Hell Maiden enters Steam Early Access on July 16, 2026, developed by AstralShift — the studio's horde survival deck-builder inspired by Dante's Divine Comedy. Early Access launches with two full Circles of Hell (Limbo and Lust), four Poets of Limbo, 40+ abilities, 21 charm types, and approximately one year of planned updates before the full 1.0 release covering all nine Circles toward Paradiso.
Launch Date and Platform
Steam Early Access release: July 16, 2026. Available on Steam for PC. AstralShift has confirmed a free demo on Steam covering Limbo with limited content — demo progress does not transfer to Early Access or full release purchases.
Early Access pricing and regional availability follow standard Steam distribution. Wishlist on Steam for launch notifications and demo access if not yet played.
Controller support targets Early Access alongside keyboard and mouse — verify in-game settings at launch for binding options.
What's Included at Launch
Two Circles of Hell: Limbo (twelve-minute survival, Minos boss, fire traps at 5:35 and 10:05) and Lust (escalated spawns, Scarmiglione sub-boss, Libicocco finale with wind mechanics).
Four Poets: Dante (fire, run one), Virgil (stars, two Limbo runs), Horace (spears, third-run rescue quest), Homer and Ovid (Lust progression).
40+ abilities across Weapon and Mod Cards with Boost, Effect, Spread, Miracle, and Curse types. 21 charm types from Beatrice at odd levels L7+ in bronze, silver, and gold tiers.
Full narrative introduction to the Forum hub, poet rescue storylines, and multi-run Minos dialogue. Eight supported languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Japanese.
- Limbo + Lust Circles
- Minos, Scarmiglione, Libicocco bosses
- Dante, Virgil, Horace, Homer, Ovid poets
- 40+ Weapon and Mod Cards
- 21 Beatrice charm types
- 8 language localizations
- Steam demo (Limbo only, no transfer)
Demo vs Early Access Differences
The Steam demo includes Limbo survival, Dante's core card pool, Minos boss, and limited narrative. Demo excludes Lust Circle, Horace rescue quest in full form, Virgil unlock progression as implemented in EA, Homer, Ovid, and expanded card counts.
Demo progress does not carry over — unlocks, run counts, and narrative flags reset on Early Access purchase. Expect to replay Limbo unlock path for Virgil (two runs) and Horace (third-run quest) even as demo veterans.
Demo serves as mechanical tutorial; Early Access is the full progression experience AstralShift targets for roughly one year of updates. Read the complete Early Access guide for launch week checklist.
Roadmap and Future Circles
AstralShift plans approximately one year or more in Early Access before 1.0 release with all nine Circles of Hell from Inferno through Paradiso. Post-launch updates add Circles, poets, cards, and narrative chapters incrementally.
Limbo and Lust represent the first two Inferno circles in Dante's structure. Future Early Access patches may add Gluttony, Greed, or other circles with unique mechanics, bosses, and poet expansions.
Follow AstralShift Steam news and Hell Maiden community channels for patch notes affecting tier list balance and new card introductions.
Getting Started at Launch
New players: start with controls, then how to play guide, then Limbo walkthrough. First goals — complete two Limbo runs for Virgil, third-run Horace rescue, first Minos kill with Dante fire build.
Demo veterans: jump to Lust walkthrough after re-earning poet unlocks. Study this page for content scope before assuming demo skills transfer unchanged to Lust wind mechanics.
Hell Maiden Wiki covers cards, builds, bosses, poets, and mechanics through Early Access — bookmark tier list and deck builder for ongoing meta updates.