GemCraft - Chasing Shadows

GemCraft - Chasing Shadows

Released Apr 2015

An epic, challenging tower defense game with an emphasis on strategy and replayability. Summon gems of immense magical potency and harness their unique abilities against a seemingly endless horde of monsters. The archdemon seeks to swallow the world, and you must journey to stand against her.

94% positive · 4,387 reviews
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence

Where to buy

Steam $9.99
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Evaluation

GemCraft - Chasing Shadows launched on Steam on April 30, 2015 as a complete, content-rich game featuring over 190 stages, hundreds of achievements, and multiple game modes. The developer shipped two post-launch feature patches in May and June 2015 (versions 1.0.3 and 1.0.4) addressing balance improvements and bug fixes. A May 2015 development update confirmed the game was in a maintenance phase focused on polishing the already-complete experience, with no roadmap or announcements of additional content planned for this title. In January 2020, a new standalone entry in the series — GemCraft: Frostborn Wrath — was released on Steam as a separate product. This is a sequel/sibling game, not a content update to Chasing Shadows. Most recently, in February 2026 the developers announced the GemCraft Legacy Collection, which bundles the first three GemCraft games together. A playable demo for this collection went live on June 10, 2026, showcasing quality-of-life improvements made to the classic games. This Legacy Collection is a new separate product, not new content being added to Chasing Shadows itself. The developer's activity is focused on packaging the series' back catalog, not extending Chasing Shadows with new content. The store description for Chasing Shadows presents it as a finished, self-contained game with no mention of ongoing updates or planned additions. The game launched as a complete product and has been in a stable, finished state since mid-2015.
Evidence
Version 1.0.4 patch shipped — the last recorded update to Chasing Shadows, containing balance changes and bug fixes.
news post · Jun 6, 2015 source content shipped
medium
Developer post-launch update describes ongoing bug fixing and minor improvements, with no mention of planned new content or expansions for Chasing Shadows.
news post · May 5, 2015 source ambiguous
medium

Media

Details

Publisher
Armor Games Studios
Achievements
419
Platform
Windows
Controller
full support
Steam Deck
Playable
Players
Single-player

About this game

The cult classic tower defense game beloved by millions comes to Steam with GemCraft - Chasing Shadows. Against swarms of vicious, demonic avatars, your only defenses are the gems you conjure that, when placed atop towers or into traps and amplifiers, become conduits for powerful magical and elemental attacks. GemCraft combines fast-paced real-time strategy as you deal with waves of incoming monsters, and cunning tactics that allow you to craft and combine magical gems.

Create traps that poison or slow, discover powerful artifacts and unlock new abilities, and stand alone against The Forgotten, a seemingly unkillable archdemon whose endless armies threaten to swallow the world. GemCraft is packed with multiple levels of difficulty, hundreds of achievements, nearly two hundred levels, and much, much more, making it a rewarding, deep strategy game you'll come back to over and over again.

Key Features:


  • Conquer over 190 stages with unique challenges and conditions.
  • Over two dozen passive skills to unlock and enhance as you level up and increase your power.
  • More than 400 achievements that will reward you with more skill points as you earn them.
  • Craft and combine nine gem types with different effects to suit your tactical needs.
  • Combine and stack multiple tiers of difficulty and challenging battle traits for greater rewards, but also greater dangers.
  • Socket fragments you find into your mystical talisman to impart new bonuses.
  • Wield devastating spells to decimate your foes or enhance your gems.
  • Control the speed of battle with fast-forward or pause to fit your play style.
  • Want more monsters? Summon them with wave stones, but beware their greater power...
  • Replay any stage you've completed for more experience points or with a new challenge.
  • Hold out as long as you can after you win levels in Endurance mode for more rewards.
Last evaluated Jun 28, 2026
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