Shelter on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
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Experience the wild as a badger sheltering your cubs from harm. On your journey, you will be stalked by birds of prey, encounter perils of the night, cross fierce rivers, escape forest fires and face the looming threat of starvation. Food is to be found, but is there enough for everyone?
Shelter is a adventure, survival and nature game
developed and published by Might and Delight.
Released on August 28th 2013 is available on Windows and MacOS
in 5 languages: English, French, Italian, German and Spanish - Spain.
It has received 3,667 reviews of which 3,123 were positive and 544 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.2 out of 10. 😎
The game is currently priced at 14.79€ on Steam, but you can find it for less on Gamivo.
The Steam community has classified Shelter into these genres:
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 XP SP2
- Processor: 2.6 GHz single core
- Memory: 1 GB RAM
- Graphics: GeForce 400 series, ATI Radeon HD 2xxx
- DirectX: Version 9.0
- Storage: 2 GB available space
MacOS
- OS: OS X version Leopard 10.5.8, Snow Leopard 10.6.3, or later.
- Processor: 2.6 GHz single core
- Memory: 1 GB RAM
- Graphics: OpenGL 2.0 compatible video card with 1 GB shared or dedicated RAM (ATI or NVIDIA)
- Storage: 2 GB available space
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
Shelter, developed and published by Might and Delight, is a minimalist yet emotionally resonant experience that explores the fragility of life and the instinct to protect. It places you in the role of a mother badger caring for her five cubs as they traverse a vast, hostile wilderness in search of safety. The premise is simple, but it carries a quiet weight that builds with every step. There are no traditional goals, no score counters, no text-based instructions guiding your actions. Instead, the game’s emotional core is expressed entirely through the act of survival — through how you feed, guide, and shield your cubs from the dangers that lurk in an uncaring natural world. It’s an experience that strips away the complexity of conventional gameplay to focus on the most basic, universal drive: the will to nurture and protect. The gameplay mechanics are straightforward but imbued with meaning. You lead your cubs through forests, rivers, and valleys, scavenging for food while avoiding threats from predators and the environment. The cubs follow your every move, occasionally wandering off to explore, and you must keep them close to ensure their safety. Food is vital, and each piece you find must be carefully distributed, as starving cubs begin to lag behind and can ultimately die. The tension lies in the balancing act between risk and reward — do you venture out into open spaces for that extra frog or apple, or stay near the safety of cover, knowing that a shadow overhead might signal an eagle ready to swoop down? The game thrives on these quiet moments of decision-making, where a single misjudgment can lead to irreversible loss. There are no second chances or checkpoints that undo tragedy; when a cub dies, it’s permanent, and the emptiness that follows feels hauntingly real. What makes Shelter so powerful is the way it evokes emotional connection without relying on dialogue or exposition. The relationship between the mother badger and her cubs develops naturally through your actions and the small, wordless gestures the game presents. The cubs follow you trustingly, make soft noises, and gather around you when frightened, fostering a sense of attachment that grows as you progress. Each journey through the game’s environments feels like an act of perseverance against overwhelming odds. You’re not a hero armed with tools or weapons, just a parent navigating a world that is both beautiful and perilous. The danger doesn’t feel artificial or exaggerated — it feels natural, a reflection of how indifferent the wilderness can be. When a cub falls behind or disappears, the game doesn’t pause to acknowledge it; the silence itself becomes the eulogy. Few games manage to capture loss with such restraint, relying solely on atmosphere and consequence rather than overt dramatization. The art direction is one of Shelter’s most defining qualities. Might and Delight employ a distinctive visual style that resembles textured paper and watercolor cutouts, giving the world a handcrafted, storybook-like appearance. It’s simple, stylized, and yet incredibly evocative. The muted earth tones and shifting light create a sense of both comfort and melancholy, perfectly matching the emotional tenor of the experience. The sound design complements this aesthetic beautifully — the rustle of leaves, the chirp of insects, and the soft cries of the cubs merge into a soundscape that feels alive. The music swells gently at key moments, never overpowering the natural ambience but adding a subtle emotional resonance. The presentation reinforces the game’s themes, making every quiet night under the stars or desperate sprint for cover feel deeply personal. Despite its strengths, Shelter’s simplicity can also be its weakness. The game is short, often taking only a few hours to complete, and its mechanics don’t evolve significantly over time. Once you understand how to gather food and navigate hazards, the challenges remain largely consistent, relying more on emotional engagement than mechanical variety to sustain interest. The lack of direct guidance, while thematically appropriate, can sometimes lead to confusion about where to go or how to respond to certain environmental cues. Some players may find the minimalism alienating, interpreting it as a lack of substance rather than an artistic choice. Yet these very qualities — its brevity, its sparseness, its refusal to explain itself — are also what give Shelter its meditative power. It’s less a traditional game and more an experience, one meant to be felt rather than conquered. Shelter is a poignant exploration of vulnerability, survival, and connection. It asks little of the player mechanically but a great deal emotionally. By removing layers of abstraction and storytelling, Might and Delight created something raw and elemental, a reminder that empathy can emerge even from the most minimalist of systems. Each run feels like a small personal story — a journey marked by quiet triumphs and inevitable loss, where the beauty of nature is inseparable from its cruelty. Though brief, its impact lingers, not because of what you achieve but because of what you protect, and what you fail to save. Shelter is a rare game that captures the essence of life itself: fleeting, fragile, and filled with moments of heartbreaking beauty. Rating: 8/10
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Very good representation of the strengths of the shelter studio. Has alot of meaning to me .
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What a sad and deep story. A beautiful game with beautiful art style, very deep and beautiful story and life lessons.
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This game got me hooked on all Shelter titles! The art alone is enough to draw you in. When people say an indie game can change your life, I feel like they're referring to games like this. It's so simple, yet beautiful and tragic. You truly feel the hardships of being a single mother in a cruel and unforgiving world. You'll want to do everything in your power to protect your babies. The silent yet impactful story is what keeps you replaying. Although, I will admit, this game doesn't have as much replay value as some of the other titles, it's still a must-play!
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This game is amazing, and deserves more recognition from others. The story, art style, soundtrack, etc is beautiful. This game almost made me cry. Thank you for developing this masterpiece.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Shelter is currently priced at 14.79€ on Steam.
Shelter is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 14.79€ on Steam.
Shelter received 3,123 positive votes out of a total of 3,667 achieving a rating of 8.22.
😎
Shelter was developed and published by Might and Delight.
Shelter is playable and fully supported on Windows.
Shelter is playable and fully supported on MacOS.
Shelter is not playable on Linux.
Shelter is a single-player game.
There is a DLC available for Shelter. Explore additional content available for Shelter on Steam.
Shelter does not support mods via Steam Workshop.
Shelter does not support Steam Remote Play.
Shelter 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 Shelter.
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 | 19 October 2025 22:20 |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 19 October 2025 11:25 |
| Steam price | 29 October 2025 04:44 |
| Steam reviews | 27 October 2025 13:47 |
If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about Shelter, 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 Shelter
- SteamCharts - Analysis of Shelter concurrent players on Steam
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck Shelter compatibility
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Developer
Might and Delight
Publisher
Might and Delight
Release
28 Aug 2013
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