.2
382
51
Game modes
Features
Online players
0
Developer
Chris Johnson, Chris Larkin
Publisher
Chris Johnson, Chris Larkin
Release 30 Sep 2015
Platforms
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