What Is Stonewards? Genre, Platforms & Price
Stonewards is a 1-4 player co-op first-person roguelite defense game by Banana Tiger Studio. Learn the genre, Steam Early Access status, price, and platforms.
Last verified: September 25, 2026 — Game version: Stonewards Early Access 0.2.2 hotfix on top of 0.2.0 “Later Summer” (current). Facts come from official Steam sources and verified player reports.
Stonewards is a 1-4 player co-op first-person roguelite defense game developed and published by Banana Tiger Studio. It entered Steam Early Access on August 11, 2026, with a base price of $9.99 USD and a 10% launch discount to $8.99 through August 25, 2026. You play as a squad of dwarves who mine resources between waves, forge upgrades, and defend dwarven strongholds from monster hordes.
What Kind of Game Is Stonewards?
Core gameplay loop
Each mission follows a simple but tense cycle. You arrive at a threatened kingdom, defend it from waves of monsters, then rush into procedural mines to gather metals and rare materials before the next horn sounds. Back at the forge, you spend those resources on arrows, repairs, and randomized upgrades. If the kingdom falls, the run ends.
Is it a roguelite?
Yes. Runs are self-contained missions with randomized upgrades and procedural mine layouts. Progression between runs is lighter than a full RPG, which is typical for the roguelite genre. The developer describes the game as a “roguelite defense” experience built around short, repeatable sessions.
Who Makes Stonewards?
Banana Tiger Studio is the developer and publisher. The team announced on August 1, 2026 that Stonewards had crossed 100,000 Steam wishlists ahead of launch; no newer public count has been posted since. The game is their take on the co-op roguelite genre, built around the fantasy of dwarven mining and kingdom defense.
What Platforms Is Stonewards On?
As of August 2026, Stonewards is available only on Windows through Steam. The Steam store page lists “Windows” as the supported platform, along with 12 supported languages and 20 Steam Achievements. There is no confirmed PlayStation, Xbox, or macOS version. Players searching for Stonewards on PS5 or Xbox will not find a console release yet.
Steam Deck status: Playable. Steam’s own compatibility report rates Stonewards Playable rather than Verified (checked September 25, 2026). The positive results are that the default controller configuration is fully functional, controller glyphs match the Deck, and the default configuration is performant; the flagged issues are that interface text is small and that gamepad controls are not enabled by default, so turn them on in settings before playing handheld.
How Much Does Stonewards Cost?
The base price is $9.99 USD with regional pricing on Steam. The 10% introductory discount ran through August 25, 2026, so the game has been back at full price in the US store since late August — the discount field on the Steam purchase block is the fastest way to check the current number.
What Do Players Think?
Stonewards holds a “Very Positive” Steam rating: about 95% of 958 reviews were positive as of September 24, 2026. English-language reviews are the largest group, followed by Russian and Brazilian Portuguese. Early praise focuses on the co-op mining and defense loop, while common complaints include class balance and the version requirement for joining friends.
What Has Changed Since Launch
The launch build was only the starting point. Through September the game has shipped six hotfixes plus the 0.2.0 “Later Summer” roadmap update, which added Mercenaries hired in the Hub, Daily Quests, a weekly leaderboard, mid-run reconnection and joining sessions already in progress, full input remapping for keyboard/mouse and controller, new weapons and rings, and new Tomes. The most recent hotfixes reworked the Gold economy (0.2.0–0.2.1) and capped the Gold multiplier at 200x (0.2.2).
Should You Buy It?
If you enjoy co-op roguelites, base defense, and resource loops like mining and crafting, Stonewards fits that niche at a low entry price. Early Access is expected to last 9 to 12 months, so the game will keep evolving. You can read our beginner guide before your first run, or check the latest patch notes and release info.
From Community Gameplay
Early Access footage fills in the day-one picture of the game:
- The core loop is easy to read on screen. “The horn stops, you run underground, smash anything valuable, dump it all into the forge, then scramble back before the next wave turns the kingdom into rubble” (community gameplay, 00:00).
- Golden chests exist. Players found a golden chest (“hay un cofre dorado”) in addition to normal treasure chests, so loot rooms come in more than one flavor (community gameplay, 11:33).
- Multiple bosses can spawn in one wave. One run saw “three bosses” at once, which changes how you should spend upgrades if you push deep waves (community gameplay, 19:30).
- Friendly fire is real. A teammate shooting another drew an immediate “what’d you shoot me for?” — watch your line of fire (community gameplay, 31:50).
- Gold is used for drinks and upgrades. One player guessed “gold makes the drink,” and a Spanish-language run confirmed gold is “para mejorar” (for upgrading) (community gameplay, 33:13; 29:36).
- Charged swings drain stamina. Players explicitly noticed that the big pickaxe swing “takes your stamina away,” tying stamina into mining, not just combat (community gameplay, 27:41).
Sources
- The Boys are Dwarves (community gameplay): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-XuIMMYeW8
- Official Steam store page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4502710/
- Official Steam announcements hub: https://steamcommunity.com/games/4502710/announcements/
- Steam Community discussions: https://steamcommunity.com/app/4502710/discussions/
Fan-made guide. This site is not affiliated with Banana Tiger Studio, Steam, or Valve; all game content and media belong to their respective owners.