- 30K WISHLISTS! - 28 September 2026
Don’t Fret has officially hit 30,000 WISHLISTS! 🎸This isn’t just an incredible milestone or another metric for us — it’s an amazing achievement for our entire team.Over the past 3 years, we’ve dedicated ourselves to creating a game unlike anything we’ve made before. Along the way, we’ve released TWO demos — something most games never do — because as Don’t Fret continued to evolve, we felt it was important to let you experience those improvements firsthand.We’re also acutely aware of how long Don’t Fret has been in development, and rest assured — that development IS coming to an end.We know long development cycles can create some weariness for players waiting on the other side, but Don’t Fret is firing on ALL cylinders. The team is working every day, the full game is being tested from beginning to end, and we’re getting closer and closer to the finish line.Thank you to every single pers…
- NEXT FEST DEMO PATCH NOTES - 19 June 2026
PATCH NOTES V.1Thank you to everyone who has played the demo, reported bugs, and shared feedback. We've been reviewing reports and making improvements based on what we've seen since launch.FixesAV Room key no longer disappears on certain playthroughsPlayers can no longer soft lock climbing over desks in the administration roomPlayers can no longer hard lock using the violin to climb over debris in the Main HallFixed the issue where sometimes stunning an enemy would not affect themFixed throwables not being able to be picked up depending on where they landed in certain areasUpdated the hit box when climbing into the storage room vent to be more accessibleFixed issue where playing Jukebox in the practice room near Subsonic Room was overriding the dialogueAdded subtitles to Conductor in the Red DoorImproved collisions on some surfaces causing throwable ukuleles to go through objectsFixed p…
- NEW DON'T FRET DEMO - 16 June 2026
Hey Fretters, We are excited to welcome you to Nextfest! We want you to enjoy our all new demo. The feedback that you had on our old demo was fantastic and we've applied it to bring you the best glimpse into everything Don't Fret will be. We cant wait to see how you find this new demo, and are excited for your feedback and thoughts.
- Don't Fret ID@Xbox on IGN Showcase - 30 October 2025
DON'T FRET ID@XBOX on IGN SHOWCASE!We are absolutely blown away that we were invited share a brand new trailer at this Fall's ID@Xbox on IGN's showcase. The trailer includes new gameplay including new enemies, devices and a world premiere of the cast reveal! A FEW UPDATES!REDESIGNED... REIMAGINEDThe original Don’t Fret demo launched just over a year ago—and since then, the game has evolved dramatically. We’ve completely redesigned several characters you might remember from the demo, including our protagonist, Fret. As development progressed, the story and world naturally shifted toward a darker, more mature tone. While Fret is still the same lovable guitar at heart, his original design no longer fit the atmosphere we were building.You can expect Don’t Fret to feel much scarier and more intense than before—reflecting the deeper, more unsettling vision that the game has grown into.THE GUI…
- DON'T! FRET - WE ARE MAKING GREAT PROGRESS! - 4 April 2025
Dear Community, Hey everyone! It’s been a little while since our last official Steam Hub post, so thank you for your patience and continued interest in Don't! Fret. If you haven't already, be sure to join our Discord for more frequent updates and behind-the-scenes content: 👉 https://discord.gg/vHkv6HQztB We recently released a detailed devlog video with tons of new info on development progress. You can check it out here: UPDATES We’re actively playtesting the first third of Don't! Fret! All core gameplay mechanics are now complete. Our main enemy, Tapehead, has undergone a major overhaul — and Fret has received some updates too. We’ve created a brand-new, redesigned capsule art that better represents the game’s vibe and characters. Can’t wait to share it with you soon! The current playtime for the first third of the game is averaging 1.5 hours, which means you can expect the full game…
- DON'T! FRET END OF YEAR UPDATE! - 30 December 2024
2024 WAS AN AMAZING YEAR We kicked off the year back in March with the announcement trailer for Don't! Fret, which in the first month received over 200K views. The hype was very real, and it was amazing to begin to put Don't! Fret on the map. In case you didn't know, Scary Kid Studios has a YouTube channel where put Devlogs, Trailers and more! DEMO RELEASE On October 18th, we released the demo for Don't! Fret: The Audition. For those of you who follow our other socials you will know, that this demo actually was intended to be an entire Chapter 1 (when we had it as an episodic format!). After much debate, we decided to turn Don't! Fret into a full length came, and we are aiming for a 4-7 hour game experience! The demo was received incredibly well, and we currently have 97 reviews with a VERY POSITIVE rating! We also had so many incredible influencers play the demo, including our very own…
- PATCH 1.1 - Performance Optimization & Xbox Controller Support - 31 October 2024
CPU & GPU Performance Optimization 50% frame increase Significantly reduced draw calls Reduced total triangles visible on screen LOD optimization Batched static mesh throughout the map GPU optimization with particle effects Xbox Controller Support Xbox controller support NOTE: There are known issues with keypad losing movement with controller. If this happens, you can use your mouse and keyboard to progress NOTE: PS5 and Steam Deck support is not fully compatible yet but is on the horizon Added additional frame limits Increased frame limit cap to 144 Bug Fixes Player can no longer interact with light switch from inside of Waste Room Pressing wrong number on payphone no longer results in an infinite dial Player can no longer move during cut scenes after first playthrough Fixed issue where player can press reload on flashlight and begin to use it before animation is completed Fixed issue…
- Don't! Fret Demo Launch - 21 October 2024
WE HIT 3,500 downloads of Don't! Fret: The Audition over the launch weekend! This is an incredible milestone, and we are so thrilled of the response from the community. 62 of you also left reviews, which REALLY helps our visibility out! While this is amazing, and we are excited - we also have a lot of work ahead of us! PATCH UPDATE 1.1 We are already working on a 1.1 patch for many of the bugs / feedback that was submitted over the weekend! Thank you all for taking the time to show videos and give descriptions of how some of these occured - it really helps us out! We will be working on optimization, bugs AND controller support! We are aiming to release 1.1 by next Tuesday 10/29 so, stay tuned! WHAT'S AHEAD We have some really fun plans ahead as well to make sure the demo is an evolving game over the roadmap leading up to the game's full release, so keep an eye out! SECRETS & EASTER EGGS…
- DON'T! FRET: THE AUDITION RELEASE - 11 October 2024
DON'T! FRET IS FINALLY HERE We are so excited to announce the release date of the demo of Don't! Fret. We have been working so hard on this experience, and we can't wait to share it with the world! A few things to note as we prepare for the demo! CONTENT CREATOR FIRST LOOK KEYS If you are a content creator, and would like a key to play Don't! Fret early, please use this Google Form to be considered. We will be sending personalized keys out on Monday 10/14/24. NOTE: We won't be able to send keys to everyone, so if you aren't chosen - it doesn't mean we don't love you! WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE DEMO? We had many conversations internally of how we wanted to present the demo to the world. Don't! Fret was originally going to be an episodic game, with chapters releasing periodically as we completed the game.Instead we have decided to create a full length game, which means - we wanted community…
- DON'T! FRET UPDATES V3 - 23 July 2024
Hey Fretters (we thought this was fun... please tell us if it's not ːsteamsadː) WHAT HAVE WE BEEN DOING? Since the launch of the announcement trailer, Don't! Fret has amassed 3K+ wishlists! Thank each and every one of you who has shown interest in our game. When the trailer was launched, we had enough of the systems in place to know how the game would play, the core style and design of the world was feeling great, the major plat characters were decided on, and the storyline had a start and an end. There's a whole lot that goes on in between all of those major beats... CHAPTER BASED? Don't! Fret was originally going to be a chapter based game, and was going to be about an hour and change with its first installment. The mascot horror trend typically has fallen in this pattern and while there are arguments on both sides to what is the better release schedule, we have felt that the game and…
- THANK YOU!: WISHLIST MILESTONES & UPDATES! - 1 April 2024
Hey Fretters! (yes, this you!) In an effort to be transparent, we will be releasing updates regularly via the community page! We know there is a LOT of ways to ingest content & updates these days, so we will do our best to bundle up everything via 'X', YouTube, Discord, TikTok & Instagram into a single place - HERE ON STEAM COMMUNITY! Since we first released the announcement trailer just over 3 weeks ago, we have: 1. Hit 2K wishlists on Steam!!!! (Thank you) 2. Have over 150K views on the announcement trailer on YouTube! 3. Released Devlog 1, breaking down the trailer from Rockit of Rockit Music Because the story behind Don't! Fret is so important to us, and the community - we are going to be doing something we think will be fun for everyone. We will be releasing special teaser trailers to help build the storyline behind Dont'! Fret before you ever step foot inside of the game! This wil…
