Hand of Fate: Hordes

Hand of Fate: Hordes doesn’t abandon the Dealer’s table, it simply gives you far less time to admire it. Like the original game, every expedition begins with a deck of encounters, equipment, and mysteries waiting to be revealed. However, this time the cards lead into frantic survivor-style battles where every blessing, companion, and relic has to earn its place while hundreds of enemies close in from every direction.

Set after the events of the original, you descend into the Shadow Vaults beneath the Dealer’s cabin in search of relics powerful enough to defeat the mysterious Outsider. The familiar deckbuilding structure remains firmly at the heart of the adventure, with encounter cards, shrines, dice games, and equipment shaping every run, but combat now unfolds as an auto-shooting bullet heaven. It still feels unmistakably like Hand of Fate, even as it takes the series in a very different direction.

What Makes It Different?

• Combines Hand of Fate’s signature deckbuilding with bullet heaven combat
• Explore procedurally generated Shadow Vaults built from encounter cards
• Customize your adventure by unlocking and adding new encounters, equipment, and events to your deck
• Play as multiple heroes, each with unique starting weapons and abilities
• Discover relics, blessings, companions, and equipment that reshape every run
• Take part in familiar dice games and interactive encounters between battles
• Complete adventures to unlock new cards for future expeditions
• Early Access plans include additional heroes, adventures, bosses, companions, equipment, and more

The Deck Is Still in Control

Although the combat has changed dramatically, the cards remain the foundation of every adventure. Each run begins with a deck you’ve assembled from the encounters and equipment you’ve unlocked, determining the shrines, companions, treasures, and surprises waiting deeper inside the Shadow Vaults.

That progression will feel immediately familiar to fans of the original games. Every completed adventure expands the pool of possibilities, gradually giving you more ways to shape future runs before the Dealer lays the first card on the table.

Every Pause Changes the Run

The action rarely slows down for long, but whenever it does, another decision is waiting. A shrine may offer a blessing that transforms your build, a companion could join your journey, or the Dealer might tempt you into one of the series’ signature dice games before sending you back into the fight.

Those slower encounters preserve the identity of Hand of Fate, reminding you that every battle exists within a larger tabletop adventure, where the next card is never quite what you expected.

A New Direction That Still Feels Familiar

Switching to survivor-style combat changes the pace, but the heart of the series remains intact. Equipment is still discovered throughout your journey, encounters continue to shape the adventure, and every successful expedition unlocks new cards that make future runs more varied than the last.

As Early Access continues, that collection will only become larger. New heroes, adventures, encounters, companions, bosses, and equipment are all planned, giving the Dealer even more ways to surprise you each time another hand is dealt.

How Long Does a Run Take?

A typical run in Hand of Fate: Hordes lasts around 20 to 40 minutes, although players who spend more time exploring encounters, reading narrative events, or carefully considering shrine choices may see runs extend closer to 40 to 60 minutes. Faster runs become more achievable as you unlock stronger heroes and expand your deck.

Controller Support

Hand of Fate: Hordes offers full controller support for Xbox controllers, DualShock controllers (USB only), and DualSense controllers (USB only).

Good If You Like…

Players who enjoy Halls of Torment, Soulstone Survivors, Vampire Survivors, or of course, the original Hand of Fate, should find plenty to enjoy in Hand of Fate: Hordes’ combination of deckbuilding and survivor-style action, where every run is shaped as much by the cards you’ve unlocked as the enemies waiting ahead.