team17 brings What Goes Up and Greak 2 demos to Tokyo Game Show

Playable builds of What Goes Up and Greak 2: Alliance of the Storms are set to make their public debut at Tokyo Game Show 2026, marking a rare opportunity for attendees to test two of team17's most anticipated co-op projects before launch. Both titles will be available on the show floor from 17 to 21 September, with hands-on access confirmed at Kakehashi's Hall 2 booth (02-C18). According to MICE TIMES ONLINE, the 2026 event is notable for its record five-day run at Makuhari Messe, with publishers leveraging the show for pre-release demos of upcoming titles.

Hands-On Demos and Gameplay Details

What Goes Up, officially listed as a "chaotic co-op physics-building game" by SteamDB, supports one to four players and will be playable for the first time with two demo stations dedicated to both solo and multiplayer sessions. The demo features five complete levels, challenging players to construct unstable towers of rubbish while dodging hazards like slow-moving lava and meteor showers. Customisation options are included, with unlockable rewards from the in-game GALACTIC REFUSE CO. system. SteamDB confirms Team17 as publisher and Bossa Games as developer, with the project's release date still to be announced as of September 8, 2026.

Greak 2: Alliance of the Storms, the sequel to the award-winning Greak: Memories of Azur, will also be on show. The Tokyo Game Show demo offers a ten-minute slice of the hand-drawn metroidvania, allowing players to control siblings Greak and Adara-either in co-op or solo-as they traverse parallel dimensions and solve environmental puzzles. The focus is on teamwork and navigating interconnected worlds, with the threat of extinction looming over a legendary species. Gameliner, an independent games catalog, describes Greak 2 as a hand-drawn cooperative metroidvania and confirms Team17 as publisher, with the project publicly listed as of September 6, 2026.

Confirmed Platforms and Release Windows

What Goes Up is scheduled to launch later in 2026 on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5. However, SteamDB currently lists the release date as "to be announced," and there have been no independent confirmations of a finalized launch window or changes to the platform lineup as of early September 2026. Greak 2: Alliance of the Storms is targeting a 2027 release across PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch, with its status as an upcoming Team17 project confirmed by Gameliner. Both games are being positioned as co-op experiences, with What Goes Up emphasizing physics-based construction and Greak 2 building on its predecessor's hand-drawn animation and metroidvania structure.

For press and industry professionals seeking a guaranteed demo slot, team17 has opened bookings via email. This approach mirrors the hands-on access model seen with other recent showfloor titles, such as those reported earlier for Hela of Mice & Magic, where early access to playable builds has become a key part of pre-release coverage. MICE TIMES ONLINE notes that a number of titles at TGS 2026 will be available to visitors before their official release, aligning with the hands-on format for both What Goes Up and Greak 2.

Studios and Development Context

What Goes Up is developed in partnership with Bossa Games, a London-based studio known for unconventional co-op titles like Surgeon Simulator and I Am Bread. Their stated mission is to create memorable co-op experiences, and the new project continues that trajectory with a focus on collaborative problem-solving. SteamDB records confirm Bossa Games as the developer and Team17 as the publisher. Greak 2: Alliance of the Storms is led by Navegante, an independent studio from Mexico with a reputation for traditional hand-drawn animation and artistic presentation, as established in their debut title Greak: Memories of Azur. Gameliner's catalog entry further supports Team17's publishing role for Greak 2.

team17, now part of everplay group plc, acts as both publisher and developer for a portfolio exceeding 150 titles, including Overcooked! and Worms. Their presence at Tokyo Game Show underlines a continued commitment to supporting independent studios and bringing diverse co-op games to a global audience.

What Remains Unconfirmed

While both demos will be available to the public at Tokyo Game Show, neither What Goes Up nor Greak 2: Alliance of the Storms has a final release date. SteamDB and Gameliner both indicate that, as of early September 2026, What Goes Up remains in "release date to be announced" status, and Greak 2 is confirmed only as an upcoming project with no detailed launch window. Pricing, edition structure, and post-launch plans have not been detailed. There is no confirmation yet on cross-play, cross-progression, or specific performance targets for any platform. The available demos represent curated slices of gameplay rather than full builds, so questions remain about content volume, technical stability, and final feature sets. According to available independent sources, there have been no reports of release delays, demo cancellations, or changes to the platform window for either title.

Playable demos at major events like Tokyo Game Show offer a controlled preview of upcoming games, but they rarely represent the full scope or technical state of the final release. These builds are often selected to highlight core mechanics and visual style while avoiding unfinished systems or performance issues. For players, hands-on access can reveal much about a game's feel and design priorities, but it is not a substitute for comprehensive review coverage or post-launch testing. As with all pre-release material, it is worth remembering that features, performance, and even release timing can shift before launch.