Publisher JanduSoft has announced Dark Rail, a dark management roguelike from Spanish solo developer Steam Veil Games, launching on all platforms in Q4 2026. And you don’t have to wait to try it — a brand-new demo is available on Steam starting today as part of Steam Train Fest.
In Dark Rail, you take command of the Inquisition in an industrial city on the edge of the Empire. Managing resources, maintaining order, and meeting prisoner shipment quotas matters just as much as sending your inquisitors out on dangerous train expeditions to hunt down heretics and slay horrifying creatures. Every decision carries consequences, and balancing resources, revolt, and madness is the only way to survive.
Three Genres on One Track
Dark Rail’s pitch is a genuine three-way blend — turn-based strategy, city management, and roguelike mechanics — built so that every journey unfolds differently. It’s a combination that puts equal weight on the grind of running a city and the tension of sending people out into the dark, and the two halves feed each other.
Roll the dice and use every turn wisely as your inquisitors face horrifying beasts out on the rails.
Juggle resources, keep order, expand your headquarters, and hit those prisoner shipment quotas.
Every expedition unfolds differently, and every decision compounds. Madness spreads run by run.
Train Your Inquisitors, Expand Your Power
Progression runs through both halves of the game. You’ll train your inquisitors and unlock powerful new abilities for them, while managing and expanding your headquarters back home — upgrading your base is described as an important part of surviving the horrors ahead. The further you push, the more you’ll have to decide exactly how far you’re willing to go to keep the Empire running. Because when madness spreads through the population, even the darkest sacrifices may become necessary.
Lead the Inquisition in an industrial city at the Empire’s edge — maintaining order, managing resources, and meeting your prisoner shipment quotas.
Send inquisitors on dangerous train expeditions to hunt heretics and slay horrifying creatures. Every journey plays out differently.
Manage and expand your headquarters between runs. Upgrading your base is key to surviving what’s waiting further down the line.
Resources, revolt, and madness all pull against each other. Every decision has consequences — and the darkest sacrifices may become necessary.
A Solo Developer With a Publisher Behind Them
It’s an ambitious scope for a solo project, and the all-platform commitment suggests real confidence in the concept. Grimdark strategy fans have plenty to be curious about here — the Inquisition setting, the quota-and-revolt tension, and the roguelike expedition structure are a genuinely distinctive combination.
Dark Rail launches on all platforms in Q4 2026. The demo is available on Steam now as part of Steam Train Fest, so you can find out today whether you have what it takes to survive a world consumed by madness.
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