The Roottrees are Dead

The Roottrees are Dead

Released Jan 2025

A genealogical mystery straight out of 1998. Scour the early Internet for clues, uncover hidden connections, and piece together the family tree behind the secretive Roottree Corporation.

96% positive · 10K reviews
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence

Where to buy

Steam $19.99
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Evaluation

The Roottrees are Dead launched on January 15, 2025 as a complete, self-contained game. It shipped with both the base mystery and a full bonus mystery called "Roottreemania" included from day one. The store description presents the package as finished, with no mention of planned future gameplay content or a development roadmap. Since launch, the developer has been active and communicative, but all post-launch work has been maintenance, quality-of-life improvements, and localization. French, German, and Spanish translations shipped on August 18, 2025, followed by Simplified Chinese on December 18, 2025, and then Mandarin voice acting on April 9, 2026. The most recent news (September 22–24, 2026) announces a mobile port coming November 5, 2026, and a minor German translation fix — neither of which represents new gameplay content for the Steam version. The April 9, 2026 news post also mentioned the developer's upcoming game, The Incident at Galley House, indicating the studio's creative focus has moved on to a new project. The only DLC listed is a standalone soundtrack (released April 1, 2025), which carries no implications for additional gameplay. No expansions, sequels to the mystery, or new content have been announced for the Steam version at any point.
Evidence
Store description presents the game as a complete package including the base mystery and the bonus 'Roottreemania' mystery, with no mention of planned future content
description · Jan 15, 2025 source content shipped
high
Mandarin voice acting update also mentions the developer's next game, The Incident at Galley House, signaling creative focus has moved to a new project
news post · Apr 9, 2026 source development ending
medium

Content

1 of 1 released · no outstanding content

Media

Details

Publisher
Evil Trout Inc.
Achievements
22
Platform
Windows, macOS, Linux
Controller
—
Steam Deck
Playable
Players
Single-player

About this game

The year is 1998. A private jet belonging to the Roottree Corporation has crashed. On it were the Roottree Sisters and their parents. Combined, they were worth over a billion dollars.

Now, due to the eccentricities of their great-great-grandfather Elias, their money must be redistributed to the rest of the family. But who's actually a BLOOD RELATIVE? That's where you come in.

Armed only with the power of your mighty dial-up modem, you'll scour for photos, books, articles and other evidence. Then, you'll make connections and deductions based on the family relationships you uncover. With every spot on the tree you fill in correctly, the names and photos left in your possession will have fewer and fewer places to go — but the evidence will also be harder and more obscure to find.

Can you put together the final pieces of the puzzle?

The Acclaimed Armchair Detective Game, Re-imagined on Steam

The Roottrees are Dead was originally created for the Global Game Jam 2023 and released as a free browser game. It was beloved by many for its clever puzzles, retro computing interface and novel world-building. The Steam version is the same great game, but enhanced in many ways:

  • Hand-drawn illustrations from acclaimed board game artist Henning Ludvigsen.

  • A 3D living-room perspective that ties together all the unique puzzle systems

  • An enhanced user interface with many quality of life improvements to make your mystery solving easier to use and more intuitive

  • Remastered music and sound effects, with fully voiced cinematics.

  • A handful of Easter eggs and little touches for those who can't get enough of the late ‘90s charm

Includes "Roottreemania", a brand new mystery

  • Find out what happens to the Roottree family following the events of the base game.

  • A whole new family tree to complete!

  • Discover the scandals, lies, and infidelities that took place behind the scenes of America's largest maple candy empire.

Last evaluated Oct 2, 2026
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