Mewgenics Is Out Now: Edmund McMillen’s Cat Breeding Roguelike Hits 97% Positive on Steam

After nearly 14 years of waiting, Mewgenics is finally here. Edmund McMillen’s cat breeding tactical roguelike launched on Steam on February 10, 2026, and it’s already sitting at an Overwhelmingly Positive rating with 97.1% of over 1,000 reviews giving it a thumbs up.

If that name rings a bell, it should. McMillen is the creator of The Binding of Isaac, one of the most influential roguelikes ever made. Mewgenics was originally announced back in 2012, shelved, revived, and has now arrived as something entirely different from what anyone expected — a genre-blending experiment that combines turn-based tactical combat, cat breeding genetics, dungeon crawling, and pet simulation into a single, wildly ambitious package. Whether you’re between ranked sessions in League of Legends or looking for something to play while your Eloking booster handles the grind in Valorant, this one is worth your attention.

Here’s what you’re actually getting into.

What Mewgenics Actually Is

Calling Mewgenics a “cat game” is technically accurate and completely misleading. At its core, Mewgenics is a tactical roguelike where you breed cats with unique genetic traits, assign them RPG classes, and send teams of up to four into procedurally generated dungeons for grid-based, turn-based combat.^[1]

The combat draws comparisons to Divinity: Original Sin and XCOM — positioning matters, environmental interactions change outcomes, and every decision has real weight because of the permadeath system. When a cat dies, it’s gone permanently. Downed cats that survive take stat-altering penalties that carry into future runs, which means even partial failure has lasting consequences.

The Breeding System Changes Everything

Here’s where Mewgenics separates itself from every other roguelike on the market. Between dungeon runs, you manage a house full of cats in a life-simulation hub. You breed them, and the offspring inherit genetic traits from both parents — abilities, stat modifiers, visual characteristics, and behavioral quirks that directly affect how they perform in combat.

Classes and Abilities

Cats can fill classic RPG roles: Tank, Hunter, Mage, Tinkerer, and Druid. But here’s the twist — each cat starts with randomly generated abilities tied to their genetics, not their class. So a Tank cat might have abilities that would typically belong to a Mage, creating unexpected synergies that make every breeding decision feel meaningful. The strategic depth from this system alone is staggering, and it turns what could be routine runs into genuinely unique tactical puzzles every single time.

Permadeath as Progression

The permadeath system isn’t just a punishment mechanic — it’s the engine that drives the breeding system forward. Losing a cat forces you to breed replacements, which means every loss becomes an opportunity to create something potentially better. Reviewers have specifically highlighted this loop as the game’s most innovative feature: failure feeds directly into the genetic progression system rather than just resetting your run. That said, the emotional cost of losing a cat you’ve invested hours into is real, and the game makes no attempt to soften it.

Critical Reception and Steam Performance

The numbers speak for themselves. Mewgenics hit an all-time peak of 60,039 concurrent players on Steam within hours of launch. It currently holds a 90% average on OpenCritic with “Must-Play” status, putting it in early Game of the Year contender territory for 2026.^[2]

Critics praise the depth of the breeding system, the tactical combat, and a soundtrack that’s already being called one of the best of the year. The art style carries McMillen’s signature dark, often crude humor — if The Binding of Isaac’s aesthetic clicked for you, Mewgenics will feel familiar. If the humor in Isaac made you uncomfortable, be aware that Mewgenics leans into similar territory with cat animations and toilet humor, though there are options to tone down certain visual elements.

Content Depth

The developers estimate over 200 hours for a “main” completion and up to 500 hours for completionists. Every run randomizes enemy placements, mini-bosses, gear drops, and cat ability choices, which means the replayability is essentially infinite for players who enjoy the core loop. The game is priced at $29.99 with a 10% launch week discount, and it’s confirmed Steam Deck Verified with smooth performance and legible text on the handheld.

The Downsides Worth Knowing

Mewgenics isn’t without friction. Multiple reviewers flag the steep learning curve as a significant barrier for new players. The game throws a lot of interlocking systems at you — breeding genetics, class mechanics, environmental interactions, item management, house simulation — and the tutorials don’t fully prepare you for the complexity. Expect to spend several hours feeling overwhelmed before things click.

The crude humor is also genuinely divisive. Cat fecal mechanics are a real gameplay element, and while some reviewers find it charming in McMillen’s signature style, others find it off-putting. This is not a game that’s trying to be broadly appealing — it knows its audience and commits fully to that vision.

Should You Play Mewgenics?

If you’re a fan of tactical roguelikes, breeding simulators, or McMillen’s previous work, Mewgenics is a must-play. The genetic breeding system adds a layer of strategic depth that no other roguelike currently offers, and the tactical combat is genuinely excellent. The 97% Steam rating at launch with over 1,000 reviews isn’t hype — it reflects a game that delivers on a 14-year promise.

The tradeoff is the learning curve and the aesthetic. This game demands patience and tolerance for McMillen’s particular brand of humor. If you bounced off The Binding of Isaac’s tone, Mewgenics won’t change your mind. If you loved it, this might be the game you play for the next 500 hours. Meanwhile, if you’re looking for something to fill the gaps between runs, check out our other gaming guides to keep improving in your competitive games of choice.

Update: 150,000 Copies in 6 Hours, Dev Budget Recouped in 3

Less than 24 hours after launch, the sales numbers are in and they’re staggering. Mewgenics sold over 150,000 copies in its first 6 hours on Steam — a number that Edmund McMillen himself described as “beating expectations by quite a lot.” Even more remarkable: the game recouped its entire development budget within just 3 hours of going live.

To put those numbers in context, The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth — widely considered one of the most successful indie games of all time — took significantly longer to reach comparable sales milestones. Mewgenics hitting profitability in 3 hours validates both the long development cycle (originally teased in 2012, shelved, and restarted from scratch) and the community’s patience. The 97% positive Steam rating combined with this sales velocity suggests Mewgenics isn’t just launch-day hype — it has genuine staying power with Edmund’s core audience.

References

1. [1] "Mewgenics review - a tactical roguelike masterclass". rockpapershotgun.com. Retrieved February 10, 2026
2. [2] "Mewgenics Review". gameinformer.com. Retrieved February 10, 2026