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PAPERHEAD: The New Steam FPS That Looks Like Paper Mario Got Trapped in DOOM

By Freedom251 Team · · 3 min read

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PAPERHEAD is a single-player first-person shooter and adventure-horror game set in a cardboard world, with a magical pencil that can create weapons and alter the environment. Its planned Steam release date is October 9, 2026—close enough to Halloween to make the horror angle timely, though the developers have not described it as a Halloween release. The “Paper Mario got trapped in DOOM” line is a visual comparison, not an official connection to either series.

What is PAPERHEAD?

Developed by Paperhead te4m and published by HypeTrain Digital, PAPERHEAD combines movement-focused shooter combat with horror exploration. Steam describes it as “a mix of a fast-paced movement boomer shooter and an adventure horror game, featuring a unique soundtrack.” The premise sends players through an abandoned research facility to uncover a dark mystery.

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The comparison to Paper Mario and DOOM captures the contrast in its announced presentation: cartoon-like cardboard surroundings paired with first-person shooting and gore. The Steam page’s own question is, “WHY WOULD CARDBOARD… BLEED?” That is a description of the game’s tone, not evidence that it plays like either named franchise.

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How the pencil and combat are supposed to work

The magical pencil is presented as more than a weapon. The Steam listing says players can use it to draw things such as bombs and doors, making environmental alteration part of the announced design. The listed combat includes a shotgun and other weapons, as well as kicking exploding barrels, tossing enemies, and boot attacks.

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These are features announced on the store page, not impressions from hands-on play. No performance results or tested judgments about how the mechanics feel are available here.

Release date and the free prologue

Steam lists October 9, 2026 as PAPERHEAD’s planned release date. That is the superseding date: Paperhead te4m announced that the game had moved from September 18 to October 9, citing extra time for polish and fixes and a release window with a better chance to stand out. The date and availability are time-sensitive; the Steam listing was still marked not yet available on October 7, 2026.

The free prologue, PAPERHEAD EP.0, was due to stop being available to claim when its Steam page closed on September 24, 2026. The developer said players who had already added it to their libraries would retain it; that account-access claim has not been independently verified.

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What Steam lists for PC players

The store page lists these system requirements. They are the game’s published specifications, not a guarantee of performance on every system.

Requirement Minimum Recommended
Operating system Windows 7 64-bit or later Windows 10 64-bit
Processor 64-bit processor 2.4 GHz quad-core processor or higher
Memory 2 GB RAM 4 GB RAM
Graphics GeForce 9800GT or equivalent GeForce GTX 460 or equivalent
DirectX Version 9 Version 11
Storage 2 GB 3 GB

There is an important distinction for anyone considering the minimum Windows version: Steam says its client supports only Windows 10 and later starting January 1, 2024. PAPERHEAD’s own listing still names Windows 7 64-bit as its minimum, but that does not override the separate requirement for the Steam client.

Features, languages, and content note

  • Mode and Steam features: single-player, Steam Achievements, Steam Cloud, and Family Sharing.
  • Listed interface and subtitle languages: English, French, German, Spanish (Spain), Japanese, Korean, Polish, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Brazilian Portuguese, and Turkish. The listing does not say that all of these languages have full audio.
  • Mature content: the developers describe it as “Cartoonish blood & gore.”

What is known before launch—and what is not

As of October 7, 2026, the game had not yet launched on Steam, and its listing showed no user reviews. The official listing and developer announcements establish the announced concept, features, date, and requirements; they do not establish launch performance, review reception, or how the game feels to play. Steam is the place to check the current date, availability, and store details.

For the official listing and current store information, see PAPERHEAD on Steam. The developer’s date and prologue announcement is in the PAPERHEAD EP0 announcements.

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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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