Kyiv, Ukraine — July 23, 2026. Dream Operator announced that Tukoni: Forest Keepers arrives on PC on August 17, 2026. The release date trailer is live today, and a free demo is available on Steam now.
Players take on the role of the Traveller, a forest spirit preparing his magical forest for winter. That means exploring the woods, meeting the creatures who live there, solving puzzles, sewing pillows and blankets, and brewing a great deal of tea. Tukoni: Forest Keepers tells its story entirely through animation, gesture, and hand-drawn pictograms, making it playable in any language.
The game is based on the Tukoni picture books by Ukrainian artist and author Oksana Bula, who works on it as art director. Forest Keepers follows Tukoni: Prologue, the free 2020 short that introduced the world of Tukoni and holds an Overwhelmingly Positive rating on Steam. Since then, Dream Operator has been expanding the world of Tukoni into a full-length adventure, which has now surpassed 66,000 wishlists.
Tukoni: Forest Keepers has already earned recognition for its distinctive hand-drawn art style, winning Excellence in Visual Art at the DevGAMM Awards 2025 and Best Upcoming Game Art Style at the Digital Vikings Awards 2026.
Today’s release date trailer offers a closer look at the game’s hand-drawn world, gentle puzzles, woodland inhabitants, and comforting tea-brewing rituals ahead of its August 17 launch on Steam and Epic Games Store.
Key Links
- Steam (Demo available)
- Epic Games Store
Key Features
- Walk Inside a Storybook. Immerse yourself in a magical forest of warmth and wonder, where every frame is hand-drawn in the style of Oksana Bula’s award-winning books.
- Help the Forest Before Winter. You’re one of the Tukoni, the woodland spirits who sew the pillows and blankets the animals sleep on during winter. Autumn is the busiest season, and everyone is hurrying to finish their work before the first snowfall.
- Make New Friends. Meet the animals and spirits who call the Sycamore woods home, each with their own quirks and personalities. You’ll understand them without a word of dialogue as the story unfolds through animation, gesture, and hand-drawn pictograms.
- Solve Gentle Puzzles. There’s no combat, no timer, and no way to lose. If you ever find yourself stuck, the Traveller’s Notebook offers a nudge and keeps a record of how far you’ve come.
- Put the Kettle On. Take a moment and enjoy the comforting ritual of brewing fragrant tea for your newfound friends.
Factsheet
Developer: Dream Operator
Publisher: Dream Operator
Platforms: PC (Steam, Epic Games Store)
Genre: Point-and-click puzzle adventure
Release date: August 17, 2026
Demo: now available on Steam
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About Dream Operator
Dream Operator is a Ukrainian independent game studio crafting feel-good games. Join us on heartwarming adventures to a world of pure imagination.
