TOXICANT

Released: Mar 5, 2021
Platforms: Windows
Last updated: 04 Sep 2026, 13:38 GMT

Updates & announcements

20 posts

26 May 2025Developer post
Rampage! Update Now Available!
I'm pleased to announce that the Rampage! update is now available. This updates adds the following: A new shotgun item in the main game mode. Ammo is extremely limited, so you’ll still need to play the game largely as originally designed, but it will most certainly get you out of
I'm pleased to announce that the Rampage! update is now available. This updates adds the following:

A new shotgun item in the main game mode. Ammo is extremely limited, so you’ll still need to play the game largely as originally designed, but it will most certainly get you out of a bind more than any other weapon.
A new game mode: Rampage! mode, unlocked by finding the shotgun in the main game mode. In this mode you spawn with a fully loaded shotgun, and the level generation logic has been altered to for a more action-oriented experience (fewer tunnels, more enemies, more ammo spawns, etc.). While ammo is still scarce, you can generally play this mode closer to a traditional zombie shooter.
To celebrate, TOXICANT will be available with a 60% discount this week during Steam's Zombies vs. Vampires Festival! [previewyoutube=ZeoUtoRdV6g;full][/previewyoutube]
Original post
02 Feb 2025Developer post
Coming Soon: Rampage! Playtest
Greetings! You may have noticed the playtest button that quietly appeared on the store page and be wondering what that’s for. In this update I will tell you all about it, but first, a bit of history: With TOXICANT I set out to make a game that wasn’t just another zombie shooter.
Greetings! You may have noticed the playtest button that quietly appeared on the store page and be wondering what that’s for. In this update I will tell you all about it, but first, a bit of history: With TOXICANT I set out to make a game that wasn’t just another zombie shooter. Instead, I wanted to focus more on evasion, and much of the design is based around this (tunnels, stealth buffs/debuffs, stamina, etc.). At the time I was heavily inspired by games like Outlast and Alien: Isolation—games where you often need to run or hide instead of fighting your way out. As a result, the original version of TOXICANT contains no guns, only makeshift melee weapons and mining equipment. While I stand by this decision, and I still think it’s a unique experience, I know it’s not a playstyle that everyone wants. Sometimes you just want to blast everything in your way, and who am I to decide that you can only play this game hiding in the corner, cowering in fear? To that end, I present the Rampage! update. This update adds the following:

A new shotgun item in the main game mode. Ammo is extremely limited, so you’ll still need to play the game largely as originally intended, but it will most certainly get you out of a bind more than any other weapon.
A new game mode: Rampage! mode, unlocked by finding the shotgun in the main game mode. In this mode you spawn with a fully loaded shotgun, and the level generation logic has been altered to for a more action-oriented experience (fewer tunnels, more enemies, more ammo spawns, etc.). While ammo is still scarce, you can generally play this mode closer to a traditional zombie shooter.
[previewyoutube=JPeun3Jz_jg;full][/previewyoutube] Those who are accepted into the playtest will get full access to the game for a limited time—I will do my best to communicate how long each playtest round will be ahead of time so there are no surprises. Feedback will be accepted in one of two ways:

A dedicated Steam forum (to be created at the start of the playtest)
The official Cosmocat Discord
I can’t promise I will be able to accept everyone, but I will keep adding participants until I get enough feedback and I’m confident the release will be a success. I don’t have a planned start date yet but I’m hoping for sometime in February. See you in the mines! Adam
Original post
06 May 2024Developer post
Build 57 release notes
Hey, just dropping by with some quality of life updates. This update lays the groundwork for a much bigger update I’m planning (and for which development is nearly complete). I won’t spoil it just yet, but suffice to say, it will BLOW YOU AWAY! 💥 New Features Add new explosive b
Hey, just dropping by with some quality of life updates. This update lays the groundwork for a much bigger update I’m planning (and for which development is nearly complete). I won’t spoil it just yet, but suffice to say, it will BLOW YOU AWAY! 💥
New Features

Add new explosive barrel type
Barrels now explode when struck! (*with a strong enough weapon)
Add new module for dead-end hallways
Add halos to make mutant miner eyes more obvious

Changes

Connect spawn room with a hallway instead of a tunnel
Remove gated doors in earlier levels (all these did was slow the pace)
Lower probability of gated doors (makes for more tense moments)
Show actual damage and condition values for melee pick-ups
Selected weapon slot is now persisted between scenes
Mutant miners can now be spawned in secret rooms
Some lockers are now randomly removed
Various room module changes

Improvements

Add dedicated animation for breaking plank
Increase explosion force for broken wall
Improve module culling (will hopefully give a little framerate boost)
Add damping for flashlight on/off (greatly reduces the unpleasant strobing effect)
Various visual improvements
Decrease physics timestep for smoother physics

Bug Fixes

Fix glitchy movement when moving through ground props
Fix longstanding issue with melee pick-up damage comparison being miscalculated
Fix for explosion force being applied to crate pick-ups
Fix for player knife position getting offset when changing weapons mid-attack
Enjoy!
Original post
28 May 2023Developer post
Build 56 release notes
Bug Fixes/Improvements 🐛 Fix issue with resolution selection Fix missing X icon on splash screen settings panel
Bug Fixes/Improvements 🐛

Fix issue with resolution selection
Fix missing X icon on splash screen settings panel
Original post
05 Mar 2021Developer post
TOXICANT leaves Early Access today!
Today's the day! After a rollercoaster 4.5 year journey, TOXICANT is finally ready for prime time. Thanks to everyone who came along for the crazy ride: beta testers, early adopters, patrons, contributing devs and artists, the furballs who kept me company, etc. I couldn't have do
28 Feb 2021Developer post
Build 54 release notes
Build 54 is now and includes the following: Bug Fixes/Improvements 🐛 Update developer note Fix some artifacts in intro scene, improve lighting/post Make toxic platforming room a bit more forgiving Add a Discovery Log description for drill Fix texture seams in large modules
Build 54 is now and includes the following: Bug Fixes/Improvements 🐛

Update developer note
Fix some artifacts in intro scene, improve lighting/post
Make toxic platforming room a bit more forgiving
Add a Discovery Log description for drill
Fix texture seams in large modules
Original post
02 Feb 2021Developer post
Build 53 release notes
Build 53 is now live and includes the following: Bug Fixes/Improvements 🐛 Various texture fixes and improvements Add photosensitive warning Possible fix for ghoul not facing player quickly enough when attacking Remove feedback form Add social links to pause menu Fix for artifact
Build 53 is now live and includes the following: Bug Fixes/Improvements 🐛

Various texture fixes and improvements
Add photosensitive warning
Possible fix for ghoul not facing player quickly enough when attacking
Remove feedback form
Add social links to pause menu
Fix for artifacts in UI when using a quality setting with anti-aliasing
Original post
16 Jan 2021Developer post
End Game Update now available!
Well, this is it! The final major Early Access update! While I wasn't able to do everything I had set out to, I'm still quite happy with how closely I've been able to stick to the roadmap. Let's take a closer look... New Beacon Type: Smoke Beacon The smoke beacon creates a volume
Well, this is it! The final major Early Access update! While I wasn't able to do everything I had set out to, I'm still quite happy with how closely I've been able to stick to the roadmap. Let's take a closer look...
New Beacon Type: Smoke Beacon
The smoke beacon creates a volume of smoke that obstructs the vision of most enemies, making it easier to sneak by. This brings the total number of beacon types up to 6. Along with this, a Beacon Expert achievement has been added (you'll get this for trying out all of them).
Two Separate Endings
At the end of the final level, you'll now need to decide how you want to end things. This of course includes an achievement for each option, plus another for completing both. (I've also added a semi-hidden area in the final level, which you'll need to find to get the Well-read achievement.)
Quality of Life
I've added a couple of long-overdue quality of life things:

Input rebinding
Settings for music and SFX volume
I'm quite happy with how the input rebinding turned out. It's super flexible and supports almost anything you want to remap (with a few limitations).
Bug Fixes/Improvements

More achievements: Mycologist, Binge Drinker
Display day number at the start of each level
Fix for glitchy mutant miner idle animation
Various texture improvements
Improve the appearance of fog, smoke, etc.
Various optimizations
Highlight newly found items in Discovery Log
Fix for dead mutant miner clothes disappearing (Cyberpunk, anyone?)
Add confirmation dialogs for retry and exit

What's next?
I'll soon be switching into full-blown marketing and release mode, including preparing new marketing assets (screenshots, trailer, etc.), getting ready to hand out more review keys (if you know anyone who would be interested, send 'em to KeyMailer), and all that fun stuff. Once that's all taken care of, I'll set a date for the full release! To be clear, the full release doesn't signal the end of me updating the game; as with all my games, the more interest there is, the more I keep investing, and I still have lots of ideas I'd like to explore! That said, it's been a pretty heavy grind to get to this point, so I do hope to take some time off after release. (I will of course be keeping an eye on things and addressing any major bugs or balancing issues, but it may be a few months before I get back to adding new content.) Well, that about does it for now! Thanks for sticking with me through Early Access.
Original post
06 Jan 2021Developer post
Build 50 release notes
Happy New Year folks! Kicking things off with a sizeable update, including lots of quality of life stuff. New Features/Content 🙌 Add input rebinding Add two endings to final level Add secret area/journal entry to final level Implement Completionist, Mycologist and BingeDrinker a
Happy New Year folks! Kicking things off with a sizeable update, including lots of quality of life stuff.
New Features/Content 🙌

Add input rebinding
Add two endings to final level
Add secret area/journal entry to final level
Implement Completionist, Mycologist and BingeDrinker achievements
Add confirmation dialogs for retry and exit
Display day number at the start of each level
Add SFX and music volume settings

Bug Fixes/Improvements 🐛

Fix for glitchy mutant miner idle animation
Various texture improvements
Various optimizations
Fix for enemy blood decals not working in final area
Implement quick turn for gamepad
This represents the bulk of the End Game Update, just a few loose ends I want to tie up before I call it done done.
Original post
29 Nov 2020Developer post
Overachiever Update now available!
Chasm Area A new area has been added that replaces the fourth level: a sprawling industrial complex set in a chasm. This will serve as the basis for the final challenge and multiple endings, coming in next month's End Game Update. New Weapon The player's punch attack has been rep
Chasm Area
A new area has been added that replaces the fourth level: a sprawling industrial complex set in a chasm. This will serve as the basis for the final challenge and multiple endings, coming in next month's End Game Update. [previewyoutube=5byt9tsXDWE;full][/previewyoutube]
New Weapon
The player's punch attack has been replaced with a knife swipe attack. Although it does the same amount of damage, it can now be used to break crates as well:
Toxic Status
Everything that previously did toxic damage now fills a gauge instead of hurting the player. When the gauge is full, you're dead! ☠
And More!

Add the first batch of achievements (5 to start with)
Adjust mutant miner HP (varied by type)
Add new mutant miner behaviour (deaf)
Mutant miners now pursue player more aggressively
Various texture and material improvements
Increase the prevalence of pickaxes
Disable collision with broken wall pieces
Add explosion force to breakable wall pieces if hit with drill
Improve tabbed UI for settings and controls
Increase fall damage, add dedicated SFX and screenshake
Next month's update will add additional achievements, multiple endings, and some long-overdue quality of life stuff (key bindings, sound settings). And then it's time to start thing about the full release! 😲
Original post
13 Nov 2020Developer post
Dev journal #9
Well, I've been busy working away on a new area: a sprawling industrial complex set in a chasm. I'd say it's coming together nicely: It uses the same procedural generation as the mine levels, but as you can see, it's wide open, and even has an area below. (There's nothing down th
31 Oct 2020Developer post
Explorer Update now available!
Another month, another major update! The Explorer Update adds the following new features: Two new mushroom types: red and white. These buff strength and stealth respectively. Two new beacon types: distraction and trap mine A new beacon launcher model A new wheel-based UI for sele
Another month, another major update! The Explorer Update adds the following new features:

Two new mushroom types: red and white. These buff strength and stealth respectively.
Two new beacon types: distraction and trap mine
A new beacon launcher model
A new wheel-based UI for selecting beacon types
Persistent discovery log items
The Explorer Update also includes the following bug fixes and improvements:

Buff stats modifiers and upgrades
Replace discovery log square icons with scroll list
Add support for freezing and exploding fish
Improve mushroom, beacon and toxic VFX
Improve texture maps in many places
Improve beacon/water interaction
Possible fix to reduce chances of player sticking to ledges
Lower overall audio mix levels
Next up: the Overachiever Update! This update will lay the groundwork for achievements as well as a final level and ending.
Original post
31 Oct 2020Developer post
Watch the dev play
Hey folks, I'll be broadcasting a video of me playing a recent build throughout the weekend. I'll also be dropping by the chat--as well as the Discord --to answer any questions you might have.
27 Oct 2020Developer post
Build 46 release notes
Hi folks, Here's the bulk of progress towards the Explorer Update, along with several bug fixes and improvements! New Features 🙌 New beacon types: trap, distraction New mushroom types: stealth, attack New beacon launcher model New beacon selection UI Persist discovery log items
Hi folks, Here's the bulk of progress towards the Explorer Update, along with several bug fixes and improvements!
New Features 🙌

New beacon types: trap, distraction
New mushroom types: stealth, attack
New beacon launcher model
New beacon selection UI
Persist discovery log items

Bug Fixes/Improvements 🐛

Replace discovery log square icons with scroll list
Improve beacon VFX
Buff stats modifiers and upgrades
Fix for final level not loading
Add additional texture maps for mutant miners
Improve beacon/water interaction
Disallow firing beacons while underwater
Improved textures for large rooms
Increased intensity of toxic particles and lighting
Prep for key rebindings (the controls UI will look a little bit weird during this transition)
Original post
20 Oct 2020Developer post
Dev journal #8
Hey folks, sorry for the silence lately! I had to take a bit of time to get another game over the finish line. With that taken care of, I can now give TOXICANT the attention it deserves! And on that note, that Explorer Update is well underway! This update is all about adding new
Hey folks, sorry for the silence lately! I had to take a bit of time to get another game over the finish line. With that taken care of, I can now give TOXICANT the attention it deserves! And on that note, that Explorer Update is well underway! This update is all about adding new loot and expanding upon the beacons system.
New Loot
Initially, this is going to start with two new types of mushrooms. As with the existing mushroom, these offer a temporary buff in exchange for a slight hit to your health, though I may end up applying distinct debuffs for all three.

Red mushroom: boosts strength
White mushroom: boosts stealth
Along with this, I took the opportunity to buff the strength attack modifier; it was way too subtle. Now while under the influence of a red mushroom you can take down a mutant miner with a few swings of a melee weapon. Oh yeah, plus a minor revamp to the VFX (added spores):
New Beacons
Next up: new beacons! I'll be adding three new beacon types:

Trap (mine) beacon: explodes on contact
Smoke beacon: obscures enemies visibility
Distraction beacon: creates noise for 30 seconds, drawing nearby enemies towards it
I'm also working on an overhaul of the beacon selection UI. Specifically, something more along the lines go a "weapon wheel". Moreover, you'll soon see updates to the existing beacon VFX, like an overhaul of the freeze beacons and beacon explosions. Last but not least, the beacon launcher model is getting a revamp! My man JP--who modelled the fish and tentacle enemies--is helping with this. I think it's looking pretty good so far! Stay tuned for more details--I'm hoping to get something into the alpha branch imminently!
Original post
30 Sep 2020Developer post
Creatures Update now available!
Another month, another major update! The Creatures Update is all about adding new creatures! You'll encounter three new enemy types: toxic spider, mutant fish, and tentacle monster. The Creatures Update also includes numerous improvements and bug fixes: New damage type (toxic) wi
Another month, another major update! The Creatures Update is all about adding new creatures! You'll encounter three new enemy types: toxic spider, mutant fish, and tentacle monster. The Creatures Update also includes numerous improvements and bug fixes:

New damage type (toxic) with distinct visual feedback (green overlay)
Adjustable mouse and gamepad sensitivity settings
Improved player punch hit detection
Various lighting, visual, AI, and level generation fixes
Various audio fixes, including limiting switch alarms to current floor
[previewyoutube=9NTMcUZkMjY;full][/previewyoutube] Next up: the Explorer Update, which will add several new types of buff items, beacons, and more! You'll start seeing some initial progress in the alpha branch over the next couple of weeks, with the full update releasing towards the end of October.
Original post
20 Sep 2020Developer post
Build 42 release notes
Hi folks, Here's the first of the progress towards the Creatures Update, along with several bug fixes and improvements! New Features 🙌 New enemy: toxic spider! New damage type (toxic) with distinct visual feedback (green overlay) Add settings for mouse and gamepad sensitivity Bu
Hi folks, Here's the first of the progress towards the Creatures Update, along with several bug fixes and improvements!
New Features 🙌

New enemy: toxic spider!
New damage type (toxic) with distinct visual feedback (green overlay)
Add settings for mouse and gamepad sensitivity

Bug Fixes/Improvements 🐛

Improve enemy spawn logic
Remove emission for toxic blood decals
Always use pixel lights for lanterns
Fix some light bleed issues
Fix for switch alarm audible from other floors
Fix for large room switch missing alarm
Fix for wrong reverb settings applied in certain cases
Original post
06 Sep 2020Developer post
Dev journal #7
Next up in the Creatures update: mutant fish! The model and animations are complete (huge shout out to the talented artist--and gardener--JP for his work on this), I'm just working my way through the AI now: There are some details of this on the devlog if you're curious. Oh yeah,
30 Aug 2020Developer post
Dev journal #6
When Spiders Attack Say hello to your new best friend! 😉 Along with this new enemy type I've also added a new type of damage (toxic) with its own distinct visual feedback (green overlay). This should help to differentiate when you are taking environmental damage from toxic puddl
When Spiders Attack
Say hello to your new best friend! 😉 [previewyoutube=EZ-8FENPnOo;full][/previewyoutube] Along with this new enemy type I've also added a new type of damage (toxic) with its own distinct visual feedback (green overlay). This should help to differentiate when you are taking environmental damage from toxic puddles, when a spider is spitting at you from behind, etc. To further help differentiate toxic hazards I've also removed emission for enemy blood decals. Last but not least, I also reworked the enemy spawning logic. Previously, every second room along the solution path spawned a mutant miner 100% of the time (and at higher difficulties: a rat and a second mutant miner). The new logic is more variable:

75% chance of a mutant miner / 75% chance for the 5th floor and above
50% chance of a spider for the 2nd floor and beyond
50% chance of a rat for the 5th floor and beyond
The difficulty ramps up fairly quickly now; you can end up with clusters of several spiders in earlier levels (as you can see in the video above). This is due to the fact that spiders (and rats) aren't tethered in the same way as mutant miners. I might end up changing this--maybe tether them within a 2-3 room radius--but I do like the unpredictability it creates now. In any case, I think the opposing behaviour of the spiders and rats is going to make for some really interesting variation (you chase the spiders vs the rats chase you), especially when you throw ghosts into the mix (i.e. you turn off your flashlight to take down a spider, only to be accosted by a ghost, then chased by a rat!). Let me know what you think of the enemy and how you find the balance! (you can find all of this in the alpha branch) Okay, next up: underwater enemies! P.S. For the gamedev nerds: I'll be giving an in-depth talk about the procedural generation in TOXICANT (and a couple of my other games) at the Game Dev Atlantic conference on September 18th! It's an online conference, so anyone can attend, and tickets are only $15.
Original post
19 Aug 2020Developer post
Lofty Update now available!
I'm excited to announce that TOXICANT just got its first major Early Access update: The Lofty Update! This update adds a new type of layout to the fourth floor of each level. This layout uses larger modules, which means longer hallways (including longer underwater segments), and
I'm excited to announce that TOXICANT just got its first major Early Access update: The Lofty Update! This update adds a new type of layout to the fourth floor of each level. This layout uses larger modules, which means longer hallways (including longer underwater segments), and support for larger hand-crafted areas. Currently, there are four of these (with more to come). The Lofty Update also includes numerous improvements and bug fixes:

Settings now available from in-game pause menu
Post-processing effect for alcohol
Lockers now contain loot, including upgrade pills
Various visual and AI improvements
[previewyoutube=v0ACRAQ4JNI;full][/previewyoutube] Next up: the Creatures Update, which will add several new enemy types. You'll start seeing some initial progress in the alpha branch over the next week or two, with the full update releasing towards of September.
Original post

Updates & announcements

New Features

Changes

Improvements

Bug Fixes

Bug Fixes/Improvements 🐛

New Beacon Type: Smoke Beacon

Two Separate Endings

Quality of Life

Bug Fixes/Improvements

What's next?

New Features/Content 🙌

Bug Fixes/Improvements 🐛

Chasm Area

New Weapon

Toxic Status

And More!

New Features 🙌

Bug Fixes/Improvements 🐛

New Loot

New Beacons

New Features 🙌

Bug Fixes/Improvements 🐛

When Spiders Attack