Cairn Wiki

Cairn

Cairn is a 2026 survival climbing adventure developed and published by The Game Bakers, the studio behind Furi and Haven, released on January 29, 2026 for PC and PlayStation 5. Players control Aava, a celebrated professional mountaineer who sets out to summit Mount Kami, a fictional peak presented as one of the most dangerous unclimbed mountains in the world. The game is built on a realistic climbing simulation in which the player places each hand and foot individually, reads rock formations for usable holds, and manages posture and weight distribution instead of pressing a single climb button. A survival layer sits on top of the simulation: food, water, stamina, chalk and pitons all run out, and pitons double as the game's checkpoints. The mountain is a vertical open world of connected areas, from the tutorial village of Tenzen to the summit wall itself, with weather and a day and night cycle changing how each pitch plays. A separate Expedition mode lets players pick either Aava or Marco, choose a climbing style and route, and replay the ascent without the story framing.

• Limb-by-Limb Climbing Simulation - The player moves Aava's hands and feet independently, choosing which hold each limb takes, so progress depends on reading the rock and finding a workable sequence rather than holding a climb input.
• Posture and Weight Distribution - Every hold shifts Aava's balance and reach; overextending or loading the wrong limb costs grip and can drop her, and the game vocalises her exertion as a readability cue.
• Grip, Chalk and Stamina - Grip is a depleting resource that chalk restores and that poor form drains faster, while stamina and injuries punish long stretches without rest.
• Pitons as Checkpoints - Pitons are placed into the wall and act as the game's save and recovery points; a fall returns Aava to her last piton, and pitons are a limited resource that has to be budgeted across a pitch.
• Survival Management - Hunger, thirst and warmth are tracked alongside grip, and supplies are looted, foraged and cooked during the ascent; resting at a piton is the moment the backpack becomes accessible for food, water and chalk.
• Weather and Day-Night Cycle - Changing weather and time of day alter the difficulty of each climb, from visibility to how the rock and ice behave.
• Connected Vertical Open World - Mount Kami is split into distinct areas that link into one continuous ascent, with optional detours, hidden caves and lore notes that reward route planning.
• Expedition Mode - A separate mode outside the story in which the player selects Aava or Marco, picks a climbing style and route, and attempts the mountain with a self-directed loadout.