What is Buckshot Roulette?

Buckshot Roulette is an intense one-on-one of Russian Roulette with a pump-action shotgun. Wondering where this game came from, what it’s about, and why it’s popular right now, here’s everything you need to know about the indie horror game Buckshot Roulette.

Why is Buckshot Roulette popular?

Most indie horrors start from nothing but rise in fame due to word-of-mouth. For video games, this is seen commonly on YouTube. Much like the rise of Lethal Company, explained by big content creators livestreaming the game, such as Insym, most indie communities are put onto indie gems from following and watching these creators having fun with friends.

Other creators like ManlyBadassHero, 8-BitRyan, IGP, and KrinxTV, to name a few, are typically on the ball when it comes to single-player indie horror releases in and outside of Steam. But a less-used marketplace offers a ton of indie horror gems, and that’s Itch.io. Itch.io is the go-to place for free or cheap but great indie horror games. This is where Buckshot Roulette comes in.

As of January 2024, Buckshot Roulette has slowly increased in popularity as larger content creators try this game out for themselves. While it is up against the current powerhouse of Lethal Company, both games continue to bring in views, demonstrating the community’s appreciation for cheap games that offer fun, challenging, and unique content.

Buckshot Roulette feels reminiscent of INSCRYPTION, but it’s low price and twisted redesign of Russian Roulette make it a game worth playing for yourself.

Premise of Buckshot Roulette

Buckshot Roulette is a single-player horror game that places you inside an underground club. The game begins in the bathroom stalls with the word “AFRAID” sprawled on the bathroom mirror. A quick trip outside the stalls shows where the gameplay begins. The tabletop design starts simple; you need to guess whether the bullet in the shotgun is a blank or a live round. Surviving or losing the round will progress until you beat the AI in the third and final round where death is permanent.

Each round has a randomized sequence of blank and live bullets placed into the 12-gauge pump-action shotgun. Items are randomly selected and can be used at the start of each turn. These offer buffs for the current turn, such as checking or skipping a bullet, making the opposition skip a round, replenish lives, or double damage. The AI has equal opportunity to use these items against you with their own randomized selection.

Released on Dec. 29, 2023, Buckshot Roulette is making the rounds on YouTube, getting great reviews from ManlyBadassHero, 8-BitRyan, Insym, Markiplier, and IGP. But indie horror like Buckshot Roulette and Lethal Company get their moment in the spotlight until the community inevitably moves onto the next big thing.

While Buckshot Roulette is a short 15 to 20-minute horror game, it has the opportunity to expand on its dark fight club-style aesthetic, tabletop gameplay, and limited lore. On April 4, Buckshot Roulette fully released on Steam for an incredibly fair price of $2.69. This includes exclusive items as part of the intense Double or Nothing game mode. Do you have what it takes to enter the Dealer’s domain?