ArtDock’s Hands Over pits five players around a table to face deadly versions of childhood games. Featuring bluffing, sabotage, and influence cards, this co-op horror title is now available to wishlist on Steam with a release date still to be announced.
Hands Over is a 5-player co-op horror party game developed and published by ArtDock, officially revealed on May 24, 2026 via an announcement trailer published through IGN. Players sit around a virtual table and face warped, brutal versions of childhood favourites like Crocodile Dentist, Pie Face, and memory challenges. Every turn revolves around tension, bluffing, sabotage, and the dread that one mistake could end more than just the round. The game is listed on Steam with a “To be announced” release date and already supports over 30 languages.
What Is Hands Over About?
Hands Over traps players in a cruel game show where harmless trials become savage tests of luck, nerves, and trust. According to the Steam store description, players take a seat at the table, play their cards, sabotage their friends, and try to stay in the game while every turn puts someone under pressure. The concept is instantly readable: press the teeth one by one, and one of them is the wrong one. You grasp the danger in seconds, but the real tension comes from figuring out who is bluffing, who is setting a trap, and who is about to lose more than just a turn.
Every match unfolds in dark, oppressive rooms filled with cruel devices, unsettling characters, and the persistent feeling that something is watching your next mistake. The focus stays tight: the table, the players, the device, and the next terrible decision.
How Do Influence Cards and Sabotage Work?
Between turns, players use influence cards to shift the odds, protect themselves, sabotage opponents, and trigger chaotic events. A safe move can become a disaster in seconds. A desperate player can redirect the entire table’s aggression toward someone else. Each card can save you, break someone else’s plan, or turn a seemingly safe action into a catastrophe. This card layer lifts Hands Over beyond simple chance into genuine strategic territory, where alliances form and shatter every round.
Failure Leaves a Mark: Persistent Consequences
In Hands Over, failure is not just a number on the screen. A bad move can cost you a hand, knock you out of the round, shift the balance at the table, and turn the whole match against you. Every punishment is visible, clear, and deliberately designed for moments players will want to record, share, and replay. Eliminated players can continue to influence the game as ghosts, meaning nobody is ever truly out of the action until the final survivor remains.
Who Is ArtDock?
ArtDock is an independent studio previously known for SOS OPS!, a co-op action title released in November 2023, and lighter projects such as Penguin Helper. Their upcoming slate includes Lootbound, a pixel-art roguelite with turn-based tactics set for Q2 2026, and Pao Pao, a culinary-diving party game. Hands Over marks ArtDock’s first move into the horror genre, which makes the project particularly interesting given the studio’s track record in co-op-focused game design.
Where Hands Over Fits in the Deadly Party Game Trend
The “deadly tabletop horror” subgenre has exploded since Buckshot Roulette launched in late 2023. Created by Estonian solo developer Mike Klubnika, Buckshot Roulette reimagined Russian roulette with a 12-gauge shotgun and strategic item mechanics. It went viral on Twitch and TikTok, sold a million copies within two weeks of its Steam launch in April 2024, and reached 4 million total sales by December 2024. Its success proved there is a massive audience for simple-rules, high-stakes horror experiences.
Klubnika’s next project, Machine Party, was announced at the Triple-i Initiative Showcase in April 2026 and is scheduled for Q3 2026. Described as “a collection of violent party games where failure is lethal” for 2-4 players, it comes from the same creative lineage. Hands Over enters this space with distinct differences: a 5-player structure, childhood nostalgia as its horror hook, a persistent damage system, and a deeper influence-card layer that encourages strategic sabotage rather than pure luck.
System Requirements and Technical Details
According to the Steam listing, the minimum requirements for Hands Over are Windows 10/11, an Intel Core i5-4460 or AMD FX-8350 processor, 8 GB RAM, and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 or AMD Radeon R9 280 graphics card. The game supports Online PvP, Online Co-op, and Family Sharing. Over 30 languages are listed including English, French, German, Italian, and Russian.
The developer’s mature content description states the game contains stylized horror violence, blood, a dark atmosphere, and scenes of hand injury caused by a fictional mechanical device. The violence is presented in a stylized, non-realistic visual style. It does not contain sexual content, nudity, drug use, gambling, or self-harm themes.
Things Players Are Curious About
When does Hands Over release?
The Steam page lists the release date as “To be announced.” The reveal trailer dropped on May 24, 2026. You can wishlist it now to get notified when a concrete date is confirmed.
How many players does it support?
Hands Over is built for 5 players who compete around the same table. The last one standing wins.
Which childhood games are included?
The announcement trailer showcases twisted versions of Crocodile Dentist, Pie Face, and memory challenges. A SIMON-like mechanic also appears in the footage. The full roster of mini-games has not been confirmed yet, but ArtDock has indicated there will be multiple game types to keep matches varied.
What happens when you get eliminated?
Eliminated players are not purely spectators. Based on the trailer and press descriptions, players who lose their place at the table can persist as ghosts with some ability to influence the remaining rounds, keeping everyone engaged until the match concludes.
Is Hands Over coming to consoles?
Currently, only a PC (Steam) release has been announced. No console versions have been confirmed at this time.
How is Hands Over different from Buckshot Roulette?
While both fall under the deadly tabletop horror umbrella, Hands Over supports 5 players rather than a solo experience against a dealer, uses childhood party games as its thematic foundation instead of Russian roulette, and adds an influence-card sabotage system that creates deeper social dynamics and strategic play.
Should You Wishlist Hands Over?
Hands Over occupies a compelling niche. It is not a traditional co-op horror game like Phasmophobia or Content Warning where exploration drives the scares. Instead, it delivers compact, high-pressure rounds around a single table where every decision carries weight. The blend of nostalgia, social deception, and visible punishment creates natural streaming and content-creation appeal. For groups of five looking for something that sits between a party game and a horror experience, Hands Over looks like one of the most distinctive announcements of mid-2026.
You can add Hands Over to your Steam wishlist now to stay updated on release timing and future reveals from ArtDock.
