Braid

Braid

Released Apr 2009

This is the original version of Braid from 2009, which may not work well on newer systems. For an updated version of the game with nicer graphics, more levels and a large amount of developer commentary, see Braid, Anniversary Edition.

93% positive · 9,948 reviews
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence

Where to buy

Steam $14.99
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Evaluation

This is the original 2009 release of Braid, preserved on Steam as a legacy version. The store description explicitly positions it as a historical artifact — the developer kept it available unchanged to support older systems, while directing players wanting more content to the separately released Braid, Anniversary Edition. The Anniversary Edition, which includes fully repainted graphics, new levels, and developer commentary, was released as a distinct product and went on sale in January 2025. No new content has been added to this original version, and none is planned — it launched as a complete, self-contained game in 2009 and has remained that way. The developer's most recent news (June 17, 2026) is about an entirely new game, "Order of the Sinking Star," with a demo available on Steam.
Evidence
Developer confirms the Anniversary Edition was released as a separate product to preserve the original Braid unchanged. No new content is planned for this version.
news post · Jan 11, 2025 source development ending
high
Store description explicitly states this is the original 2009 version, preserved unchanged, and directs players wanting more content to the separate Anniversary Edition release.
store metadata · Apr 10, 2009 source development ending
high

Media

Details

Developer
Publisher
Number None
Achievements
12
Platform
Windows, macOS, Linux
Controller
full support
Steam Deck
Verified
Players
Single-player

About this game

This is the original version of Braid from 2009, which may not work well on newer systems. For an updated version of the game with nicer graphics, more levels and a large amount of developer commentary, see Braid, Anniversary Edition.

Braid is a puzzle-platformer, drawn in a painterly style, where you can manipulate the flow of time in strange and unusual ways. From a house in the city, journey to a series of worlds and solve puzzles to rescue an abducted princess. In each world, you have a different power to affect the way time behaves, and it is time's strangeness that creates the puzzles. The time behaviors include: the ability to rewind, objects that are immune to being rewound, time that is tied to space, parallel realities, time dilation, and perhaps more.

Braid treats your time and attention as precious; there is no filler in this game. Every puzzle shows you something new and interesting about the game world.

Key features:

  • Newly added Steam Cloud support
    Save your in-progress game to the cloud, then play where you left off from on any Steam connected computer.

  • Forgiving yet challenging gameplay:
    Braid is a 2-D platform game where you can never die and never lose. Despite this, Braid is challenging — but the challenge is about solving puzzles, rather than forcing you to replay tricky jumps.

  • Rich puzzle environment:
    Travel through a series of worlds searching for puzzle pieces, then solving puzzles by manipulating time: rewinding, creating parallel universes, setting up pockets of dilated time. The gameplay feels fresh and new; the puzzles are meant to inspire new ways of thinking.

  • Aesthetic design:
    A painterly art style and lush, organic soundtrack complement the unique gameplay.

  • Nonlinear story:
    A nonlinear fiction links the various worlds and provides real-world metaphors for your time manipulations; in turn, your time manipulations are projections of the real-world themes into playful "what-if" universes where consequences can be explored.

  • Nonlinear gameplay:
    The game doesn't force you to solve puzzles in order to proceed. If you can't figure something out, just play onward and return to that puzzle later.

Last evaluated Jun 28, 2026
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