The Sand Man on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
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“I’ll tell you a scary story. It’s so scary you might not be able to take it. It’s the story of the Sand Man...” This is the second title in the Strange Man series, developed by Uri Games. Unable to sleep and exhausted, Sophie wanders into a town where everything sleeps. That is where the terror begins...
The Sand Man is a indie, casual and adventure game
developed by Uri Games
and published by PLAYISM.
Released on January 29th 2018 is available only on Windows
in 5 languages: English, Japanese, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese and Korean.
It has received 315 reviews of which 298 were positive and 17 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.7 out of 10. 😎
The game is currently priced at 1.79€ on Steam with a 40% discount.
The Steam community has classified The Sand Man into these genres:
Media & Screenshots
Get an in-depth look at The Sand Man 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 *: Windows 7 or Greater
- Processor: Intel Core 2 1.06Ghz
- Memory: 1 GB RAM
- Graphics: Integrated graphics
- DirectX: Version 9.0
- Storage: 66 MB available space
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
Really love the strange man series. this one not so much scary but really fun and cute also the sandman lol
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The Sand Man, developed by Uri Games and published by PLAYISM, is a somber and atmospheric psychological horror game that weaves dreamlike storytelling with subtle emotional depth. It stands as the second entry in the “Strange Men” series, following The Crooked Man, and carries forward the same pixel art aesthetic, eerie sound design, and character-driven narrative. Despite its simple visual style and minimalist mechanics, The Sand Man delivers a uniquely haunting experience, driven by themes of isolation, emotional neglect, and the fragile boundary between dreams and reality. The game centers around Sophie Grundler, a teenage girl plagued by chronic insomnia. Her sleepless nights are more than just an inconvenience—they begin to unravel her grip on reality. One night, after a particularly unsettling episode at home, she ventures out into town only to discover that everyone around her has mysteriously fallen into a deep sleep. What begins as a mysterious anomaly quickly escalates into a surreal and terrifying journey, as Sophie ventures into increasingly strange and symbolic environments, unraveling both the mystery of the Sand Man and the deeper pains buried within her past. Gameplay in The Sand Man is structured around exploration and narrative progression, with occasional puzzles and tense encounters. The game plays out in a side-scrolling, top-down RPGMaker format, where players guide Sophie through various dreamlike environments—her school, her town, unsettling forests, and realms that seem to exist outside of time. While the mechanics are straightforward—walking, interacting, using inventory items—the real substance lies in observation and emotional engagement. Puzzles are mostly logical, though they can be cryptic at times, requiring attention to environmental clues or character dialogue. Occasionally, Sophie must flee from or avoid danger, with chase sequences punctuating the otherwise slow and contemplative pacing. The game’s pixel art style is simple but effective. Though not graphically complex, the environments are crafted with care and intention, using darkness, emptiness, and subtle visual shifts to create an oppressive, dreamlike atmosphere. Lighting plays a significant role in setting the mood, with many areas cloaked in shadow or flickering with an unnatural glow. This visual tone, paired with the sparse but haunting sound design, heightens the sense of unease. Music is used sparingly and with purpose—at times melancholy, at others dissonant and uncomfortable—always supporting the emotional tone of the scene. One of the game’s strengths is how it often lets silence speak louder than words, allowing the player's imagination to fill in the dread. Narratively, The Sand Man is quietly devastating. While it appears to be a supernatural mystery on the surface, it gradually reveals itself as a deeply personal story about trauma and neglect. Sophie’s interactions with others—both in her waking life and in the surreal dreamscapes—reveal a character who has been emotionally overlooked by the people around her. As the player progresses, it becomes clear that the Sand Man is not just a monster, but a manifestation of deeper emotional and psychological wounds. The game’s storytelling is subtle, relying more on implication than exposition, and it often leaves interpretation open to the player. The multiple endings reflect the complexity of Sophie’s journey and offer meaningful variations based on your decisions. While The Sand Man is a powerful experience, it does come with its share of frustrations. Some sections can be vague in direction, and the pace is deliberately slow, which may test the patience of players expecting faster, more traditional horror gameplay. Chase sequences, while adding urgency, can feel awkward due to the limitations of the RPGMaker engine, and trial-and-error deaths may irritate those who prefer more forgiving mechanics. However, for players who value narrative depth and emotional resonance over polish and adrenaline, these flaws are minor compared to what the game offers in return. In the end, The Sand Man is not a horror game that screams—it whispers. Its impact lies in the quiet sadness of its characters, the creeping discomfort of its environments, and the unsettling feeling that something is deeply wrong, even if you can’t always name it. It’s a story of fear, but also of emotional disconnection and the desperate search for understanding. For those willing to slow down and engage with it on its own terms, The Sand Man provides a chilling, poignant, and deeply human experience that lingers well beyond the final scene. Rating: 9/10
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This one is definitely a weird game. Kind of endearing because of that. I like the story personally. It's weird and whimsical, not like a typical horror. The idea of the whole world being put to sleep is very interesting, and it was fun to unravel the mystery of why this happened. When you get the good ending, it's actually kinda wholesome. ...though I found Sandman's feelings for Sophie to be highkey cursed, considering the age range... it's an old game, so I don't know how old the creator was at the time, but yeah. It's weird. We don't talk about it. Unlike in The Crooked Man (the previous game in the series), I found the puzzles to be more hard / tedious to figure out. Some the answers required "insane man's logic", so don't be afraid to pull up a walkthrough. It also has less action than Crooked Man. Unlike Crooked Man, it's more slow-paced and story-focused, though both games were finished roughly around the 4-5 hour mark. In conclusion, it's a fun little story, and is only $3. If you liked The Crooked Man or any of the other Strange Man games, I would recommend trying out The Sand Man!
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A marked improvement over The Crooked Man. Much more imaginative visuals, especially in the late game. Puzzles are fun, with only occasional guesswork. Not so much scary as it is dark in certain implications. Thankfully, The Crooked Man is not required viewing, but fans will surely appreciate the tasteful crossover. Worth a buy at £2, but the whole series reliably goes on sale for those strapped for cash.
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This is a fun shorter game following a school girl that wakes up in a town that is in a permanent sleep state. You must solve puzzles and keep up with the story to find out why the town is in the state it is. The game has a semi-creepy setting in an abandoned town. I did like some of the artwork, and dialogue. There are also unseen/seen forces out to get you that you have to actively avoid. I'm not a huge fan of timed events and sneaking, so there were some parts that were slightly frustrating to me. Some people like that aspect, so didn't kill the overall game. The story was decent, and it was entertaining for a few hours. It does have a couple different endings depending on your choices. Overall, was a positive experience so can recommend. If you're looking for a fun/shorter game this is a good one.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The Sand Man is currently priced at 1.79€ on Steam.
The Sand Man is currently available at a 40% discount. You can purchase it for 1.79€ on Steam.
The Sand Man received 298 positive votes out of a total of 315 achieving a rating of 8.67.
😎
The Sand Man was developed by Uri Games and published by PLAYISM.
The Sand Man is playable and fully supported on Windows.
The Sand Man is not playable on MacOS.
The Sand Man is not playable on Linux.
The Sand Man is a single-player game.
The Sand Man does not currently offer any DLC.
The Sand Man does not support mods via Steam Workshop.
The Sand Man does not support Steam Remote Play.
The Sand Man 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 The Sand Man.
Data sources
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Last Updates| Steam data | 18 January 2026 06:17 |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 23 January 2026 17:37 |
| Steam price | 28 January 2026 20:40 |
| Steam reviews | 27 January 2026 10:02 |
If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about The Sand Man, 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 The Sand Man
- SteamCharts - Analysis of The Sand Man concurrent players on Steam
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck The Sand Man compatibility
Game modes
Features
Online players
1
Developer
Uri Games
Publisher
PLAYISM
Release
29 Jan 2018
Platforms