Understanding, The Game
'Understanding, the game' it's a suspense/investigation horror indie game inspired in classic horror games! Full Game coming as soon we can! Help us grow the game!
Village in the Shade on Steam
Quick menu
Enjoy quiet, countryside living in a Japanese village in this brand new farming sim! Just make sure you follow the rules—or else!
Village in the Shade is a adventure, simulation and horror game
developed by Nippon Ichi Software and Inc.
and published by NIS America and Inc..
Released on July 29th 2026 is available on Windows, Steam Deck and Steam Machine.
It has received 744 reviews of which 683 were positive and 61 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.6 out of 10. 😎
The game is currently priced at 49.99€ on Steam.
The Steam community has classified Village in the Shade into these genres:
Media & Screenshots
Get an in-depth look at Village in the Shade through various videos and screenshots.
Load More
System requirements
These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.
Windows
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: Windows 10/11
- Processor: Intel Core i5-6400
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: GeForce GTX 750 Ti
- DirectX: Version 11
- Storage: 9 GB available space
Steam Price & Best Deals
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
Edit: Played more with a translation app. There are some moments where the game will catch you off guard, but don't let that stop you from continuing on. There's something wrong in this village. So, while you're farming and doing simple tasks, you get to do some mystery stuff too. I absolutely love this game! Also, some easter eggs here and there about their previous game titles too! Very cute <3 Old: It's incredible interesting and I can't wait for the full release in English this October! When I saw the art style, I was like "this style looks.... familiar." Then behold it was, indeed, the studio that created "Yomawari." The game is cute with farming and horror aspects to it. So far, I'm waiting for the English translation but made my way through 2 days in-game (I know a bit of Japanese, but it's been too long...). I was a bit sad to see you can't date anyone in this game, but that doesn't pull me away from playing the game more. I love the art style, the layout and design. Everything, visually. The sound effects are pretty awesome too, loved it. //will edit later...//
Played through the game in Japanese, in Shade mode, prior to the ENG localization available on October 27th. If you're familiar with modern farming sims along the lines of Stardew Valley, you'll know what to expect regarding the daytime gameplay. You farm! You process things and sell them! You can make friends with the other villagers and see their interactions with one another in town! (You can't romance them. You're like, twelve. Also there's story stuff. There's a proper overarching narrative in this game, which is why the lack of more varied day-to-day dialogue doesn't bother me too much.) And on the other hand: if you're familiar with this team's prior work, you'll have an idea of what to expect in terms of themes and what the nighttime gameplay will feel like. If you're not familiar, they're a little bit puzzle-like, and you can "resolve" the major hauntings through various means and get prizes for doing so. There's jumpscares in this game, sure, but most were common during the regular wandering at night that eventually turned into me chuckling at the screen when they got me. Birds again, huh? Bloody handprints tonight too? That said, this is also a huge step up in visual quality and gamefeel over the prior Yomawari games. There were many unique sprites, portraits, and animations I was delighted by. There was also no point where I felt gameplay clunk or design leaving me frustrated. The story is the most difficult thing to pitch, as it's one of those mysteries surrounding the village itself kind of situations. Everyone's got their secrets, you know? I will say that at this point I can't imagine going through the game in the other mode, without the horror/story element, as it just added that much extra juice to the characters for me. It took me 100+ hours to reach the end of said story, but that's because I enjoy the busywork of tending to the farm and getting materials. You can probably shave off a considerable chunk of that time if you like, just go to bed to pass the time lmao. (Note: you will be gated by needing certain items or access to certain areas, so that'll be something for you to be aware of if you go that route.) In short, as a longtime farming sim and Yomawari fan: excellent stuff! I laughed, I cried, I got gored by a deer in the mountains. Consider giving this a try if you think you'll love tending a plot of land in a Japanese village that's got a solid stripe of supernatural horror about it.
9.5/10 This is definitely one of the best game i have every play. This game proves that: -you don’t need an overwhelming amount of VFX to make a battle feel truly epic. -you don’t need overly complicated mechanics to make a boss fight engaging and memorable. -you don’t need an absurd plot twist or an overly complicated story to make a narrative genuinely interesting. -you don’t need to use overly obscure or complicated words in character dialogue to make your characters or story feel deep. Good writing speaks for itself.
Complicated first impressions. The trailer I found was in English. It does not offer English yet. Fine. I press on and play anyway. The developers confirm you cannot change the language once you start the game. So I've only played through the first Spring as I don't want to go any further just to throw away my progress. This has soured the experience for me a bit. I immediately looked after the trailer to find it is released and then expected maybe I made a mistake about it not being out, but no. Why the trailer in English then? Frustrated me a bit. As for the game itself, I think it is fun. The horror aspect is probably 10% of the game and the rest is a normal farm game. I love horror, but I can't play horror games; somehow, the game is easy enough with the horror for me to survive it. I think only one thing that irritated me that seemed a bit anti-player is a character stealing ¥1,000 from me and it not being returned... Other than that, I really enjoy it and wished the English was out now. I think it's very odd to not be able to switch languages and the disparity between regional prices for Taiwan and other areas. I don't mind the price of it's fair, but it's not. I think it's strange to not have everything equal across the board at the expense of the players.
I am playing at midnight with my headphones on. Everything about the daytime farming is mediocre. However, I continue to play because something doesn't want my character to go to sleep and keeps knocking on my door. They successfully got me with the first jump scare lol! Therefore, I am willing to pay the $50 USD just to see what's going on. Edit: The game really takes off around Summer as you gradually unlock everything. There’s way more content than expected! I recommend this to anyone wanting a twist on the typical cozy farming game. It has a vibe like a light Japanese horror film—not scary enough to ruin your evening, but engaging enough to keep you coming back. 我現在是在半夜帶著耳機玩這款遊戲。白天農場經營的內容真的很平庸。不過，因為本人膽子比較小，平常只敢玩這種畫風可愛的遊戲，所以我還是一直玩了下去。目前看來遊戲氣氛有少許恐怖，突如其來的聲效也確實嚇到了我。我願意花這 50 美元，就是想看看接下來到底會不會嚇到我拉屎！
Similar games
View all
SIMULACRA: Pipe Dreams
A spin-off of the critically acclaimed SIMULACRA, Pipe Dreams tells a brand new story, with a new interface, live-action cast and horrors to unravel. Follow the story of Teddy as he tries desperately to break free from the hold of a cursed video game.
Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos
Explore the wide world of Anthos with the help of your wacky inventor friend Doc Jr. and many others! It’ll be up to you to revive the Harvest Goddess and the Harvest Sprites, as well as reconnect all of the villages of Anthos with each other! Farm all around Anthos using the improved Expando-Farm!
Alice's World
Alice's World is a story-driven 2D adventure puzzle game. Amidst desolate ruins and deserted cities in a world filled with death, the young girl Alice hears "your" voice from in front of the screen. You must guide her forward, solve the mysteries, and reach the top of the tower.
Grunn
A gardener gets hired for maintenance work over the weekend. A simple task, but strangely some tools are missing… The owner of the garden isn't around, and their house is off-limits. Perhaps new tools can be found in the mysterious town, or maybe some of the reserved townsfolk have seen them?
MOLE
Pilot the MOLE, a monstrous post-war drilling machine built to descend deep below the Slavic soil. Fix failing systems, follow voices of the dead, and pray you can survive whatever is sharing your coffin. Will the vessel or your mind break first?
![[Chilla's Art] Okaeri | おかえり](https://shared.fastly.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/1147960/hero_capsule.jpg?t=1662351711)
[Chilla's Art] Okaeri | おかえり
Okaeri is a VHS Japanese psychological horror game about a middle school girl and her mother who recently moved to a new house.
Eyes: The Horror Game
You break into the mansion at night. It’s huge and built like a maze. You're trying to escape, but the monster is after you! The chase begins. RUN!!
ShadowSide
ShadowSide is a First Person Exploration game. A policeman Alex Carter has been watching over the tranquility in the town for many years. He protects the people from robbery and crime. Nothing but a routine.
Rise of Insanity
In Rise of Insanity, as a doctor of psychology you will explore the darkest recesses of the human mind. Overcome your fear to find the truth behind the tragedy that has befallen your family.
PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo
How far would you go to bring someone back from the dead? Discover the depths that some will go to in this horror-adventure game.
Yomawari: Night Alone
A quiet evening stroll takes a turn for the worse as a tragic accident befalls a little girl and her dog. When her sister goes missing later in the night, the little girl decides to venture out into the eerie darkness to search for her loved ones as evil spirits haunt the alleyways and streets of her once-peaceful town.
Frequently Asked Questions
Village in the Shade is currently priced at 49.99€ on Steam.
No, Village in the Shade is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 49.99€ on Steam.
Yes, Village in the Shade received 683 positive votes out of a total of 744 achieving a rating of 8.61.
😎
Village in the Shade was developed by Nippon Ichi Software and Inc. and published by NIS America and Inc..
Yes, Village in the Shade is playable and fully supported on Windows.
No, Village in the Shade is not playable on MacOS.
No, Village in the Shade is not playable on Linux.
Yes, Village in the Shade is playable and fully supported on Steam Deck.
Yes, Village in the Shade is playable and fully supported on Steam Machine.
No, Village in the Shade does not support VR.
Village in the Shade is a single-player game.
Yes, there are 2 DLCs available for Village in the Shade. Explore additional content available for Village in the Shade on Steam.
No, Village in the Shade does not support mods via Steam Workshop.
No, Village in the Shade does not support Steam Remote Play.
Yes, Village in the Shade 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 Village in the Shade.
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 | 17 September 2026 23:42 UTC |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 21 September 2026 10:31 UTC |
| Steam price | 25 September 2026 18:59 UTC |
| Steam reviews | 25 September 2026 06:00 UTC |
If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about Village in the Shade, 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 Village in the Shade
- SteamCharts - Analysis of Village in the Shade concurrent players on Steam
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck Village in the Shade compatibility
Game modes
Features
Online players
299
Developer
Nippon Ichi Software, Inc.
Publisher
NIS America, Inc.
Release
29 Jul 2026
Platforms