At the recent Xbox Partner Preview showcase, developer Poncle officially announced Vampire Crawlers, the highly anticipated first spinoff of the acclaimed indie hit Vampire Survivors.
Known for its addictive, minimalist gameplay loop, Vampire Survivors became a massive success after its early access launch.
Now, Poncle is taking the franchise in a bold new direction with Vampire Crawlers, a first-person dungeon crawling and deck-building experience coming to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and mobile devices in 2026.
The game will also debut on Xbox Game Pass on day one, expanding its reach to an even wider audience. Vampire Crawlers reimagines the pixel art environments and familiar enemies of the original Vampire Survivors, this time bringing them to life from a first-person perspective.
While players can expect new gameplay mechanics such as deck building, the game preserves the accessible, replayable design philosophy for which Poncle has become known.
According to Poncle CEO Luca Galante, the goal is to apply the "core pillars" of Vampire Survivors—accessibility, affordability, and uncomplicated yet deep gameplay—to classic genres, starting with the dungeon crawler.
“Vampire Crawlers is a spinoff of Vampire Survivors, with the intent to take what made the original popular and adapt it to existing genres," explained Galante in discussion with Xbox Wire.
“Even as we’re expanding, we want to ensure our games remain easy to pick up, highly replayable, and appealing to a broad audience.” Development on Vampire Crawlers began nearly as soon as Vampire Survivors found breakout success in early access.
According to Galante, the project has been in the works for around four years, a period during which Poncle has also devoted time to other developments, including ongoing updates and crossover DLC for the original game.
The team has internally referred to these projects as "experiments," each testing a different spin on the Vampire Survivors formula.
Vampire Crawlers, says Galante, “was the one that immediately met its goals.
During the prototype phase, we could already tell it had real potential, which is why it's the first project to reach the finish line.” The anticipated genre-blending experience is poised to appeal to both fans of the original and newcomers.
With its arrival confirmed for Nintendo Switch and other major platforms, Vampire Crawlers is set to continue Poncle’s mission of delivering accessible games packed with replay value.
The inclusion of day-one access on Xbox Game Pass further cements the developer’s commitment to reaching as many players as possible. Vampire Crawlers is scheduled for a 2026 release across PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices, with more updates expected as development progresses.
Poncle’s dedication to innovation and player-friendly design suggests that both Vampire Survivors veterans and dungeon crawler enthusiasts have plenty to look forward to with this exciting new entry.
Known for its addictive, minimalist gameplay loop, Vampire Survivors became a massive success after its early access launch.
Now, Poncle is taking the franchise in a bold new direction with Vampire Crawlers, a first-person dungeon crawling and deck-building experience coming to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and mobile devices in 2026.
The game will also debut on Xbox Game Pass on day one, expanding its reach to an even wider audience. Vampire Crawlers reimagines the pixel art environments and familiar enemies of the original Vampire Survivors, this time bringing them to life from a first-person perspective.
While players can expect new gameplay mechanics such as deck building, the game preserves the accessible, replayable design philosophy for which Poncle has become known.
According to Poncle CEO Luca Galante, the goal is to apply the "core pillars" of Vampire Survivors—accessibility, affordability, and uncomplicated yet deep gameplay—to classic genres, starting with the dungeon crawler.
“Vampire Crawlers is a spinoff of Vampire Survivors, with the intent to take what made the original popular and adapt it to existing genres," explained Galante in discussion with Xbox Wire.
“Even as we’re expanding, we want to ensure our games remain easy to pick up, highly replayable, and appealing to a broad audience.” Development on Vampire Crawlers began nearly as soon as Vampire Survivors found breakout success in early access.
According to Galante, the project has been in the works for around four years, a period during which Poncle has also devoted time to other developments, including ongoing updates and crossover DLC for the original game.
The team has internally referred to these projects as "experiments," each testing a different spin on the Vampire Survivors formula.
Vampire Crawlers, says Galante, “was the one that immediately met its goals.
During the prototype phase, we could already tell it had real potential, which is why it's the first project to reach the finish line.” The anticipated genre-blending experience is poised to appeal to both fans of the original and newcomers.
With its arrival confirmed for Nintendo Switch and other major platforms, Vampire Crawlers is set to continue Poncle’s mission of delivering accessible games packed with replay value.
The inclusion of day-one access on Xbox Game Pass further cements the developer’s commitment to reaching as many players as possible. Vampire Crawlers is scheduled for a 2026 release across PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices, with more updates expected as development progresses.
Poncle’s dedication to innovation and player-friendly design suggests that both Vampire Survivors veterans and dungeon crawler enthusiasts have plenty to look forward to with this exciting new entry.
