Deltarune: Everything we know about Toby Fox's next adventure

I wouldn't blame you for thinking Deltarune—the follow-up to Toby Fox's incredibly good Undertale—is already out. Its first two chapters have been on Steam for some time, bundled together as a demo, but the whole thing hasn't officially been released just yet.

Fox has been tinkering away at Deltarune since before Undertale even released, mind you. Over a decade of work is sure to pay off, though—the first two chapters have been highly received, and 10 years to steep in Undertale's success is sure to have fans' hype meters dialed all the way to 100.

So as we fast approach the release for Deltarune, here's everything we know about Toby Fox's next endeavour.

Deltarune release date

What is the Deltarune release date?

Deltarune is set to launch on June 4, 2025. It'll introduce Chapter 3 and 4, with more chapters planned to release in the future. If you don't feel like waiting, you can currently try out Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 of Deltarune for free as part of its demo. It's uncertain whether those two chapters will remain free once the game launches, so I'd recommend getting in there now to try before you buy.

When is Chapter 5 coming out?

Fox says that Chapter 5 is currently in development, but isn't ready to release alongside Chapters 3 and 4 just yet. There's currently no word on when it'll come out, but hopefully it won't be a three-year gap similar to the wait between Chapters 1 and 2… or the four-year gap since the second one.

Will future chapters cost extra money?

Nope! Any future updates—including Chapter 5—will be free.

Is Deltarune Undertale 2?

Is Deltarune the sequel to Undertale?

Not quite, no. According to Toby Fox's FAQ for the game, Deltarune isn't a prequel or a sequel to Undertale in any way, and anything you did in Undertale has no impact on the story of Deltarune.

Fox describes it more as a "parallel story" to Undertale, one which takes place in a different world with (mostly) different characters. That doesn't mean there's no references to Undertale to be found, however, with Fox implying that there's at least some connections between the two games. Characters like Sans and Toriel make an appearance, for example.

For the best understanding of both worlds, the best thing to do is to play Undertale first and then dive into Deltarune to fully understand (and appreciate) everything there is to offer.

Deltarune story and setting

What is Deltarune's story and setting like?

Delatrune follows human teenager Kris who, along with thuggish classmate (and cool monster gal) Susie, get flung into the Dark World. They meet dark prince Ralsei, with the story following the three of them as the origins of the Dark World become uncovered.

That's the spoiler-free description, anyway. As usual, Fox is very light on the narrative details when it comes to showing off what Deltarune is all about, so I highly recommend going and trying Chapter 1 and 2 to truly pick up what Fox is putting down.

With Deltarune being in a chapter-based format, you can actually dive in and tackle them in any order you want. Fox recommends doing them in order, however. But hey, I'm not one to tell you how to play your videogames.

Deltarune features

What features does Deltarune have?

Fans of Undertale will be familiar with some of Deltarune's core concepts: Turn-based combat, bullet hell-style minigames, and the ability to tackle battles in two ways: peacefully sparing your opponents, or letting them meet a grisly fate.

Unlike Undertale, however, you won't be undertaking battles alone. Protagonist Kris is ed by Susie and Ralsei, with the combat screen taking on more of an old-school Final Fantasy vibe this time around. Random encounters have also been swapped out for visible overworld enemies, so you should be able to better plan out whether you want to engage with foes or avoid them altogether.

In contrast to Undertale's multiple endings, Deltarune only plans to have one, though there are alternative routes throughout chapters. Fox rather mysteriously says in his FAQ that there's "something more important than reaching the end." Whatever it is, I guess we'll have to find out for ourselves.