Dark and Darker

Dark and Darker is a first-person hybrid between a dungeon crawl and a role-playing game with a dark medieval fantasy setting. The game blends elements from role-playing systems such as Dungeons & Dragons, roguelikes, and multiplayer video games such as DayZ, and has been described by Polygon as belonging to the extraction shooter genre.

Players can select one of ten character classes (fighter, barbarian, rogue, ranger, wizard, cleric, bard, warlock, druid, and sorcerer). The game features PvPvE (player versus player versus environment) gameplay, where players engage in combat against monsters to obtain valuable items while remaining vigilant against potential threats from other players. The environment gradually becomes more dangerous, eventually killing all remaining players who have not escaped the playable area. Surviving a match allows players to extract loot for use in future matches.

South Korean company Ironmace developed Dark and Darker. A demo was first released in February 2023 as an alpha playtest during Steam Next Fest. Developer Ironmace expected the game to release into early access in April or May, with a full launch in Q4. However, that release was delayed on May 9 due to a legal dispute with Nexon.

The game was released into early access on August 7, 2023, through Chaf Games and Ironmace's own website. Later that month, the developer announced the game would be coming to mobile devices through a deal with PUBG Mobile-maker Krafton.