Mad About Pandas’ latest adventure lets you “copy and paste” the physical properties of the world around you. Releasing this May on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.
Have you ever looked at a solid brick wall and wished it had the physical properties of thin air? Or perhaps looked at a coffee table and wished it possessed the bouncy elasticity of a trampoline?
During the Future Games Show Spring Showcase, publisher Focus Entertainment and Berlin-based developer Mad About Pandas revealed a game built entirely around that mind-bending premise. Titled Yerba Buena, this surreal new puzzle-platforming adventure is officially launching on May 26, 2026, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
Featuring a stunning 1970s San Francisco aesthetic and a deeply meta-narrative, Yerba Buena looks to be one of the most mechanically inventive puzzle games of the year. Here is a breakdown of what makes this upcoming title so special.
Copy, Paste, and Break the World
The star of the show in Yerba Buena is undoubtedly its groundbreaking central mechanic: the Oscillator.
Because the game takes place inside a simulated video game world, the standard laws of physics are merely suggestions. The Oscillator allows players to manipulate the environment at the touch of a button using a unique “Copy and Paste” system. You can scan the environment, copy a specific physical trait or movement vector from one object, and apply it to something completely different to solve complex environmental puzzles.
Need to cross a massive gap? Copy the bounciness of a nearby trampoline and paste it onto a wooden table. Need to clear a path? Turn a solid wall into a ghostly apparition, or apply massive kinetic force to hurl entire buildings across city blocks. The game actively encourages you to break the rules of its reality to progress.
An NPC Steps into the Spotlight
Complementing the trippy gameplay mechanics is a narrative that leans heavily into the surreal.
You play as Barb, a young woman who was originally designed to be nothing more than a background NPC in an abandoned 1970s video game world. However, when her beloved digital recreation of San Francisco comes under threat, Barb is forced to step up and become the main character she was never meant to be.
The city is facing a multi-front crisis. A mysterious, world-eating glitch is spreading through the streets every day, corrupting the city’s code. As if the existential threat of digital deletion wasn’t enough, Barb and her friends must also uncover a sinister underlying plot while contending with a dangerous gang of bikers.
Watch the Yerba Buena Reveal Trailer: YouTube Link
About the Developer
Yerba Buena is being developed by Mad About Pandas, an award-winning independent studio founded in 2005. Originally operating under the name kunst-stoff, the studio has a long history of creating narrative-driven games defined by a signature atmosphere of playfulness and surrealism.
After years of developing acclaimed mobile titles, the studio shifted its focus toward atmospheric AA games for PC and consoles, a transition marked by their excellent narrative adventure, Hitchhiker – A Mystery Game. Their partnership with Focus Entertainment to bring Yerba Buena to life seems like the perfect marriage of the studio’s surreal storytelling and high-concept puzzle mechanics.
Pre-Orders Available Now
You won’t have to wait long to break the rules of reality. Yerba Buena officially launches on May 26, 2026, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
If you are a PC player, you can pre-order the game on Steam today to secure a 10% discount, bringing the price down to a very reasonable $22.49. Console players can currently add the game to their respective PlayStation and Xbox wishlists.