Grr Grr Gnomes: Tiny Sailors, a Very Big Ocean and a January 19 Launch
Island-hop for fuel and food, flee the big things, rescue the crewmate who wandered off. One of October's surprise Next Fest hits launches in January 2027.
A garden gnome's natural habitat is a flowerbed. The gnomes of Grr Grr Gnomes are about as far from one as it is possible to get: adrift on an enormous ocean, in a boat far too big for them, with no idea where home is.
Grr Grr Gnomes, from the small team of emolingodev and FireAtacck, launches on PC (Steam) on January 19, 2027. It is a co-op adventure that can also be played solo, and its free demo was one of Valve's 20 most-played demos at Steam Next Fest in October 2026. The demo is still available on Steam.
Island to island
The Steam page sums it up in one line: a co-op adventure about tiny gnomes stuck on a very big ocean. The loop is simple and easy to explain to friends:
- Sail between islands to find supplies, which might mean fuel and food.
- Deal with the locals. Islands have residents, and they are usually hostile.
- Fight small creatures and run from big ones.
- Rescue crewmates who get themselves into trouble, which, in co-op, they will.
Each island carries your crew a little farther across the ocean, with the goal of finding a way home. The tone is described as lighthearted and chaotic.
Why the demo caught on
Next Fest is crowded, with thousands of demos competing for a few days of attention. Grr Grr Gnomes stood out for the same reason so many co-op hits do: it is easy to understand in a few seconds of footage, and it gets funnier the worse things go. A gnome falling overboard while another one steers the boat into a rock is the kind of moment that turns into a clip, and clips sell co-op games.
Small team, big list
Grr Grr Gnomes is self-published by its two credited developers, so its Next Fest result was earned without a big publisher's marketing push. That is exactly the kind of success the festival is designed to create.
By the numbers
- January 19, 2027: release date on Steam.
- Top 20: among the most-played demos of October 2026's Next Fest.
- Solo or online co-op: supported modes (no maximum player count listed yet).
- Free: demo available now.
Why it matters
The co-op boom shows no sign of slowing, and games like Peak and R.E.P.O. have proved that a simple premise and a lot of physics comedy can turn small teams into chart-toppers. Grr Grr Gnomes adds a sense of journey, each island a step closer to home, which gives sessions a natural ending point and a reason to come back.
It is also refreshingly easy to pick up. There are no classes to learn and no long tutorial in the demo, just a boat, an island and a crew of small creatures who are bad at staying alive.
WGC's take: a release in mid-January is smart. The holiday co-op rush will be over, and groups will be looking for something new. Keep an eye on whether the full game adds enough island variety to stop the voyage feeling repetitive.
Where to play
Download the demo on Steam and wishlist the game ahead of January 19. For another four-player chaos machine arriving even sooner, see Dumpster Gang, out December 3.