Owlboy is a story-driven pixel platformer from D-Pad Studio. You play Otus, a mute owl boy who flies, carries his friends as living guns, and climbs through a world of floating islands after sky pirates take everything he was supposed to protect. It launched on 1 November 2016, and on 1 November 2026 it received a free anniversary update that added auto-aim, a Super Dash, accessibility toggles and a speedrunner branch.
This site is built around that update. It is not a news blog: the changelog shipped and there is no live-service schedule. You get a full reference for the 2026 version — update, walkthrough, collectibles, achievements and a verdict on the $1.99 price.
What the update added
The update is a quality-of-life patch, not a remaster. It adds four Options toggles (auto-aim, screenshake, flash effects, drop gunner on dodge), a held-roll Super Dash, directional throwing, cutscene fast-forward and ZXC keys, and removes several door cutscenes.
It also rebalances bosses and enemies, makes Alphonse's blast work on more targets, stops fire from draining health, and ships a separate Speed-runner Mode that keeps the glitches runners use. The full list is in the changelog, and the player-facing version is in what changed.
Price: $1.99, 90% off
On 2026-11-03 the Steam store listed Owlboy at $19.99 list, $1.99 with a 90% discount. That is the deepest discount documented in the game's own Steam news feed; the 2024 anniversary sale was 75% off and the daily deals never passed 50%.
At $1.99 the game is about 25 cents per hour for an eight-hour main story. At full price it is a normal premium indie price for a short, linear game. The price page tracks the history, and the buying guide gives the verdict.
Before you start
Four things matter before the first dungeon:
| Thing | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Toby's hot spring | A permanent health increase, easy to walk past |
| Bomboman's drums | A song sequence that unlocks an achievement and a key |
| The roll button | Tap to dodge, hold for the Super Dash |
| The shop's coin rule | Claiming a trinket does not spend your coins |
The beginner guide covers the first hour in order. If you last played in 2016, read the controls page first: the keyboard scheme changed.
FAQ
How long is it? About 8h 24m for the main story and 13h 22m for completion, according to HowLongToBeat. The length page breaks it down.
Does it have Chinese? Yes, Simplified and Traditional, both with full audio. There are 13 languages in total.
Can I play with a keyboard? Yes. Turn auto-aim on and use the arrow keys plus ZXC. No controller or mouse needed.
Is the update free, and does it keep my save? Yes and yes. It installs over the existing Steam version and uses the same save folder.
Next
If you have never played, start with the beginner guide, then the walkthrough hub. If you are returning for the update, the changelog and Speed-runner Mode are the two pages that matter.
If you are here to collect, the achievements page lists all 12 with their conditions, and the coins page explains the shop thresholds. If you are here to decide whether to buy, read the 2026 verdict and skip the rest.
Every page carries a checked date. Numbers come from the Steam store page, the official patch notes, the achievement schema and HowLongToBeat, checked on 2026-11-03.