Paint it Back on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
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Use logic as your paintbrush to restore lost works of pixel art. Try the demo!
Paint it Back is a puzzle, casual and indie game
developed and published by Casual Labs.
Released on October 14th 2015 is available in English on Windows, MacOS and Linux.
It has received 542 reviews of which 531 were positive and 11 were negative resulting in an impressive rating of 9.1 out of 10. 😍
The game is currently priced at 7.99€ on Steam.
The Steam community has classified Paint it Back into these genres:
Media & Screenshots
Get an in-depth look at Paint it Back through various videos and screenshots.
System requirements
These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.
Windows
- OS: XP / Vista / 7 / 8 / 10
- Processor: Intel Pentium M 1.7GHz
- Memory: 1 GB RAM
- Graphics: Any 3D capable card
- DirectX: Version 9.0c
- Storage: 195 MB available space
MacOS
- OS: Mac OS X 10.7 or newer
- Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.1 GHz
- Memory: 1 GB RAM
- Graphics: Any 3D capable card
- Storage: 205 MB available space
Linux
- OS: Ubuntu 12.04 32/64-bit or Ubuntu 12.10 32/64-bit
- Processor: 1GHz processor
- Memory: 1 GB RAM
- Graphics: OpenGL 2.0 compatible video card with 256 MB shared or dedicated RAM (ATI or NVIDIA)
- Storage: 225 MB available space
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
Paint it Back is a thoughtfully designed logic puzzle game that takes the classic nonogram formula and refines it into a polished, content-rich experience that is both relaxing and mentally engaging. Developed and published by Casual Labs, the game places players in the role of a restorer tasked with bringing back a gallery of pixel-art paintings that have been mysteriously erased. Rather than relying on story or spectacle, Paint it Back builds its appeal through clear rules, satisfying progression, and a steady sense of accomplishment that comes from solving increasingly complex puzzles through pure deduction. At its core, Paint it Back revolves around nonograms, also known as picross or griddlers. Each puzzle presents a grid with numerical clues along the rows and columns, indicating how many consecutive squares should be filled in. Using these clues, players must logically determine which cells to paint and which to leave blank, gradually revealing a complete pixel-art image. The rules are simple, but the execution rewards patience and careful reasoning, as guessing is discouraged and logical consistency is key to success. The controls are intuitive, allowing players to mark filled cells, flag empty ones, and undo actions freely, which encourages experimentation without penalty. One of the game’s greatest strengths is how well it introduces complexity over time. Early puzzles are small and forgiving, acting as gentle tutorials that teach players how to read clues and apply basic logic. As the game progresses, grids grow significantly larger, eventually reaching sizes that require sustained focus and multi-step reasoning to complete. This gradual escalation ensures that newcomers are never overwhelmed while still offering a meaningful challenge for experienced puzzle fans. Larger puzzles can take considerable time to solve, but they rarely feel unfair, as solutions are always rooted in logic rather than obscure tricks. The structure of the game reinforces this sense of steady progression. Paint it Back features a large collection of puzzles spread across multiple themed rooms, each with its own visual identity and tone. Completing puzzles restores paintings to the gallery, providing a clear visual reward that makes progress feel tangible. The pixel-art images themselves are charming and varied, ranging from playful and humorous scenes to more intricate and detailed compositions. This visual payoff adds motivation, as each solved puzzle feels like uncovering a small piece of art rather than simply clearing a grid. Beyond the main puzzle sets, the game offers additional modes and challenges that significantly enhance replay value. Optional challenge modes introduce constraints such as time pressure or reduced marking tools, appealing to players who want to test their mastery of the mechanics. Randomized or special-condition puzzles ensure that even after completing the main gallery, there is still plenty to engage with. For players who enjoy completionist goals, achievements and optional challenges provide long-term objectives without detracting from the relaxed core experience. Presentation is clean and functional, prioritizing clarity above all else. The interface stays out of the way, allowing the grid and clues to remain the central focus at all times. Animations and effects are subtle, reinforcing the calm, methodical pace of the game. Sound design follows the same philosophy, with gentle background music and unobtrusive effects that support concentration rather than distract from it. This makes Paint it Back especially well suited for long play sessions or for unwinding after more intense games. While the game excels at what it sets out to do, its appeal is naturally limited to fans of logic-based puzzles. Players looking for narrative depth, fast-paced gameplay, or mechanical variety beyond nonograms may find the experience too focused or repetitive. However, this narrow focus is also what allows the game to feel so refined, as every system serves the central puzzle-solving experience without unnecessary embellishment. Overall, Paint it Back stands as an excellent example of a classic puzzle concept executed with care and confidence. It offers a substantial amount of content, a well-balanced difficulty curve, and a soothing presentation that makes logic puzzles feel rewarding rather than stressful. For fans of nonograms or anyone looking for a thoughtful, low-pressure game that rewards patience and reasoning, it delivers a deeply satisfying experience that can be enjoyed in short sessions or long, immersive stretches alike. Rating: 9/10
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I played this game when it came out on IOS. I vowed to never get a Steam account ever. However, when I saw this was the only way to play this game (due to stupid stuff in the ios version), I got a steam account. That should show you how good this game is.
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Tons of levels and difficulties -- plus some of the largest puzzles I've seen in games! Easy to jump into and lose hours on "just one more puzzle". A must for puzzle fans!
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Paint it Back is a cool nonogram puzzle game, where you need to use logic to fill the correct squares in a grid, representing an image. Compared to similar titles on Steam, this one seems to lack some quality-of-life features. However, you also have to consider that this is one of the older ones—it's also a mobile port. But it’s still a solid game that I enjoyed, with a nice presentation. There’s no timer, which can be seen as a negative, but I appreciate it because it removes pressure when solving. There are lots of puzzles to solve, plus Steam Workshop support. The soundtrack is very limited, so listen to your own music instead. Bigger puzzles have a difficulty selection, which breaks them down into smaller sections. I still recommend going for the full picture since that’s the original puzzle. They can get big, with a size over 30x30, and some can take over an hour. Also, I can confirm that every puzzle can be beaten using logic without guessing. However, the difficulty is all over the place—the hardest puzzles to solve are usually in the middle of a chapter, followed by easier ones. There are in-game achievements, and the credits roll when you get them all. So, overall, I can recommend this game if you’re a fan of nonograms or puzzle games in general. Despite some shortcomings, it has a ton of content and it’s enjoyable.
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Paint it Back is a gallery full of nonogram/Picross-type puzzles with offbeat humor. The gameplay is nice overall but is missing a few modern quality of life features present in similar games, such as a diamond/potential marking and a counting aid for larger areas. (The latter is really handy for reducing eyestrain.) However, it does include options to make puzzles easier, such as dividing large pieces into smaller parts. If you enjoy nonograms and don't mind the extra time spent counting boxes, it's fine. Also, there's community made puzzles if you want even more. Neato.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Paint it Back is currently priced at 7.99€ on Steam.
Paint it Back is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 7.99€ on Steam.
Paint it Back received 531 positive votes out of a total of 542 achieving an impressive rating of 9.08.
😍
Paint it Back was developed and published by Casual Labs.
Paint it Back is playable and fully supported on Windows.
Paint it Back is playable and fully supported on MacOS.
Paint it Back is playable and fully supported on Linux.
Paint it Back is a single-player game.
Paint it Back does not currently offer any DLC.
Paint it Back is fully integrated with Steam Workshop. Visit Steam Workshop.
Paint it Back does not support Steam Remote Play.
Paint it Back 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 Paint it Back.
Data sources
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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 | 13 March 2026 19:08 |
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| SteamSpy data | 11 March 2026 05:33 |
| Steam price | 15 March 2026 04:46 |
| Steam reviews | 14 March 2026 11:51 |
If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about Paint it Back, 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 Paint it Back
- SteamCharts - Analysis of Paint it Back concurrent players on Steam
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck Paint it Back compatibility
Game modes
Features
Online players
4
Developer
Casual Labs
Publisher
Casual Labs
Release
14 Oct 2015
Platforms