Pit Panic Launch Trailer Drops as Rogue-Like Platformer Hits Switch, Switch 2
Flying Rat Studio has released the launch trailer for Pit Panic, confirming the rogue-like arcade platformer is now live on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 alongside PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Flying Rat Studio is happy to announce that Pit Panic is now available for Switch and Switch 2, a fast-paced 2D rogue-like platformer about escaping a collapsing Aztec temple. The Prague-based studio’s debut in-house project shipped simultaneously across all five platforms on July 21, 2026.
What Pit Panic’s Launch Trailer Shows
The official pitch, echoed on Nintendo’s own storefront, is straightforward: escape the sinking Aztec temple in this cartoonish rogue-like arcade platformer. Nintendo’s listing describes the loop further, noting players take on the role of a curious archeologist and race through handcrafted levels, take down ancient bosses and jump up like your pants are on fire.
Flying Rat’s official press release, distributed via Games Press, frames the game as a fast-paced 2D rogue-like platformer about escaping a collapsing Aztec temple that is very loosely inspired by games like Spelunky, combining quick runs, deadly traps, treasure hunting, and constant improvisation with its own focus on vertical movement, digging, grappling hook action, and handcrafted level design.
The Grappling Hook and Health-for-Power Trade-Offs
Movement is built around a single tool the studio calls an “omnitool.” According to mxdwn Games’ coverage of the press kit, the hook is the main traveling mechanic, which the studio calls an “omnitool” on the Steam page. It tunnels through blocks, swings the protagonist across gaps, and pulls open hidden loot. Nintendo’s own product page adds that players can wield the mysterious hook – a powerful omnitool – that digs through blocks, swings you around and unlocks hidden treasures, mastering physics-driven movement to avoid deadly traps and blast through interactive blocks, turning sand into glass, jelly into fire and bridges into weapons, if necessary.
Runs are permadeath by design, and survival often means sacrificing your own health bar. The Games Press release confirms players dig their own way up, jump and climb at high speed, use a mysterious grappling hook, collect treasure, trade health for powerful upgrades, defeat ancient bosses, and try to survive more than 1,000 handcrafted levels.
Four Biomes, 1,000+ Handcrafted Levels and Two Launch Characters
mxdwn Games, drawing on Flying Rat’s press kit, reports that the temple is split into four named biomes: Buried Grounds runs through narrow passages and pressure traps, Flooded District combines water, fire, and vertical climbing, Excavation Site is built around mechanical relics and stone carvings with faster and riskier lines, and Overgrown Ruins hides its climbing paths and enemies under heavy growth, with hard choices to make. The same report notes that across those four biomes, the official site lists over 1,000 hand-crafted stages that the studio shuffles on each run, and players can design custom stages to share with others.
There’s also a roster element at launch, with mxdwn noting there are two playable characters at launch, while the main story run is pitched as a few hours long before players loop back for more. Once the temple escape is done, the loop keeps going: once a run is cleared, Pit Panic shifts toward leaderboards and daily challenges that pay out rewards.
Pricing, Platforms and Where to Play It
UK outlet TheXboxHub confirmed Pit Panic’s launch pricing across Xbox, PlayStation, Switch and PC storefronts, reporting the game is available now for £12.49 on Xbox Series X|S (via the Xbox Store), PlayStation 5 (from the PlayStation Store), Nintendo Switch (Nintendo eShop) and PC (Steam). Steam’s own storefront lists the game with an introductory discount alongside its full release date of Jul 21, 2026.
Nintendo’s official Switch 2 listing pages have gone live across multiple regional storefronts, including the UK and South Africa editions checked for this story, confirming Pit Panic’s global rollout rather than a staggered regional release. A free Steam demo remains available for PC players who want to test the hook mechanic before committing on console.
Flying Rat Studio’s First Fully In-House Release
Pit Panic marks a shift for Flying Rat Studio, which built its reputation doing support and porting work rather than shipping original games. The studio’s own site states it is a Prague-based development team with a passion for challenging games and complex tasks, having supported local and global studios with gameplay systems, performance optimization, and console porting for titles such as Darkest Dungeon 1 & 2, Silica or Beat Saber, with Pit Panic being the first game the studio has developed entirely in-house, from the initial spark to the end credits.
The game is built on Unreal Engine 5, according to the developer’s official site, and arrives at a moment when Switch and Switch 2 owners have plenty of appetite for tough, run-based indie platformers. With simultaneous day-one availability across five platforms rather than a PC-first staggered rollout, Pit Panic is betting that its vertical, digging-focused spin on the Spelunky formula can carve out its own niche in an increasingly crowded genre.
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