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Leila's Play
A ghost turns the theater upside down right before the first big performance of the young theater group "ShakesPeer". Explore the winding theater, solve puzzles and earn the trust of a diverse group of friends. A heartwarming adventure about friendship, inclusion and neurodiversity.

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Features
Single-player
Family Sharing
Steam is learning about this game 
Languages:
Interface Full Audio Subtitles
English ✔ ✔
German ✔ ✔
Turkish ✔ ✔
Awards

From Food for Thought, the team behind Sibel’s Journey (Gaming without Borders Representation Award, Big Impact Diversity Award at gamescom Latam, Games for Change Best in Civics nominee) and Laika: The Trail of the Golden Bone (Deutscher Computerspielpreis 2020, Best Children’s Game). Founder Serenad Yılmaz received the NRW-Förderpreis at the Deutscher Entwicklerpreis 2025 for her work on diversity in games.

Coming Soon To Early Access

The developers of this game intend to release as a work in progress, developing with the feedback of players.

Note: Games in Early Access are not complete and may or may not change further. If you are not excited to play this game in its current state, then you should wait to see if the game progresses further in development. Learn more

What the developers have to say:

Why Early Access?

“Leila’s Play is a narrative game about friendship, theatre and belonging, made by a small team in Berlin. We want to shape the final chapters together with the people who play them. During Early Access we are collecting feedback from players, schools and youth workshops, testing the English, German and Turkish versions in real use and adding new content step by step.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“We currently expect Leila’s Play to stay in Early Access for about six months.”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

“The full version is planned to include the chapters of Ilias and Tristan, newly recorded voice acting and additional accessibility features.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The current version contains Leila’s chapter, with around 90 minutes of play, in English, German and Turkish. The existing voice acting will be replaced with new recordings during Early Access, and further accessibility options will follow.”

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?

“Yes. The price will increase when the full version is released.”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

“We will read and respond to feedback in the Steam discussions and reviews. In parallel, we are playing the game with young people in schools and youth workshops, and their responses directly shape Ilias’ and Tristan’s chapters, the voice acting and the accessibility features.”
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About This Game

A play, a first festival and a ghost that turns everything upside down.

In Leila's Play, you accompany Leila and her friends as they prepare for the Supernatural Festival, where they plan to perform their brand-new play. But things turn out to be more difficult than expected. Leila has to hold the group together while trying not to let her friend down. And to make matters worse, a ghost is haunting the very theater where the performance is supposed to take place.

Or do ghosts even exist? Is someone playing a prank and trying to tear the group apart? And what is the deal with the theater's sinister manager?

Playing as Leila, you explore the winding theater and its surrounding areas, gradually unlock new areas, collect items and clues and solve puzzles that bring you one step closer to the mystery. But you won't get far on your own. Get to know the people around you, earn their trust by talking to them or helping them, and they will show you how to find things or unlock new paths. After all, every mystery in the world is better solved with friends.

Every character in Leila's Play has their own story and perspective:

  • Leila: holds the group together and looks for real explanations when the others start believing in ghosts

  • Deb: an actor with a vivid imagination who is convinced the Phantom is real

  • Ilias: a dedicated young man who uses a wheelchair

  • Tristan: a Jewish trans boy who was the last to join the group

  • Aziza: came to Germany from Afghanistan and dreams of becoming a renowned actress

  • Lars: a gifted musician who has Tourette syndrome

Leila's Play aims to be a place where every player feels safe and at home.

Early Access:

Early Access includes Leila's chapter (about 90 minutes). The chapters of Ilias and Tristan are planned for the full version.

Feature list:

  • A story-rich adventure: Explore the vast theater and its surrounding areas, collect items and solve puzzles.

  • Layered dialogues: Talk to the diverse cast of characters and learn about them and their different backgrounds. Every character has a story to tell.

  • A hand-drawn mystery: Dive into lovingly drawn 2D scenes in warm colors and explore and investigate at your own pace.

  • Multilingual: Available in German, English and Turkish.

System Requirements

    Minimum:
    • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
    • OS: Windows 10 (64-bit)
    • Memory: 2 GB RAM
    Recommended:
    • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
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What Curators Say

1 Curator has reviewed this product. Click here to see them.