Yars Rising

About

RUN, JUMP, SNEAK, AND HACK YOUR WAY TO THE HEART OF THE MYSTERY From the renowned development studio WayForward Technologies, Inc. (Shantae, River City Girls, Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp) comes Yars Rising, a 2D action adventure exploration of one of Atari’s richest, and best known classic titles.

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8
Based on
187 reviews
Country Compatibility:
Languages:
Developer:
WayForward
Publisher:
Atari Interactive
Engine:
Unity
Release date:
09 September 2024
Recent Steam reviews:
Not specified
All Steam reviews:
Very Positive (187)

Game features

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Description

RUN, JUMP, SNEAK, AND HACK YOUR WAY TO THE HEART OF THE MYSTERY

From the renowned development studio WayForward Technologies, Inc. (Shantae, River City Girls, Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp) comes Yars Rising, a 2D action adventure exploration of one of Atari’s richest, and best known classic titles.

In WayForward’s experienced hands, the Yars franchise becomes an expansive mystery solved through 2D platforming action. Take control of the young hacker Emi Kimura, who is hired by a mysterious patron to infiltrate the shadowy QoTech corporation. Run, jump, sneak, and hack your way through challenges as you slowly unravel a complex secret shrouded in intrigue.

Emi grows in power throughout her adventure, allowing her to retrace her steps and reach previously inaccessible and secret areas. Her evolving hacking skills are critical to solving stimulating minigames that reference the innovative gameplay from the Atari 2600 title Yars’ Revenge.

The deeper into the QoTech facilities Emi ventures, the more expansive the sci-fi mystery becomes. A colorful cast of hacker allies help Emi discover her connection to a distant alien race and unlock powers unlike anything she could have imagined.

Yars Rising celebrates the Yars franchise in WayForward’s distinct style of anime art, humor, retro game mechanics and storytelling virtuosity.

Features:

  • 2D Platforming Action: Emi must jump, blast and sneak her way past waves of robotic and alien enemies. Her latent powers are revealed as the game progresses, granting her wild augments and biohacks that let her reach previously inaccessible areas. A sprawling, interconnected map allows for hours of exploration

  • Sci-Fi Intrigue: A seemingly bottomless mystery takes Emi from drab office buildings into hidden underground labs, and even to the farthest reaches of space as she uncovers the dark truth behind the QoTech corporation and discovers her own personal connection to an alien race.

  • Challenging Retro Minigames: A series of hacking minigames pay homage to the original Yars’ Revenge, which fans love for its top-down, quick twitch gameplay.

  • Stealth Traversal: Emi can’t always shoot or jump her way out of a jam – tense sections of stealth gameplay force her to duck into the shadows to hide from relentless security guards.

  • Classic WayForward Aesthetics: With fantastically rendered 3D environments and an ensemble of captivating characters, the WayForward team brings Emi’s story to life as only they can.

  • Play the OG: Discover the first game in the Yars franchise by playing WayForward’s modern take on the Yars’ Revenge, accessible right from the main menu.

Recommended system requirements

minimum*

OS:
Windows 10 - 64bit
Processor:
Intel® Core™ i5-7500 (3.40 GHz) or better
Memory:
8 GB RAM
Graphics:
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 770 or AMD Radeon™ RX 570 or better
DirectX:
Version 11
Storage:
3 GB available space
Additional Notes:
1280 x 720 monitor resolution or better

recommended*

OS:
Windows 10 - 64bit
Processor:
Intel® Core™ i7-7700K (4.20 GHz) or better
Memory:
8 GB RAM
Graphics:
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 or better
DirectX:
Version 12
Storage:
3 GB available space
Additional Notes:
1920 x 1080 monitor resolution or better

User reviews

MP83
Recommended | 19 Jan 2026
12.7h played

I don't know whose idea it was to take the 1982 Atari 2600 game, Yars' Revenge, and turning it into this 2.5D sci-fi platformer with anime aesthetics, but you caught my attention. It helped knowing that WayForward

Helpful: 24
Stationary Traveller
Not recommended | 01 Apr 2026
7.1h played

Linear exploration, filled with annoying minigames (which at least you can turn off by making yourself invincible) and with more loading screens than a PS1 game. Don't get fooled by cute anime girls, you're better than

Helpful: 17
Rielle
Not recommended | 12 Apr 2026
7.6h played

This game makes me feel old...and not because it feels like a game I grew up loving. The dialogue is so painfully bad I feel like a 5th grader could write something that makes me cringe less. They tried to make the

Helpful: 13
Unistrut
Not recommended | 23 Mar 2026
3.6h played

I loved Yar's Revenge on my Atari 2600, and enjoyed a bunch of the Shantae games, so I had high hopes. Unfortunately this game makes a lot of basic mistakes. A - Cutscenes should be skippable. If I don't care enough to

Helpful: 14
raven
Recommended | 08 Mar 2026
9.4h played

Very enjoyable metroidvania - so far very much on the easy side (the save file says I'm more than 80% done and I still didn't even die once), but not in a way that makes it boring - I was down to 15% health several

Helpful: 10
VTNWesley
Not recommended | 08 May 2026
2.1h played

Yars Rising feels like it desperately wants to be quirky and modern, but the writing constantly lands in that exhausting “hello, fellow children” territory. Every conversation drags on with forced humor and awkwardly

Helpful: 11