Enjoying this article? Add us as a preferred source on Google.
The Witness is 90% off on Steam, down to 398 yen including tax (about US$3; converted at 153 yen = US$1). That’s an all-time low. The sale runs through October 9, 2026.
398 yen. For a puzzle game that holds more than 500 puzzles. That works out to under 0.8 yen per puzzle.
It’s developed by Thekla, the studio led by Braid creator Jonathan Blow. And the studio’s new game, Order of the Sinking Star, is scheduled to launch on Steam on October 9, 2026, the same day the sale ends. That lineup is no coincidence.
My Steam Deck is my constant companion, so I react to every single sale on lightweight games that make you think. Let’s work through it in order.
How Much Is The Witness? Inside the 90% Off, 398 Yen Deal
The sale price is 398 yen including tax, a 90% discount. That is the lowest it has ever been.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Title | The Witness |
| Sale price | 398 yen (including tax, 90% off) |
| Sale period | Through October 9, 2026 |
| Platform | Steam |
| Developer | Thekla (the studio led by Jonathan Blow) |
| Puzzle count | More than 500 |
“All-time low” is the real selling point here. The Witness has been discounted plenty of times before, but it has never been cut by 90%. If you’ve been putting off buying it, there’s a strong chance this is the floor.
What Kind of Game Is The Witness? What Those 500-Plus Puzzles Actually Are
The Witness is a first-person game in which you wander an uninhabited island solving line-drawing puzzles. There are more than 500 of them.
Its defining trait is that it never explains a single rule. No tutorial, no text hints. You infer the rules yourself from the shape of each panel and its surroundings, then test them and confirm. That structure, understanding something without being taught it, is the core of the game.
And the island itself is part of the machinery. Puzzle answers are sometimes hidden in the scenery, and something you’d written off as background suddenly carries meaning. That specific rush is hard to replace with any other puzzle game.
I’ll be straight about the downside. This game is not for everybody. No hints means that when you get stuck, you have exactly zero to work with. Some players will hit one particular flavor of puzzle, never crack it, and stop dead. At 398 yen it’s absolutely worth a shot, but I can’t tell you “anyone can play this.”
…I bounced off this thing years ago after a few hours, came back half a year later, and solved it. I think it’s a game for people who can have that kind of relationship with it.
What Lands the Day the Sale Ends? Thekla’s New Game Order of the Sinking Star
On October 9, 2026, the day the sale ends, Thekla’s new game Order of the Sinking Star is scheduled to release on Steam.
Which positions this sale as a back catalog markdown timed to a new launch. Put The Witness at 90% off, then shut it down the day the new game arrives. Hand out the studio’s signature work at its lowest price ever to widen awareness, then funnel that straight into the new one.
We still don’t have the full picture of what the new game is, but “the third title from the studio that made Braid and The Witness” is reason enough to pay attention on its own. Both of Jonathan Blow’s games were designed well outside the standard template for their genres.
As strategies go, it’s clean. Get in at 398 yen, and if it clicks, step up to the new game on October 9. That’s the path they’ve laid out.
Read Next
Enjoying this article? Add us as a preferred source on Google.
The Witness 90% Off Sale: Everything You Need to Know
Let’s run it back. The Witness is 90% off on Steam at 398 yen including tax, and that’s an all-time low. The sale runs through October 9, 2026.
It’s developed by Thekla, the studio led by Braid creator Jonathan Blow. It packs more than 500 puzzles and is built with no hints and no tutorial at all. The studio’s new game, Order of the Sinking Star, is scheduled to hit Steam on October 9, 2026.
398 yen for more than 500 puzzles. Factor in the all-time-low angle and the call is obvious: if you skipped it before, now is the moment. And the fact that the sale ends on the exact day Thekla’s new game launches makes the funnel plain to see. That said, The Witness is built to give you nothing in the way of hints, so when you stall you have to dig yourself out alone. Whether you enjoy that flips the verdict 180 degrees. For the right player this is a game for life; the wrong player stops in the opening hours.
Through October 9. At 398 yen, you’re not out much even if it doesn’t click.
Nokko Oda
Leave a Reply