The Grotto Index
Released 22 September 2026 · PC · Adventure, Casual, Indie
A cozy nonogram (picross) adventure. Descend a living dungeon and fill a naturalist's journal one picture-logic puzzle at a time. 100 hand-crafted specimens across 10 floors. No fail states, no guessing: every puzzle is solvable by pure logic. Just you, a lantern, and quiet discovery.
Story
A cozy nonogram adventure beneath a living dungeon. You are a naturalist of the Grotto Guild, roped down into the green dark beneath the city to do one thing: see what lives there, and record it. Every chamber holds a single specimen — a glowing flower, a blind cave fish, a frost-grown fern, a sleeping drowned king — and the only way to record it is to solve the picture-logic puzzle hidden in its shape. Solve by logic. Reveal by light. Every puzzle is a nonogram (also known as picross or griddlers): read the number clues, ink the right cells, and the silhouette of a real specimen emerges from the grid. Finish it and your sketch blooms to life in a cascade of flipping cells — the drawing becoming the living thing. 100 specimens. 10 floors. One continuous descent. From the mossy first hollow down through drowned causeways, glass caverns, ice galleries and lakes of slow fire, to the luminous heart of the world. Each floor opens and closes with a beat of story, and the deeper you go, the stranger the things you find — ending on a finale you'll want to reach for yourself. Cozy by design — no fail states, no guessing. There is no game over and no clock you must beat. Every...
Gameplay
A cozy nonogram adventure beneath a living dungeon. You are a naturalist of the Grotto Guild, roped down into the green dark beneath the city to do one thing: see what lives there, and record it. Every chamber holds a single specimen — a glowing flower, a blind cave fish, a frost-grown fern, a sleeping drowned king — and the only way to record it is to solve the picture-logic puzzle hidden in its shape. Solve by logic. Reveal by light. Every puzzle is a nonogram (also known as picross or griddlers): read the number clues, ink the right cells, and the silhouette of a real specimen emerges from the grid. Finish it and your sketch blooms to life in a cascade of flipping cells — the drawing becoming the living thing. 100 specimens. 10 floors. One continuous descent. From the mossy first hollow down through drowned causeways, glass caverns, ice galleries and lakes of slow fire, to the luminous heart of the world. Each floor opens and closes with a beat of story, and the deeper you go, the stranger the things you find — ending on a finale you'll want to reach for yourself. Cozy by design — no fail states, no guessing. There is no game over and no clock you must beat. Every single puzzle is guaranteed solvable by pure logic alone, verified by a solver before it ever ships — so you are never left stuck, guessing. Set it down any time; your progress saves automatically and...
Features
- Single-player
- Camera Comfort
- Color Alternatives
- Mouse Only Option
- #category_playable_at_your_own_pace
- Playable without Timed Input
- Save Anytime
- Family Sharing
Release details
The Grotto Index is a Adventure, Casual and Indie game by HVPIXELS. The Grotto Index came out on Tuesday, 22 September 2026 on PC. This date comes from Steam and was last checked on 22 September 2026.
Frequently asked questions
When did The Grotto Index come out?
The Grotto Index came out on 22 September 2026.
Which platforms is The Grotto Index on?
The Grotto Index is on PC.
Who makes The Grotto Index?
The Grotto Index is developed by HVPIXELS.
What kind of game is The Grotto Index?
The Grotto Index is a game of these genres: Adventure, Casual and Indie.