Lost in randomly generated tunnels with nothing but a flashlight and your screams. Find the way out before whatever is down there finds you.
- Platforms
- Windows & macOS on Steam
- Players
- 1–4 players
- Released
- Released October 2026
What is Pinched?
Pinched is a 4-player online co-op horror game. You start deep in a maze of pitch-black tunnels. Nobody has a map. Nobody knows the way out. Something is down there with you.
Your screams carry
Your voice echoes through the tunnels. If you get separated, you'll have to call out to find your friends again. Get too far and they might not hear you. Shout too much and something else will hear you instead.
Pinched at a glance
- Genre
- Co-op horror, asymmetric multiplayer
- Players
- 1–4 online over Steam (Hunter needs 2+)
- Platforms
- Windows 10 64-bit, macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel)
- Price
- $3.99 USD, Steam Family Sharing supported
- Released
- October 1, 2026
- Voice chat
- Built-in proximity voice that travels through the tunnels. Microphone required.
- Modes
- Escape the Monster, Escape the Flood, Hunter
- Monsters
- Werewolf (follows your scent), spider (feels your footsteps), or one of your friends
- Maps
- Storm drains, caves, abandoned offices. New layout every round.
- Language
- English
- Developer
- Spray Coding Games (solo developer)
Three ways to play
Escape the Monster
Escape the tunnels together and avoid the monster. It never stops searching. Slow and quiet won't always save you. Keep moving. If you do get caught, your friends can still get you back on your feet, if they reach you in time.
Co-op, 1–4 players
Escape the Flood
The water is rising and the only way out is up. Move too slow or take the wrong path and you'll get trapped with no air to breathe and nobody to hear you call for help.
Co-op, 1–4 players
Hunter
One of your friends is the monster, with abilities to find you in the dark. Get out before they track you down. Or be the one doing the hunting.
Asymmetric, 2+ players
Everything you carry gives you away
Your flashlight and flares are your main tools. They light the tunnels so you can find your way, but they act as a beacon for anything hunting you. A flare will push the monster back when it gets close, but only for a few seconds, and you don't carry many. Spray paint helps you track where you've been, but the can is loud and you're not the only one that can see your marks. Some passages are blocked. Clear them slowly and quietly, or get through fast and give your position away.
Three places to get lost
- Storm drains
- Caves
- Abandoned offices
A new layout every round. Nobody has a map.
See what happened in the dark
Recap the round with everyone's path drawn through the tunnels you just ran. See who took the best route, how close the monster got to you, and which one of you went in circles the whole match.
Before you go down
Up to 4 over Steam. Browse public lobbies or invite your friends to a private one. Both Escape modes can be played alone. Hunter needs two. Bring a mic.
Frequently asked questions
- What is Pinched?
- Pinched is a 4-player online co-op horror game on Steam for Windows and Mac. You start deep in a maze of pitch-black tunnels with a flashlight and your voice. Nobody has a map and the layout is new every round. Your voice echoes through the tunnels, so calling out is how you find your friends again, and shouting too much is how the monster finds you. Find the way out before whatever is down there finds you.
- How much does Pinched cost?
- Pinched is $3.99 USD on Steam. It released on October 1, 2026 and supports Steam Family Sharing.
- How many players does Pinched support?
- Pinched supports 1 to 4 players over Steam, with public lobbies or private invite-only ones. Both Escape modes can be played alone, Hunter needs at least two players, and the game is designed around a full group of four with microphones.
- What are the game modes in Pinched?
- Pinched has three modes. Escape the Monster is co-op: escape the tunnels together while an AI monster that never stops searching hunts you, and get downed friends back on their feet if you reach them in time. Escape the Flood: the water is rising and the only way out is up, and a wrong path leaves you trapped with no air. Hunter is asymmetric: one of your friends is the monster, a spider or a werewolf with abilities to find you in the dark, and the rest have to get out before they are tracked down.
- How does the proximity voice chat work in Pinched?
- Voice chat is proximity based and follows the tunnel layout, not straight-line distance. Your voice echoes through the tunnels, so if you get separated you call out to find your friends again. Get too far and they might not hear you. Shout too much and the monster hears you instead. Flashlights, flares, spray cans, and clearing blocked passages give you away the same way.
- What maps are in Pinched?
- There are three environments: storm drains, caves, and abandoned offices. Each gets a new layout every round, so nobody has a map and nobody can memorize the way out. Some passages are blocked and have to be cleared, slowly and quietly or fast and loud.
- What platforms is Pinched on?
- Pinched is on Steam for Windows and macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel). Lobbies run over Steam with a public lobby browser and friend invites. It is not currently available on Linux or consoles.
- Is Pinched scary?
- Yes. Pinched is horror built on darkness and sound rather than jump-scare scripts. The tunnels are pitch black beyond your flashlight, the monster never stops searching, and you hear it coming through the same proximity voice you use to find your friends. Most of the fear comes from your group splitting up and realising something else heard you call out.
- Is Pinched a good Halloween game to play with friends?
- Pinched is a good Halloween pick for a group of up to four. Rounds are short, it costs $3.99, it runs on Windows and Mac, it supports Steam Family Sharing, and the built-in proximity voice means nobody needs a separate Discord call. It plays well as a party horror game where everyone screams at once.
- Can you play Pinched with 2 players?
- Yes. All three modes work with two players. Hunter needs at least two because one person is the monster. Escape the Monster and Escape the Flood scale from one to four players.
- Does Pinched have proximity chat?
- Yes. Pinched has built-in proximity voice chat that travels through the tunnel layout rather than straight-line distance, with echo and falloff. A microphone is required to use it, and the game is designed around everyone having a mic.
- Is Pinched free?
- Pinched is $3.99 USD on Steam, about the price of a coffee for a game your whole group can play together. It supports Steam Family Sharing, so one copy can be shared with family members on the same account group.
- What monsters are in Pinched?
- There are two monsters: a werewolf that follows your scent and a spider that feels your footsteps through the rock. In Escape the Monster the monster is controlled by the game. In Hunter mode one of your friends plays as it.
- Do I need a microphone to play Pinched?
- A microphone is required for voice chat and the Steam page lists it as a requirement. You can technically play without one, but talking is how you find your friends in the dark, so the game is built around everyone having a mic.
- What are the system requirements for Pinched?
- Minimum on Windows: Windows 10 64-bit, Intel Core i5-4460 or AMD Ryzen 3 1200, 8 GB RAM, NVIDIA GTX 960 or AMD Radeon R9 380 with 2 GB VRAM, DirectX 11, 1 GB of storage, a broadband connection, and a microphone. Pinched also runs on macOS on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.
- Is Pinched similar to Lethal Company, Phasmophobia, or Content Warning?
- Pinched sits in the same friends-group co-op horror space as Lethal Company, Phasmophobia, Content Warning, R.E.P.O., and Devour. What sets it apart is proximity voice that travels through the tunnels, an asymmetric Hunter mode where a friend plays the monster, a new layout every round, and a $3.99 price.
- Who makes Pinched?
- Pinched is developed and published by Spray Coding Games, a solo indie studio and the games arm of Spray Coding.
Games like Pinched
If your group plays co-op horror on Steam, here is how Pinched compares to the games you probably already own.
Lethal Company
Same friends-in-the-dark proximity-chat panic, but Pinched trades scrap quotas for finding the exit.
Content Warning
Same four-friends chaos with a mic. Pinched has no camera, just tunnels and whatever is in them.
Phasmophobia
Same voice-driven tension. Pinched is a shorter, faster round with a monster that actively hunts.
R.E.P.O.
Same cheap, replayable co-op horror. Pinched adds an asymmetric Hunter mode where a friend plays the monster.
Devour and Pacify
Same escape-the-thing co-op loop. Pinched generates a new map every round so nobody can learn the layout.
Dead by Daylight
Shares the one-player-is-the-killer idea in Hunter mode, at a fraction of the price and length.
Find the way out before whatever is down there finds you.
Get Pinched on Steam$3.99Having trouble? Contact Pinched support