How Many Dudes? launched on 30th July 2026 and is by indie dev Butterscotch Shenanigans. We picked it up on Steam to embrace its absurd roguelike dudebuilder concepts that’s been an indie gaming hit.
It’s become a big indie game hit of the moment, getting attention online and the like. And it’s pretty damn clear why the very moment you clap eyes on the distinct chaos of its trailer.
The Organised Mayhem of How Many Dudes?
The game has sold over 100,000 copies in 50 hours, making it a bona fide indie game hit. As with many breakout successes like this, it’s a simple concept that’s easy to pick-up-and-play.
Genre wise it’s a mishmash of roguelike, strategy, and gambling stuff.
You’re in a mini-arena and you pitch dudes into the arena against an ever-growing horde of beings (gorillas, toddlers, ducks, horse-sized ducks, gods etc.). In that arena, everyone battles it out until there are no more dudes/beings. As you, the player, win matches and progress, you add more dudes to your squadron thing (whatever the terminology is).
Simple stuff, then, but also very addictive. Plus, amusing. As you progress into How Many Dudes? the sheer sight of hell-for-leather chaos on your screen gets very entertaining indeed. Behold!
Everything has a simplistic starting point, but the further you get into a run the more complicated things get. You need to choose collective power ups wisely, recruit new dudes, and hedge your bets taking on difficult bosses.
Yes, then, there’s more strategy to this than meets the eye.
But the eye (or two eyes, if you still have two) are very much drawn into the absurd fisticuffs action you see play out. It’s genuinely absurd and comical when you have seemingly 1,000 things onscreen beating the crap out of each other. All for comedic effect, of course, as How Many Dudes? does not take itself very seriously.
However, it is intended for short blasts of play. Anything else and it can get a little repetitive, as much as and addictive as it also is.
Thusly, if you fancy a daft time of it then this SOB is the best £10 you’ll spend in August 2026 (or any month of the year).
