Ludography
77/100
Players160 ratings
80/100
Critics1 review
More scores
Metacritic12 critic reviews
85/100
Metacritic usersuser score
75/100
GameFAQsSimple-Easy
3.56/5
Player reviews
95% positive111,820 reviews
Steam Deck
Unsupported
Runs on
Windows, Linux
Price
US$1.49

Where to get it

Buckshot Roulette cover

2023 · Mike Klubnika · Board game · Horror

Buckshot Roulette

Buckshot Roulette is an indie tabletop horror game that reimagines Russian roulette using a pump-action shotgun instead of a revolver. The player faces off against a computer-controlled opponent called "The Dealer" across three rounds, with consumable items introduced in later rounds that add strategic depth. The game features a single-player campaign and a multiplayer mode for up to four players.

Released
28 December 2023
Platforms
LinuxNintendo SwitchPlayStation 4PlayStation 5WindowsXbox OneXbox Series X/S
Genres
Board gameHorrorIndieSimulationStrategy
Developers
Mike Klubnika
Publishers
—
Modes
Single-player
Perspective
First person
Themes
ActionHorror
Engine
Godot
Age ratings
ESRB M
Languages
Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Russian and 3 more
Copies sold
8 million as of 2025-12-23
Time to beat
1hmain story1hwith extras3.5hcompletionist

About

Buckshot Roulette is a 2023 indie tabletop horror video game developed and published by Estonian video game developer Mike Klubnika on itch.io. It was released on Steam by Critical Reflex on 4 April 2024 to coincide with a new update. The game has been likened to the 2021 roguelike video game Inscryption, despite contrasting visual styles. Klubnika developed the game in the Godot game engine and also composed the game's soundtrack.

Released on 28 December 2023, Buckshot Roulette became popular in early 2024 and was praised by critics and players for its strategic gameplay and replay value. The Steam release reportedly sold a million copies in two weeks. By December 2024, the game had sold 4 million copies.

›Story

Set in an underground nightclub in 1998, the player enters a back room where a mysterious entity known as "The Dealer" awaits. After signing a General Release of Liability waiver, the two engage in a deadly game of modified Russian roulette using a pump-action shotgun loaded with a mix of live rounds and blanks. As the rounds escalate and items are introduced to shift the odds, a bloody contract surfaces bearing the name "GOD," mirroring the waiver the player signed moments earlier. The stakes grow higher with each round, and in the final confrontation, there are no second chances.

Players say

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The regular game mode involves the player playing a modified game of Russian roulette in a nightclub with a mysterious entity known as "The Dealer", using an eight round pump action shotgun instead of the revolver traditionally used in Russian roulette.

The game consists of three rounds. At the start of each round, the computer-controlled Dealer loads the shotgun with a specified number of red live shells and blueish-gray blanks in a random order. The player then chooses to shoot either the Dealer or themself. If the shell is live, whoever was shot loses a life and the shotgun is forfeited to the Dealer, who plays their turn.

Story

Set in a nightclub in 1998, the game begins with the player in a dilapidated bathroom with an old computer monitor and a bottle of pills on the countertop after first defeating the Dealer that may be consumed to start Double or Nothing mode. They leave it to reveal an energetic rave happening below. The player enters the room with the Dealer and signs a General Release of Liability waiver by entering their name. Midway through round 2, the player pulls out a bloody contract with the name "GOD" signed in the name box, resembling the waiver the Dealer made the player sign before playing the game.

If the player defeats the Dealer in the sudden death round, the player is shown driving home with the shotgun and a briefcase of money. If the player is defeated in sudden death, they are shown entering a rusted, bronze gate with metallic spikes jutting into an all-white sky, presumably Heaven, with the text "YOU ARE DEAD" appearing on the screen.

Development

In developing the game, Klubnika was heavily inspired by Half-Life, Silent Hill, and Postal 2.

Reception

Released to positive reviews, Buckshot Roulette quickly gained popularity on Twitch and TikTok, which subsequently led to increased popularity on YouTube. It has been noted for its similarity to Inscryption, with multiple reviewers commending the strategic element introduced by the game's item system.

Awards

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

PlatformReleasedRegions
Windows28 December 2023Worldwide
Linux28 December 2023Worldwide
Xbox Series X/S8 July 2026Worldwide
PlayStation 431 December 2026Worldwide
PlayStation 531 December 2026Worldwide
Nintendo Switch31 December 2026Worldwide

Games like this

Collections8 collections

Years

Development status

Regions

Genres

Reception and records

Description adapted from its source, CC BY-SA 4.0.