PCGame

The Painscreek Killings

Unguided detective mystery built on exploring and connecting clues

EQ Studios · Released Sep 27, 2017

AdventureIndie

Reviews
Very Positive
90% of 6,094
Recent reviews
Very Positive
84% of 76 in 30 days
Players
15
daily peak, Nov 7, 2026
Steam Deck
Playable
Last update on Steam
4 weeks ago
Oct 10, 2026
Minimum PC
GTX 745
8 GB RAM · 11 GB disk
Full requirements

What is The Painscreek Killings?

Journalist Janet investigates reports of deaths in an abandoned town. You roam the semi-open town, search for evidence, photograph clues, take notes, and solve puzzles to piece together what happened.

For you if...

  • +you like keeping your own notes as you investigate
  • +you prefer slow exploration with occasional scares

Not for you if...

  • −you want clear directions when a puzzle stalls
  • −you expect to solve the case through deduction alone

What players say

90% of 6,094 reviews are positive · 84% of 76 in the last 30 days

Players praise the town's atmosphere and the satisfaction of tracking clues without guidance. Common complaints are repetitive key hunts, backtracking, and a story that supplies answers rather than requiring deduction. Some players also criticize the controls and interface.

Players over time

▼ -44% vs a month ago

Players online on Steam, one sample a day.

Highest since Sep 2026: 50 players on Oct 4, 2026.

Show the data
DayPlayers
Nov 7, 202615
Nov 6, 202616
Nov 5, 202619
Nov 4, 202623
Nov 3, 202622
Nov 2, 202623
Nov 1, 202617
Oct 31, 202617
Oct 30, 202624
Oct 29, 202617
Oct 28, 202620
Oct 27, 202623
Oct 26, 202626
Oct 25, 202627
Oct 24, 202630
Oct 23, 202639
Oct 22, 202637
Oct 21, 202641
Oct 20, 202639
Oct 19, 202628
Oct 18, 202628
Oct 17, 202625
Oct 16, 202618
Oct 15, 202612
Oct 14, 202627
Oct 13, 202628
Oct 12, 202633
Oct 11, 202638
Oct 10, 202630
Oct 9, 202632
Oct 8, 202632
Oct 7, 202627
Oct 6, 202629
Oct 5, 202641
Oct 4, 202650
Oct 3, 202643
Oct 2, 202626
Oct 1, 202620
Sep 30, 202622
Sep 29, 202623
Sep 28, 202643
Sep 27, 202644
Sep 26, 202640
Sep 25, 202630
Sep 24, 202632
Sep 23, 202617
Sep 23, 202631
Sep 22, 202637

How many players finish The Painscreek Killings?

16% of Steam players have unlocked «You're Fired», the achievement for finishing the main story.

Share of everyone who owns the game on Steam, including those who barely played it. Updated weekly.

Screenshots and trailer

The Painscreek Killings screenshot 1

The Painscreek Killings system requirements

Minimum: GTX 745, 8 GB RAM, 11 GB of disk space.

As published by the developer.

Can my PC run The Painscreek Killings?

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Minimum

OS
Windows 7/8/10 64-bit
Processor
i3-2120 @3.3GHz
Graphics
NVIDIA GTX 745 (or AMD equivalent)
Memory
8 GB RAM
Storage
11 GB available space
DirectX
Version 11
Notes
*Subject to change after updates

Recommended

OS
Windows 7/8/10 64-bit
Processor
i5-2500 @3.3GHz
Graphics
NVIDIA GTX 770 (or AMD equivalent)
Memory
8 GB RAM
Storage
11 GB available space
DirectX
Version 12
Notes
SSD for faster loading time *Subject to change after updates

Does The Painscreek Killings have co-op or multiplayer?

No: single-player only, no multiplayer modes declared.

Does The Painscreek Killings run on Steam Deck?

Playable Playable: it runs on Steam Deck with some adjustments.

  • Some in-game text is small and may be hard to read
  • All functionality is accessible with the default controller configuration
  • Shows Steam Deck controller icons
  • Default graphics settings perform well on Steam Deck

PC version details

DRM
None declared on Steam
Controller
Full controller support
Platforms
Windows
Achievements
33
Steam features
Family Sharing, Trading cards
Languages
Full audio: English. Text only: Japanese, Russian, French, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Portuguese - Brazil, German, Hungarian, Korean, Italian, Spanish - Spain, Polish, Spanish - Latin America.

Does The Painscreek Killings use AI-generated content?

No AI-generated content is disclosed on the game's Steam page.

Self-reported by the developer under Steam rules: it covers AI content that ships in the game, not tools used to make it. Steam page checked on Oct 25, 2026. How to filter AI games on Steam

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