Shadows Of Doubt Emerges from Early Access with 1.0 Release Next Month

Get ready to step into the gritty, noir-filled world of Shadows Of Doubt as it exits early access and hits version 1.0 next month. If you haven’t yet dived into this immersive sim, let me paint a picture: you’re a detective in a procedurally generated city where every resident has their own schedule, habits, and secrets. During a routine investigation, you might fall from the roof of a corporate building, shatter every bone in your body, wake up in a clinic fully healed, and dash out the door without paying your sky-high medical bills—only to be shot at by the clinic's auto-turret for pulling a medical dine and dash. That’s just a typical day in Shadows Of Doubt.

Shadows Of Doubt has earned its spot on our list of the best immersive sims for a reason. The game’s blend of open-ended detective work and a fully simulated city is unlike anything else out there. You’re tasked with solving murder cases by piecing together clues left behind by the city’s inhabitants—everything from emails and fingerprints to CCTV footage and address books can lead you to the killer. As our own Ed once put it, the game is like a “reverse Hitman,” where instead of planning the perfect crime, you’re unraveling one.

Rachel’s early access review last year highlighted the game’s gripping and refreshing take on the detective genre, despite some frustrating moments where cases seemed to hit dead ends. The world of Shadows Of Doubt is incredibly detailed, and even in the briefest of playthroughs, the game’s depth is apparent. Whether you’re snooping around apartment buildings or sneaking into convenience store backrooms, every corner of the city feels alive—and dangerous. Just try not to break all your bones like I did.

Since its early access debut, Shadows Of Doubt has expanded with new content, including fancy hotels, player modding tools, and even a new type of murderer: the sharpshooter. There was a hilarious bug at one point where these snipers filled rooms with hundreds of shell casings because they couldn’t hit their targets. Ah, the joys of game development.

The full 1.0 release is set for September 26th, and while the developers at ColePowered Games haven’t revealed everything they’re adding, they promise more features and content to be announced in the coming weeks. So, keep your detective hat ready—there’s still plenty of mysteries to solve in the city’s shadows.