Shape of Dreams Hits PlayStation, Xbox and Switch 2 With Crossplay and Major Anniversary Update

Shape of Dreams has expanded from its successful PC launch to PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch 2, with the console versions arriving as a surprise during Xbox's Tokyo Game Show presentation. The action roguelike's move to consoles comes alongside a substantial first-anniversary update, bringing a new playable character, additional narrative material, and more options for its existing cast.

Developer Lizard Smoothie and publisher Neowiz have also confirmed that Shape of Dreams supports full crossplay across its available platforms. Crucially, the anniversary additions are not exclusive to any one version: PC and every newly released console edition will receive the content at the same time.

It is a significant milestone for a game that launched on Steam in September 2025 and rapidly became one of Neowiz's most prominent recent publishing successes. Shape of Dreams has now sold more than 1.5 million copies, an especially notable result for a project made by a small team that has only grown to five people.

A roguelike built for repeated runs and cooperative chaos

Shape of Dreams is an action roguelike whose combat takes inspiration from multiplayer online battle arena games. Players select from distinct characters, assemble powerful combinations through a run, and battle through fast, crowded encounters where careful ability use and escalating upgrades can quickly turn into spectacular screen-filling chaos.

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Its design has often drawn comparisons with Risk of Rain, another beloved roguelike series known for building intensity over the course of a run and allowing item synergies to spiral into absurdly powerful outcomes. That resemblance is not accidental. Members of Lizard Smoothie's development team were heavily influenced by Risk of Rain during the creation of Shape of Dreams.

The comparison extends beyond its moment-to-moment structure. Like the original Risk of Rain, Shape of Dreams emerged from a tiny college-born development effort that unexpectedly found a vast audience. The game had already generated considerably more attention than its creators anticipated during its Steam demo period, before converting that interest into a major commercial launch.

Its controller-friendly action and top-down visual perspective also made a console version feel like a natural next step. There is a familiar, approachable action-RPG quality to its combat presentation, but its roguelike systems mean the long-term appeal lies in experimentation: trying different characters, altering builds, and finding new combinations that change how a run unfolds.

Cetus arrives in the anniversary content drop

The headline gameplay addition in the anniversary update is Cetus, an ice leviathan joining the playable roster. Lizard Smoothie has not outlined every detail of Cetus's full kit in the announcement, but the character's arrival broadens the available set of combat styles for both solo and cooperative sessions.

Alongside the new hero, the update adds story content and new options for the game's current characters. The simultaneous launch across platforms is particularly important for a co-op roguelike with crossplay, ensuring that groups split between PC and consoles are not separated by different character access or update schedules.

The update represents more than a celebratory patch. It is also a clear statement that Shape of Dreams is intended to keep evolving after its first year. CEO Eunseop Shim has said the studio has no plans to abandon the game while there are still player requests to address and larger ambitions the team wants to pursue.

"I am not letting this game go," Shim said. "There are so many things that players have been asking, and so many things that we want to do."

Shim also indicated that the team wants to create an entirely new game mode, although he stopped short of providing specifics. In addition to responding to feedback, the developers have their own broader vision for where the game should go. In their view, Shape of Dreams has not yet reached that ideal form.

"We all have a direction on the game," Shim explained. "We have a future view, the ideal view of what Shape of Dreams should be going for. It's not yet reached it in our opinion, so we are not letting go."

A turbulent launch led to a healthier development focus

Despite sales exceeding 1.5 million copies, Lizard Smoothie does not characterize Shape of Dreams' launch as flawless. Shim has been candid about the pressure surrounding the release and the lessons that came from seeing how players reacted to the final game at scale.

One key lesson was the value of putting a game in front of players earlier, rather than relying only on internal discussions, confidence, and development experience to judge whether its systems are working. The team had insights it wanted to apply before launch, but time constraints forced compromises. That meant some of the game's progression and balancing concerns became more apparent only after release.

"You cannot prove a game is fun through internal logic and thought experiments alone," Shim said. "No amount of experience and confidence will do that. You have to put it in our hands, or players' hands, to know it. Much earlier than what date feels comfortable."

In the months leading to launch, the developers had to prioritize which changes could realistically make it into the game. Shim said this led to a version that was more focused on polished balance and stability than on the frantic, exuberant fun at the heart of its gameplay. Players raised major concerns around progression, and the team found itself rushing to respond to issues it felt could have been avoided with more extensive testing.

That period was difficult, but it also shifted the studio's concerns. Rather than wondering whether Shape of Dreams would fail to find an audience, Lizard Smoothie can now focus its energy on supporting a large player community and improving the game based on real play experiences. Shim described this as a healthier direction for the team, even if the studio's small size means the work remains hectic.

Neowiz and Lizard Smoothie see a long road ahead

Neowiz is best known for Lies of P, while it has also published games including DJMax Respect V, Sanabi, and Skul: The Hero Slayer. Shape of Dreams' rise gives its catalog another major success, and its expansion to multiple console platforms puts it in a stronger position to build a longer-lived community.

There is no detailed public roadmap yet for the potential new mode or for further expansions. Still, the developer's comments make the direction clear: the anniversary update and console rollout are not being treated as a conclusion. They are the next stage in a project the team believes has more room to grow.

Shim acknowledged that being comparatively new to this scale of game development can make the studio's processes feel unconventional. Yet he also sees value in that personality, provided the team continues learning from its audience. The stated priority is to listen, improve, and keep refining the action roguelike rather than simply moving on after its early success.

For new console players, the shadow-dropped versions offer an immediate chance to jump into a roguelike that has already spent a year being shaped by a sizable PC community. For existing players, Cetus, extra story material, character options, and cross-platform play give the anniversary a more substantial purpose than a routine commemorative update.

Shape of Dreams is now available on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch 2. Its first-anniversary content is available simultaneously across those platforms, with full crossplay enabling players to form groups regardless of where they play.