A month of worlds. A month of experiments. A month of games.
Dear friends,
Last year I introduced the first edition of Paradigm Playgrounds – a small celebration of independent games, experiments and free projects created out of pure passion for game development.
This summer, Paradigm Playgrounds returns.
Unlike the previous edition, where most releases arrived together, Paradigm Playgrounds 2026 will unfold throughout July. Every week will bring something new: a game, a demo, a prototype or another surprise from the growing Paradigm Worlds universe.
Some projects continue stories you’ve already seen. Others explore completely new ideas, genres and timelines. Together they show what Paradigm Worlds has become over the years—a place where one universe can inspire many different games.
Opening with something special
Every edition deserves a memorable beginning.
This year opens with what I consider one of the most ambitious Paradigm Worlds projects so far:
Paradigm Worlds’ Vritniht – Tentacloid Conspiracy
An Action Dungeon Crawler inspired by classic games such as Eye of the Beholder, Ishar and Might and Magic, while deliberately leaving behind traditional fantasy settings.
Instead of elves, orcs and familiar kingdoms, you’ll enter a surreal biological civilization ruled by Cartel-9—a world of living biomass, impossible architecture, strange races and disturbing ideas.
Vritniht is not simply a game with a different visual style.
It is a new timeline within the Paradigm Worlds universe, complete with its own ecosystem, history, creatures, symbols and culture.
Although I consider it only the beginning of a much larger journey, Vritniht is already a complete, fully playable adventure with many hours of exploration, combat and discovery.
It has gone through hundreds of revisions during development—so many that I sometimes joke it already feels like a modded game before release.
If you enjoy old-school dungeon crawlers but would like to discover a completely unfamiliar world, I hope Vritniht will surprise you.
A dedicated article describing the game in detail will be published together with its release.
→ Learn more about Vritniht here: (link)
What’s next?
Paradigm Playgrounds 2026 continues throughout July.
5 July
Surprise #1
Vritniht: Tentacloid Conspiracy – Action Dungeon Crawler featuring unique universe of Paradigm Worlds
12 July
Surprise #2
(revealed after release)
19 July
Surprise #3
(revealed after release)
26 July
Surprise #4
(revealed after release)
Each project explores a different genre while remaining connected by the same philosophy:
creating games I’d personally love to discover as a player.
About Paradigm Worlds
Paradigm Worlds is a long-running fictional universe developed across mods, stories and now standalone games.
It spans multiple civilizations, timelines and dimensions, allowing each project to explore a different corner of the same larger setting.
Whether you’re interested in RPGs, strategy games, action titles or experimental ideas, every new release expands another fragment of this universe.
→ Paradigm Worlds Encyclopedia
Previous Edition
If you missed last year’s event, you can still download and enjoy every title released during:
→ Paradigm Playgrounds 2025 (link)
PP’25 YouTube playlist (link)
As always, thank you for your support.
I hope you’ll enjoy exploring these worlds as much as I’ve enjoyed creating them.
See you inside Paradigm Playgrounds 2026.
MODDING SIMULACRA 
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