Into the Grid just hit Steam Early Access on November 10, 2025, and it’s already making waves among deckbuilder fans. Flatline Studios, a small team from Argentina, spent three years building this cyberpunk roguelike that mixes card combat with tactical map exploration. The game currently sits at 20% off during its launch window, bringing the price down from $14.99 to around $11.99, making it a solid entry point for anyone curious about a fresh take on the deckbuilding formula.
What sets Into the Grid apart from the crowded deckbuilder market is its dual-resource system and dungeon crawler hybrid approach. You’re not just playing cards in battle after battle. You’re navigating procedurally generated digital mazes called Grids, managing resources, making tactical decisions about which paths to take, and engaging in turn-based card combat when you encounter corporate security systems. The whole experience wraps itself in a slick cyberpunk aesthetic that nails the hacker fantasy.
The VIM and Command System Changes Everything
Into the Grid introduces a mechanic called Virtual Memory, or VIM for short. Every card you play generates VIM as a secondary resource, shown by yellow symbols beneath the card cost. This resource powers Commands, which are powerful abilities you activate during combat to swing battles in your favor. Commands let you draw cards, deal damage, gain shields, or manipulate your deck in ways that reduce the randomness plaguing traditional deckbuilders.
The beauty of this system is it eliminates dead draws. Even weak cards contribute VIM generation, meaning every hand has potential value. You might play cheaper cards specifically to build VIM for a big Command, or focus on high-impact cards while letting VIM accumulate naturally. This creates interesting tactical depth where you’re constantly weighing immediate card effects against future Command opportunities.
Commands can be swapped between battles, adding another layer of strategy. Maybe you’re facing enemies with heavy shields, so you equip Commands that deal direct damage or strip defenses. Or perhaps you need more card draw to find specific combos. The flexibility lets you adapt your playstyle mid-run instead of being locked into a single approach from the start.
Map Exploration Feels Like a Board Game
The map exploration phase separates Into the Grid from pure card battlers. You navigate node-based grids that reveal themselves as you progress, making decisions about which paths to take based on visible information and limited resources. Each node might contain enemies, shops, events, upgrades, or special encounters. The game forces you to think several moves ahead because backtracking isn’t always possible.
Resource management becomes crucial during exploration. You’re juggling action points, information about upcoming threats, and the danger level that increases the longer you stay in the Grid. Push too far and you risk triggering powerful security protocols. Play too conservatively and you miss valuable upgrades. The tension between risk and reward drives every decision.
Flatline Studios redesigned the exploration system based on demo feedback, adding layered checkpoints that break runs into 40-minute segments. This prevents the frustration of losing hours of progress to a single mistake while maintaining the roguelike challenge. Each layer escalates difficulty and rewards, giving you natural stopping points without cheapening the accomplishment of deep runs.
Two Hackers Now With More Coming
Early Access launches with two playable hackers out of a planned five for the full release. Each hacker belongs to a different faction with unique card pools, mechanics, art styles, and narrative arcs. The developers describe them as fundamentally different gameplay experiences rather than simple character reskins. Your choice determines not just your starting deck but your entire approach to combat and exploration.
Future updates will add three more characters along with their associated card pools, Commands, and story content. The roadmap includes regular smaller updates with new enemies, nodes, and environmental themes, plus major content drops featuring new playable characters and systems like Progression, Events, and Missions. Flatline Studios emphasizes player feedback will shape development throughout Early Access.
The narrative layer distinguishes Into the Grid from mechanically similar deckbuilders. Each hacker has personal motivations for infiltrating corporate systems, and the worldbuilding extends beyond the game itself. The studio published over 20 pieces of lore on their website covering five main story arcs. This commitment to narrative depth suggests the full release will offer something meatier than just another excuse to shuffle cards.
Combat Packs Tactical Depth
Card battles in Into the Grid follow familiar deckbuilder patterns with meaningful twists. You draw a hand of Program cards, play them for their effects, and try to reduce enemy Integrity to zero before they destroy you. Cards come in attack, defense, and utility varieties with costs paid through a standard action point system. So far, so traditional.
The VIM system transforms this foundation into something more strategic. Spending VIM on Commands at crucial moments can completely change battle outcomes. Maybe you’re one card short of lethal damage, so you spend VIM to draw until you find it. Or an enemy is about to unleash a devastating attack, and you burn VIM for emergency shields. The system rewards planning several turns ahead while giving you tools to adapt when things go wrong.
Deck upgrading happens through various means during runs. You acquire new cards from shops and events, upgrade existing cards to stronger versions, remove dead weight, and unlock special rare cards through specific achievements. The game includes typical deckbuilder archetypes like aggressive damage builds, defensive control strategies, and combo-focused approaches. Finding synergies between cards, Commands, and your hacker’s unique mechanics drives the build variety.
Early Access Content and Roadmap
The November 10 launch includes two playable characters, multiple enemy types, varied node encounters, unlockable cards and upgrades, and the complete exploration system. Players report runs lasting 40 minutes per layer with multiple layers to conquer. The game runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, and Steam Deck with full controller support and optimized performance across platforms.
Steam reviews currently sit at Very Positive with an 81% approval rating, though the sample size remains small with the recent launch. Players praise the innovative VIM system, tactical depth, and polished cyberpunk presentation. Common criticisms mention high difficulty spikes and enemies hitting harder than player decks can handle early in runs. The developers actively engage with feedback through their Discord server and plan frequent balance adjustments.
The roadmap extends through 2026 with regular content updates. Regular patches will add new enemies, nodes, card types, and balance tweaks. Major updates bring new playable characters with complete card pools and mechanics. The studio plans to implement full progression systems, narrative events tied to character arcs, and faction-specific missions that expand the lore. Console ports are planned after the full 1.0 release.
Should You Buy It Now
At $11.99 with the current discount, Into the Grid offers solid value for deckbuilder fans looking for something different. The VIM and Command system genuinely innovates rather than just reskinning Slay the Spire mechanics. The map exploration adds tactical planning layers most pure card battlers skip. And the cyberpunk presentation nails the hacker fantasy with slick visuals and atmospheric sound design.
The Early Access nature means you’re buying into an evolving product. Three more characters are coming, along with significant systems like progression and narrative events. If you prefer complete experiences, waiting for the full release makes sense. But if you enjoy participating in development and providing feedback that shapes the final product, jumping in now gets you the best price and lets you watch the game grow.
The difficulty curve presents the biggest barrier. Some players report feeling underpowered compared to enemy damage output, especially early in runs before you’ve unlocked stronger cards and learned optimal strategies. The game punishes mistakes and random bad luck harder than more forgiving deckbuilders. If you bounce off challenging roguelikes, Into the Grid might frustrate more than entertain.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Into the Grid cost?
Into the Grid normally costs $14.99 on Steam but is currently available at a 20% discount during its Early Access launch period. The game frequently appears in bundle deals with other indie deckbuilders like Die in the Dungeon, Luck be a Landlord, and Nova Drift.
What platforms support Into the Grid?
The game runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, and Steam Deck with full compatibility. Controller support is included for all platforms. Flatline Studios plans console ports for PlayStation and Xbox after the full 1.0 release exits Early Access.
How many playable characters are in Early Access?
Early Access launches with two playable hackers out of five planned for the full release. Each character has unique card pools, mechanics, abilities, and story arcs. Three more characters will be added through major updates during the Early Access period.
How long does a typical run take?
Each Grid layer takes approximately 40 minutes to complete. The game features multiple layers with increasing difficulty and rewards. Complete runs can last several hours depending on how far you progress before extraction or defeat.
What makes Into the Grid different from other deckbuilders?
The dual-resource VIM system eliminates dead draws by making every card generate secondary resources for powerful Command abilities. The tactical map exploration combines dungeon crawler elements with traditional deckbuilding. The cyberpunk setting and hacker fantasy also distinguish it from fantasy-themed competitors.
Is Into the Grid difficult?
Yes, the game features challenging roguelike difficulty with punishing enemy damage and strategic depth. Players report steep learning curves while mastering card synergies, Command timing, and optimal exploration strategies. The developers actively balance difficulty based on community feedback.
How long will Into the Grid stay in Early Access?
Flatline Studios hasn’t announced a specific exit date from Early Access. The roadmap includes three more characters, progression systems, narrative events, and faction missions planned for release before version 1.0 launches, likely throughout 2026.
Does Into the Grid have multiplayer?
No, Into the Grid is a single-player roguelike deckbuilder focused on strategic card combat and map exploration. There are no multiplayer or cooperative modes planned for the full release.
Final Thoughts
Into the Grid deserves attention from anyone tired of cookie-cutter deckbuilders recycling the same formulas. The VIM and Command system solves real problems with the genre while the exploration layer adds meaningful strategic planning between battles. Flatline Studios clearly understands both what makes deckbuilders work and where they typically fall short.
The small team background shows in positive ways. The developers maintain active Discord engagement, respond to community feedback quickly, and demonstrate genuine passion for their project. This isn’t a cynical cash grab trying to ride genre trends. It’s a labor of love from people who wanted to create something unique within established mechanics.
Early Access comes with standard caveats. Content is limited compared to what the full release promises. Balance issues exist. Bugs crop up. But the foundation feels solid, the core mechanics work, and the vision seems clear. If you enjoy supporting indie developers and want to influence a promising deckbuilder’s evolution, the 20% discount makes now a good time to dive Into the Grid.