Overcooked studio Ghost Town Games shows first Stage Fright gameplay, out next year

Ghost Town Games, the studio behind Overcooked, has released the first proper gameplay look at its co-op adventure Stage Fright, confirming the game is due out next year. The footage arrives nearly two years after the project was first teased in December 2024, and roughly five years into development.

Stage Fright follows three protagonists, Drew, Blake and Charlie, as they set out to solve an ancient mystery. Ghost Town Games is keeping the rest of the setup under wraps for now, but the studio has said the spooky two-player action draws inspiration from Luigi's Mansion as well as coming-of-age adventures like The Goonies and Stranger Things.

The game has been designed from the ground up around communication-driven co-operation. It is playable online or side-by-side in couch co-op, with players working together to overcome escape room-style puzzles and more chaotic moments. Ghost Town Games is pitching it as approachable, writing, "The challenge is in the mind, not the finger-tips!"

In its introduction to the latest look, the studio said that when it set about thinking about its next game, it wanted to continue its nostalgic approach, though the full statement was cut short in the announcement.

Stage Fright is being published by Hello Games, the No Man's Sky studio, which is a notable pairing given Ghost Town Games' history with Team17 on the Overcooked series. The announcement did not specify platforms or a precise release window beyond next year.

The reveal marks the first substantial update on Stage Fright since its initial tease, and positions Ghost Town Games' follow-up as a deliberate departure from the frantic kitchen chaos of Overcooked in favor of slower, puzzle-driven teamwork. What remains unknown is how the escape room mechanics will scale across its full campaign, and whether the game will carry the same broad multiplayer appeal that made Overcooked a breakout hit.