The Roottrees are Dead — Is It Worth Playing?
A genealogical mystery straight out of 1998.

Official trailer & screenshots via Steam
About The Roottrees are Dead
The year is 1998. A private jet belonging to the Roottree Corporation has crashed. On it were the Roottree Sisters and their parents. Combined, they were worth over a billion dollars. Now, due to the eccentricities of their great-great-grandfather Elias, their money must be redistributed to the rest of the family. But who's actually a BLOOD RELATIVE? That's where you come in. Armed only with the power of your mighty dial-up modem, you'll scour for photos, books, articles and other evidence. Then, you'll make connections and deductions based on the family relationships you uncover. With every spot on the tree you fill in correctly, the names and photos left in your possession will have fewer and fewer places to go — but the evidence will also be harder and more obscure to find. Can you put together the final pieces of the puzzle? The Acclaimed Armchair Detective Game, Re-imagined on Steam The Roottrees are Dead was originally created for the Global Game Jam 2023 and released as a free browser game. It was beloved by many for its clever puzzles, retro computing interface and novel world-building. The Steam version is the same great game, but enhanced in many ways: Hand-drawn illustrations from acclaimed board game artist Henning Ludvigsen. A 3D living-room perspective that ties together all the unique puzzle systems An enhanced user interface with many quality of life improvements to make your mystery solving easier to use and more intuitive Remastered music and sound effects, with fully voiced cinematics. A handful of Easter eggs and little touches for those who can't get enough of the late ‘90s charm Includes "Roottreemania", a brand new mystery Find out what happens to the Roottree family following the events of the base game. A whole new family tree to complete! Discover the scandals, lies, and infidelities that took place behind the scenes of America's largest maple candy empire.
Description via Steam.
Key Stats
Should You Play The Roottrees are Dead?
The year is 1998. A private jet belonging to the Roottree Corporation has crashed. On it were the Roottree Sisters and their parents. Combined, they were worth over a billion dollars. Now, due to the eccentricities of their great-great-grandfather Elias, their money must be redistributed to the rest of the family. But who's actually a BLOOD RELATIVE? That's where you come in. Armed only with the power of your mighty dial-up modem, you'll scour for photos, books, articles and other evidence. Then, you'll make connections and deductions…
The Roottrees are Dead is single-player on Steam and runs on Windows, Mac, Linux. It's on our trending radar right now.
Opens the official Steam store page.
System Requirements & Platforms
View PC requirements & supported platforms
Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux
Minimum
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system · OS: Windows 10 64-Bit · Processor: 2.0Ghz Dual Core · Memory: 8 GB RAM · Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 510 · Storage: 1 GB available space · Additional Notes: Your graphics card needs at least 2GB of VRAM
Recommended
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
The Roottrees are Dead — Frequently Asked Questions
- When does The Roottrees are Dead release?
- The Roottrees are Dead released on Jan 15, 2025 and is available now on Steam.
- What kind of game is The Roottrees are Dead?
- The Roottrees are Dead is a Puzzle game. A genealogical mystery straight out of 1998.
- Is The Roottrees are Dead multiplayer or co-op?
- No — The Roottrees are Dead is listed as single-player only on Steam.
- Is The Roottrees are Dead on Steam Deck or consoles?
- The Roottrees are Dead runs on Windows, Mac, Linux via Steam; native Linux support makes it a strong Steam Deck candidate. No console release has been confirmed.
- How much does The Roottrees are Dead cost?
- The Roottrees are Dead is priced at $14.99 on Steam.
- What are The Roottrees are Dead's system requirements?
- The developer has not published detailed system requirements yet.
- Is The Roottrees are Dead worth playing in 2026?
- Yes — The Roottrees are Dead holds 97% positive across 4,345 Steam reviews, making it an easy recommendation in 2026.
- Who made The Roottrees are Dead?
- The Roottrees are Dead is developed by Evil Trout Inc..
- What games is The Roottrees are Dead similar to?
- The Roottrees are Dead sits alongside Puzzle games such as Neo-Node, Aaron Drake: Ace Detective, Monster Smoosh.
- What platforms is The Roottrees are Dead on?
- The Roottrees are Dead is available on Windows, Mac, Linux.
Data & media via Steam · updated 2026-07-17 · all trending games →