Wirehawk
A neon vector shmup in the spirit of 80s arcade classics.
Free demo on Steam now / Steam Next Fest Oct 19–26, 2026 / Full game Q1 2027
Fact sheet
- Title
- Wirehawk
- Developer
- Trax (solo developer)
- Based in
- Prague, Czech Republic
- Genre
- Shoot 'em up, arcade
- Platform
- PC (Steam)
- Release
- Q1 2027
- Price
- $6.99
- Demo
- Out now: the complete first world, 9 stages and a boss, about 13 minutes
- Next Fest
- October 19–26, 2026
- Controls
- Mouse (one hand) or controller
- Length
- 5 worlds, 50 stages, about 70 minutes for a full run
- Languages
- English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese
- Website
- wirehawk.pages.dev
- Steam
- Wirehawk on Steam
- Demo page
- Wirehawk Demo on Steam
Description
One line
Wirehawk is a neon vector shmup in the spirit of 80s arcade classics.
Short
Wirehawk is a neon vector shmup in the spirit of 80s arcade classics. Play it your way: razor-sharp mouse control, or a dedicated controller mode rebalanced for the stick. Blast asteroids and alien waves, dodge bullet storms, slow time with stasis. Autofire always on.
Long
Wirehawk is a tribute to the vector arcade cabinets of the early 80s. Everything on screen is glowing wireframe built from straight lines only, with no curves anywhere.
You can play it your way. With the mouse it is a one-handed game with razor-sharp control: the ship follows your hand, the left button triggers stasis to slow time, the right button flips your fire downward, and the wheel switches between a focused and a spread laser. The dedicated controller mode is more than a remap. It is rebalanced for the stick. Either way, autofire is always on, so all your attention goes to blasting asteroids and alien waves and dodging bullet storms.
It is a short, hard game made for people who remember when arcades didn't hold your hand. A full run through its 5 worlds and 50 hand-made stages takes about 70 minutes, if you survive it.
Key features
- Two ways to play: razor-sharp mouse control or a dedicated controller mode rebalanced for the stick
- Stasis to slow time, two laser modes, autofire always on
- 5 worlds and 50 hand-made stages with boss fights, including a capital-ship run in the spirit of Uridium
- A deflect system and rare GOD MODE pickups
- Global Steam leaderboards and 15 achievements, including one for a no-death clear
- A full run takes about 70 minutes, if you survive it
Screenshots
Click a screenshot to open the full 1920×1080 file, then save it. All images are free to use in coverage of the game.
Logo and artwork
Also available: key art in 1920×1200.
Video
Watch gameplay on YouTube
More footage: youtube.com/@TraxGameDev
About the developer
Trax
Trax is a solo developer from Prague and a former professional game developer at Black Element Software. He makes Wirehawk in his evenings as a tribute to the 8- and 16-bit classics.
Videos and streams
You are free to stream, record and publish videos of Wirehawk and its demo, including monetized content. You don't need to ask.
Press release
Wirehawk brings its free demo to Steam Next Fest (October 13, 2026)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wirehawk, a neon vector shmup in the spirit of 80s arcade classics, brings its free demo to Steam Next Fest PRAGUE, Czech Republic - October 13, 2026 - Solo developer Trax today announced that Wirehawk, a neon vector shoot 'em up in the spirit of 80s arcade classics, will take part in Steam Next Fest from October 19 to 26, 2026. A free demo with the complete first world is available on Steam now. The full game launches on PC in Q1 2027 for $6.99. Wirehawk lets you play it your way. With the mouse it is a one-handed game with razor-sharp control: the ship follows your hand, the left button triggers stasis to slow time, the right button flips your fire downward, and the wheel switches between a focused and a spread laser. The dedicated controller mode is more than a remap. It is rebalanced for the stick. Either way, autofire is always on, so all your attention goes to blasting asteroids and alien waves and dodging bullet storms. The look is strict. Everything on screen is glowing wireframe built from straight lines only, with no curves anywhere, in the tradition of the vector cabinets of the early 80s. "I built Wirehawk for people who remember when arcades didn't hold your hand," said Trax. "It's short, it's hard, and when you die it's your fault." Key features - Two ways to play: razor-sharp mouse control or a dedicated controller mode rebalanced for the stick - Stasis to slow time, two laser modes, autofire always on - 5 worlds and 50 hand-made stages with boss fights, including a capital-ship run in the spirit of Uridium - A deflect system and rare GOD MODE pickups - Global Steam leaderboards and 15 achievements, including one for a no-death clear - A full run takes about 70 minutes, if you survive it - Available in English, Japanese, Korean and Simplified Chinese The demo The demo contains the complete first world: 9 stages and a boss, about 13 minutes for a clean run. Links Gameplay video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5A2wnsc9gM Demo: https://store.steampowered.com/app/5020210/Wirehawk_Demo Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4985810/Wirehawk/ Website: https://wirehawk.pages.dev/ Press kit: https://wirehawk.pages.dev/wirehawk-presskit.html About the developer Trax is a solo developer from Prague and a former professional game developer at Black Element Software. He makes Wirehawk in his evenings as a tribute to the 8- and 16-bit classics. Review keys for the full game are available on request.
Contact
For press inquiries and review keys, use the contact form at wirehawk.pages.dev.
- NameTrax
- BlueskyBluesky
- Websitewirehawk.pages.dev
- YouTubeyoutube.com/@TraxGameDev
- SteamWirehawk on Steam