Panoptic
Released Oct 2020
Panoptic is a local multiplayer VR game that pits you against a friend, where you play as either the giant Overseer or tiny Challenger in a stealthy game of cat and mouse. Will the Challenger slip away undetected through the crowds, or will the Overseer track them down with their powerful laser eye?
96% positive · 328 reviews
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence
Where to buy
Steam $16.99
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Evaluation
Panoptic launched out of Early Access on October 8, 2020. The launch post noted "this is not the final update for the game, we still have some plans for it," but no specific additional content for the original game was ever delivered — the only post-launch updates were a small bugfix patch on October 26, 2020, and a minor holiday feature update on December 24, 2020. No further updates of any kind have been posted since December 2020.
All recent developer activity concerns a sequel. On December 9, 2025, Team Panoptes announced Panoptic II is in development. On December 20, 2025, they launched a Patreon to fund it. On March 26, 2026, the Panoptic II Steam page went live and an alpha snapshot was released to Patreon backers. There is no indication of any planned content for the original Panoptic — the developer's focus has fully moved on to the sequel. The original game launched as a complete package and has received no substantive content additions since its 1.0 release.
Evidence
Team Panoptes announced they are working on Panoptic II, a sequel with online multiplayer and expanded gameplay. No new content for the original game was mentioned.
Panoptic released out of Early Access as version 1.0, with the developer noting this is not the final update but marking it as the 1.0 launch milestone.
Media
Details
Developer
Publisher
Team Panoptes
Achievements
35
Platform
Windows
Controller
partial support
Steam Deck
Unsupported
Players
Multiplayer · PvP · Local/Split Screen
About this game
Panoptic is a local multiplayer VR game that pits you against a friend, where you play as either the giant Overseer or tiny Challenger in a stealthy game of cat and mouse. Will the Challenger slip away undetected through the crowds, or will the Overseer track them down with their powerful laser eye?
Born out of a multi-award winning game jam prototype, Panoptic sees one player enter virtual reality as the Overseer, a powerful being that searches the world and its inhabitants for any signs of uprising. The other player uses the PC, and becomes one of the tiny Beings under the watchful eye of the Overseer. Tasked with destroying the Overseer’s energy sources, blending in becomes critical. A misstep, breaking away from the crowd cover of other Beings, or being spotted destroying an energy orb turns the search into a nerve-wracking hunt. Armed with a slow-charging eye laser capable of killing a Being with a single shot, the Overseer will suddenly have the advantage, as the dissident Being attempts to once again hide in plain sight.
With an unsettling, mysterious atmosphere that hints at a dark and secretive lore, Panoptic features several levels and environments, a wondrous sense of scale, and short - but constantly intense - rounds of local 1v1 competition.
Available for Arcades on SpringboardVR
Born out of a multi-award winning game jam prototype, Panoptic sees one player enter virtual reality as the Overseer, a powerful being that searches the world and its inhabitants for any signs of uprising. The other player uses the PC, and becomes one of the tiny Beings under the watchful eye of the Overseer. Tasked with destroying the Overseer’s energy sources, blending in becomes critical. A misstep, breaking away from the crowd cover of other Beings, or being spotted destroying an energy orb turns the search into a nerve-wracking hunt. Armed with a slow-charging eye laser capable of killing a Being with a single shot, the Overseer will suddenly have the advantage, as the dissident Being attempts to once again hide in plain sight.
With an unsettling, mysterious atmosphere that hints at a dark and secretive lore, Panoptic features several levels and environments, a wondrous sense of scale, and short - but constantly intense - rounds of local 1v1 competition.
Available for Arcades on SpringboardVR
Are these done yet?
Last evaluated Sep 16, 2026
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