Nightmare Frontier is a turn-based tactics roguelite video game developed by Polish studio Ice Code Games and co-published by Ice Code Games and Slitherine. Described by its developers as a "tactical extraction looter", the game is set in an alternative-history American boomtown of the early 1900s overrun by monsters born from human fear. It entered early access on Steam on 16 June 2025, with the full release on 22 July 2026.^[1][2]

Nightmare Frontier is a single-player game that combines grid-based, turn-based tactical combat with an extraction-style risk-and-reward structure.^[3] The player leads a band of scavengers raiding the districts of a ruined city. Each raid takes place on a procedurally assembled map of nodes offering combat encounters, anomalies, text events and quests; the player chooses when to extract with the loot collected or push deeper for greater rewards at greater risk. Scavengers who fall in battle lose the loot they carry, while extracting banks it for permanent progression.^[3][4]

A central mechanic is the fear system: every playable character carries a personal fear, and the combined fears of the chosen party determine which enemies, hazards and battlefield modifiers appear during a raid, so that the player fights the fears their party brings along.^[3] Encounters also carry an escalating "Nightmare level" that strengthens enemies while improving loot quality.^[4]

Tactical battles are fought on procedurally generated levels with cover, destructible objects, ricochet shots and environmental hazards, and support a full undo of moves within the current turn.^[3] Between raids the player manages a hideout hub, where resources gathered from defeated monsters are spent on crafting equipment, upgrading facilities and expanding the character roster.^[4] Character classes are defined by weapon specialisation, and the game features no microtransactions.^[5]

The game takes place in an alternative-history version of a prosperous American city of the early 1900s that has been consumed by "the Nightmare", a force that feeds on human fear and manifests it as monsters called Dreadweavers.^[6] The tone mixes cosmic horror with deliberately camp Western elements.^[4]

Nightmare Frontier was developed by Warsaw-based Ice Code Games, the studio behind Hard West 2 (2022), using the Unity engine.^[6] The developers describe it as the first game in a "tactical extraction looter" genre.^[3]

The game entered Steam early access on 16 June 2025.^[1] During early access it received several major content updates, including "Reap What You Sow" in March 2026 and "Twisted Prosperity" in June 2026.^[7][8] Slitherine announced it had taken the game into its publishing portfolio during its Slitherine Next showcase in December 2025.^[9] The full version was released for Windows on 22 July 2026 with support for 16 languages.^[2][5]

Previewing the early access version, Turn Based Lovers called the game a promising blend of looter and turn-based tactics.^[3] The Drastik Measure rated the early access version 7.5/10, praising the mix of tactical combat and early-1900s supernatural horror atmosphere while noting rough edges.^[4]

At the game's full release, InsertCoins.press rated it 7/10, writing that "the tension of risk and reward, the beating heart of extraction, finds new life here in a thoughtful frame where every decision counts", while cautioning that its demanding gameplay could deter casual players.^[10]