Skip to content 
We first reported on Hazard Pay, a new pixel art block puzzler from developer Smither Studio and publisher Numskull Games, earlier this year. Since then, the original June release date had been pushed back, but we now know that Hazard Pay will release on September 10th, 2026. Set in an alternative 1982, Hazard Pay puts players in the boots of a disposable clean-up worker employed by IPT, a corporation responsible for catastrophic biohazard incidents. Armed with a trusty mop and bucket and a knack for problem-solving, the player’s job is to erase all evidence of wrongdoing in a series of increasingly complex and horrifying handcrafted Sokoban-like puzzles.
Each level brings new mechanics, environmental hazards, and solutions to master. Walking through blood will leave a trail of footprints to be cleaned, vats of acid are convenient disposal terminals for undesirable remains, and electrical switches and doors to be rewired using whatever conductive fluid happens to be nearby. Behind the clean-up lies a darker mystery. As their shifts continue, players’ll uncover the true extent of the corporation’s negligence, the horrors lurking in the shadows, and ultimately decide what happens next.
Key features in Hazard Pay:
Over 70 ingenious compact handcrafted levels
A brilliantly bleak pixel-art aesthetic and atmosphere
A dystopian narrative unfolding as you explore
Continually evolving block-pushing mechanics
In-game step-counter with Global and Friends leaderboards
