The free demo is on Steam and part of October’s Next Fest, with the full game arriving in January 2027, according to the developer.

LumberBoy is an incremental game about cutting down trees from South Korean studio HiddenStageGames. According to the developer, the full game launches in January 2027. The free demo is already on Steam and takes part in October’s Steam Next Fest (October 19-26). I played it without a press key, and it grew on me more than I expected.

LumberBoy is an incremental game, meaning the fun comes from upgrading your tools and watching your progress grow with every run.

How the Loop Works

The cycle is simple: you cut trees, collect the wood in your backpack, store it in the cargo crate, take it to the sawmill, where it’s processed and sold as lumber, and spend the profit on upgrades.

• Stamina: Your character’s stamina drops when you move and also when you stand still, so the clock is always running.
• The axe: It has damage, attack speed and durability.
• Game over: If stamina runs out or the axe breaks, the run ends, so every trip needs planning.

One important detail: you can return to the sawmill and the upgrade shop at any time, but wood that isn’t in the cargo crate is lost. You need to cut, store it in your backpack, deposit it in the crate and only then leave the area through the vehicle.

🖱️ Short runs add up fast in an incremental game. A comfortable gaming mouse keeps those long chopping sessions easy on your hand.

Upgrades, Scenarios and Special Items

The demo has 34 upgrades across four groups:

• Character: Pick-up Range, Move Speed and Max Stamina.
• Axe: Axe Damage, Axe Attack Speed, Durability and a shockwave ability with Shockwave Area and Shockwave Damage.
• Sawmill: Log Value, Log Sale Value, Sawmill Storage Expansion and Log Processing Speed.
• Logistics: Cargo Crate Expansion, Log Stack Size and Inventory Expansion.
• Scenery: Overgrowth, which increases tree density and reduces travel.

Leveling up unlocks new scenarios with tougher and more valuable trees. The demo has three: Greenreach Forest I, II and III. The first has one tree type, and the other two have two types in progression (the second with A and B, the third with B and C), with each new tree stronger and more valuable than the last.

There are also special items, like the Log Insurance Policy, which automatically saves 30% of the wood you would have lost when stamina runs out and sends it to the cargo crate. You can also activate golden trees: they appear rarely and are tougher than regular ones, but the wood is worth a lot.

My Impressions

I’m not an experienced cozy game player, and despite the soft music and cute sprites, the beginning gave me a bit of anxiety, with its rush to cut, collect, sell and upgrade as fast as possible. The game gets more fun over time. It clicked when my axe started throwing shockwaves that hit several trees at once, not to knock them down but to damage them and make cutting easier, and when I realized the sawmill works on its own while I go get more wood, with the money already waiting when I get back.

From what I played, the game was direct and honest with me, and you can tell the studio cared about the product. It’s worth trying.

🎧 That soft soundtrack deserves good headphones. A comfortable gaming headset makes the relaxing music even better during long sessions.

Free demo on Steam: LumberBoy Demo | Game page: LumberBoy | Trailer: watch on YouTube

According to the developer, the demo lasts 40 to 60 minutes, and progress does not carry over to the full game.

Disclosure: the developer contacted QG Reloaded and released press material. I played the free public demo, without a press key, and this article was not paid.

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