Sad Cat delays REPLACED to April 14, 2026 after Steam demo feedback

Sad Cat Studios announced on X that REPLACED, the 2.5D cyberpunk action-platformer published by Thunderful Games, has been delayed from March 12, 2026 to April 14, 2026 so the small team can perform final polish after Steam demo feedback; the move is a 33-day shift and the demo remains available on Steam while the game will launch on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC storefronts and be day-one on Xbox Game Pass.

In its post on X, Sad Cat framed the delay as a quality safeguard for the studio’s first title, writing, "As a small team working on our very first title, we’ve poured everything we have into this project." The studio added that "the response to our Steam demo has been the ultimate fuel for us" and that "while the game is technically finished, reaching this final stretch has shown us that we need just a few more weeks to ensure the experience is exactly what you deserve. We want the version of Replaced you play on day one to be polished, stable, and true to the vision we've shared with you."

Development for REPLACED began in 2018 and the game was revealed at E3 2021; it originally targeted a 2022 launch window before multiple delays. The team also navigated a 2022 relocation from Belarus to Cyprus after Russia invaded Ukraine, a disruption that contributed to the extended timetable as Sad Cat repeatedly emphasized an unwillingness to compromise the title’s quality.

The Steam demo has been a focal point for the push to polish. Players and early hands-on coverage praised REPLACED’s visuals and cinematic presentation, with one playtester, Mark "WeAwokenTheHive" Pell, reporting after a roughly 20-minute vertical slice on a Steam Deck OLED that "REPLACED is as exciting, and beautiful as it looks." Sad Cat said community feedback has helped pinpoint "rough spots," though some responses flagged that combat can feel "a bit repetitive and undercooked" compared with the game's aesthetic.

Sad Cat also signaled technical priorities for the final weeks of work, noting the team is focusing on ensuring the game runs better on lower-end hardware. REPLACED is slated to appear on PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG, and the Microsoft Store, and will be available day-one on Xbox Game Pass for Series X/S and Xbox One users, leaving players multiple storefront options at launch.

The calendar shift from March 12 to April 14 amounts to 33 days, a short delay the studio says will let it clean up stability and polish issues identified in the demo. With the demo still live on Steam and the new April 14, 2026 release date set, Sad Cat has positioned the extra weeks as the final stretch to deliver a "polished, stable, and true" day-one experience.