Find the Needle demo: download, saves and PC requirements

The free Find the Needle demo is available on Steam. The full game is listed for Q4 2026, with no exact release day shown. Checked September 27, 2026.

Download the right game

Open the official demo page and choose Install Demo. Look for developer FindTheNeedleDev and publisher Hay Passionates. The demo launched on September 10, 2026.

You can also wishlist the full game. Its release window is a plan, so check the live store before arranging a launch-day session.

Check your PC

The Steam listing specifies Windows. The demo's published requirements are:

The developer warns that integrated graphics are unsupported and can crash. Large factories also put more load on the CPU. Meeting a listed specification is not a promise of a particular frame rate.

Back up your Demo save

The developer gives this Windows save directory in a Steam reply:

%APPDATA%\Godot\app_userdata\Haystack Incremental\saves

1. Save your progress using the game's available controls, then close the game.
2. Press Win + R, paste the path above and press Enter.
3. Copy the entire saves folder to a separate location. Give the copy a date so you can distinguish it from an older backup.

Copy the folder; leave the original in place. If Windows cannot find it, check the path under the Windows account used to play. This is a local backup procedure, not a promise that Steam Cloud or cross-version transfer is supported.

Will the Demo save carry into the full game? There is no verified official confirmation in the sources checked on September 27. Keep a backup, but do not assume release-version compatibility.

Save location: developer reply. For a stuck needle count, see Silo and scanner checks before dismantling equipment.

What can you finish in the Demo?

The Demo lets you try the hay-clearing and automation loop. The store's broader equipment and research description is not an item-by-item Demo unlock list. The linked official sources do not specify a universal playtime limit, complete unlock cap or a guaranteed completion time.

Use the objectives and locked research shown in your own build. A player's 5/6 needle report does not establish the needle total for every pile or the full game. See Demo updates for documented changes that may differ from older footage.

Languages and playing with friends

The Steam demo and full-game listings show 17 languages as of October 8, 2026: English, Polish, French, Spanish (Spain), Czech, Simplified Chinese, German, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Turkish, Portuguese (Brazil), Italian, Traditional Chinese, Ukrainian, Arabic and Persian. Both language tables mark interface, full audio and subtitles for all 17. Arabic and Persian are additional entries compared with our October 6 check; this verifies the store listing, not an in-game translation or voice-quality test.

Steam's official feature list identifies the game as single-player. A user-added multiplayer tag is not confirmation of built-in co-op.

A community co-op mod by AleDev11 is listed at version 0.19.5 (updated September 30). The author says it requires Demo build V26+, Windows 64-bit and the same mod version for everyone; only the host saves. It is unofficial and has not been tested by this site. Check the author’s current Nexus page for installation instructions and compatibility notes.

Once installed, read Getting started for the opening collection loop.

Starting a new run? Use the progress checklist to keep track of your first sale, equipment checks and first working line.

Sources: Steam demo listing and full-game listing, checked October 8, 2026.