Nivalis Nights Out on Steam: S$24.90 Noodle Empire Sim

If you’ve ever wondered what it would take to quit the day job and run a hawker stall, you can now try it in a cyberpunk city on the sea. Nivalis Nights is out on Steam in Singapore at a regular price of S$24.90, with a 10% launch discount that Steam lists as running until 13 October 2026.

That money buys a single-player life-and-business simulation where the neon city is a place to settle into, with a humble noodle stall, a waterfront full of neighbours, and total freedom over how you spend your days and nights.

Night cityscape with neon signs, snow, and buildings in Nivalis Nights — Snow, neon and noodle shops glow in Nivalis Nights, out now on Steam for S$24.90

Think The Sims with a Blade Runner skyline and you’re close. Early player reviews come with a performance warning, though, and it’s worth reading before you pay.

The Studio Behind the Neon

Nivalis Nights comes from ION LANDS, an independent studio based in Berlin whose previous game, Cloudpunk, first introduced players to the retrofuturistic city of Nivalis. The new game is published by 505 Games, a subsidiary of Digital Bros that publishes games across all major platforms.

A yellow and orange passenger train runs beneath towering buildings and holographic signs under an orange sky in Nivalis Nights — A passenger train runs beneath the towers and holographic signs of Nivalis, the same city ION LANDS first built for Cloudpunk

The project went by the simpler name Nivalis for years, until ION LANDS announced the new title on 30 June 2026. Since its first reveal in 2021, it has collected more than 1 million Steam wishlists, according to 505 Games. That’s a crowd most indie studios would envy, even though a wishlist works more like a bookmark than a sale.

When we covered the 1 million wishlist milestone ahead of launch, the climb from noodle stall to nightclub reminded us of the hawker success stories many Singaporeans grew up hearing. Now that the game is in players’ hands, the question is whether that climb holds up.

A rain-soaked street in Nivalis Nights lit by glowing signs, tangled power lines and bioluminescent plants — Rain, neon and glowing plants line a Nivalis street, the kind of block where a noodle stall owner could start building an empire

Start Small, Sell Noodles

The heart of the game is the business ladder. You start with a single noodle stall and work your way up to restaurants and some of the city’s hottest nightclubs. Along the way, you decide how quickly to expand and where every dollar of profit goes next.

A busy plaza in Nivalis Nights glows purple and orange as figures move past lit storefronts — Crowds drift past glowing storefronts in a busy Nivalis plaza, exactly the foot traffic a growing noodle business is chasing

Ingredients matter here, which anyone who has queued at a stall that sells out by 1pm will appreciate. You can buy produce from local markets, grow your own, or serve fish you caught yourself. That means the kitchen ties back into almost everything else you do in the city.

The people walking past are more than customers. Neighbours and regulars have their own stories, and those relationships can grow into friendships, rivalries, or romance.

A cosy apartment in Nivalis Nights with red chairs, a small plant and warm lighting beside floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking snow — Red chairs, a small plant and warm lamplight fill a Nivalis apartment with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out on snow

If one system earns the S$24.90, it’s the business climb. It gives every other activity, from fishing to market runs, a reason to exist.

A City Made for Wandering

Getting around is half the fun. You can cross Nivalis on foot, by public transit, by taxi, or in your own boat along its winding canals, and the game encourages you to poke into every lively square and easy-to-miss alley you pass.

A neon-lit alleyway in Nivalis Nights with cyan and orange light reflecting on wet pavement — Cyan and orange light pools on the wet pavement of a Nivalis alley, the sort of side street the game wants you to explore

The canals are where the game slows down. Taking the boat out to find a quiet fishing spot is a proper activity rather than a side distraction, and your catch can end up on tomorrow’s menu. It’s a satisfying loop that turns a lazy afternoon into stock for the next service.

The city’s edges hold surprises as well. Press screenshots show coastal stretches with palm trees and wooden buildings that look nothing like the neon core, which suggests Nivalis has more variety than its rainy downtown lets on.

A player character wades in turquoise shallows at sunset beside palm trees and wooden buildings in Nivalis Nights — A player wades through turquoise shallows at sunset, far from the neon towers of downtown Nivalis

Making Nivalis Home

When the shift ends, there’s a home to go back to. You can decorate your apartment however you like, or save up to buy and customise the residence of your neon-futuristic dreams.

If you’ve spent months pinning HDB renovation ideas, the appeal is obvious: here, your dream home depends only on how many bowls of noodles you can sell. For the slice-of-life crowd, a space that’s entirely yours gives all that hustle somewhere to land at the end of the night.

The Catch Is Performance

The biggest complaint so far is about how the game runs on personal computers (PCs). Players report frame-rate drops and stuttering even on high-end machines, although others say it runs smoothly on their setups. Some have also questioned how deep the restaurant management goes, along with the navigation, inventory, and interface design. A few feel the finished game is less dark and gritty than earlier footage suggested.

A neon-lit cyberpunk cityscape in Nivalis Nights with towering orange and black structures and glowing signs in the haze — Orange towers and glowing signs rise through the haze of Nivalis, the look that early players keep praising

Even so, the overall mood leans positive. As of 30 September, Steam showed 73% positive from 1,154 user reviews, which puts Nivalis Nights in the Mostly Positive bracket. Players are praising the visual style, the city itself, and the chance to play an ordinary resident instead of yet another action hero.

Steam Deck HQ found the game intriguing and fun, especially the business expansion, but said performance was rough enough that it couldn’t recommend the handheld experience. If the Steam Deck is your main machine, hold off until patches arrive.

Should You Buy It?

If you’re on a capable desktop and your ideal evening involves running a shop, decorating a flat, and chatting with regulars, the answer is yes. Buy it during the discount window, then give it a proper session to see how it runs on your setup. If you care more about deep management systems, watch the patch notes for a few weeks first, because that’s where the most pointed criticism sits.

Players who prefer another storefront also have an option coming. 505 Games plans to release the game on the Epic Games Store at a later date and says more information will follow in the coming weeks.

🎮 Platform: PC via Steam (Epic Games Store version planned for later)
💰 Regular price: S$24.90
🏷️ Launch discount: 10% off, listed on Steam until 13 October 2026
🌏 Other regional prices: MYR 58.50, THB 459, PHP 749, IDR 214,999, VND 338,000
🛠️ Developer and publisher: ION LANDS and 505 Games

A noodle stall that grows into a nightclub empire, set in a neon city where you can go fishing between shifts, is a charming idea, and a 1 million strong wishlist crowd clearly agrees! Grab Nivalis Nights on its Steam store page before the 10% discount ends on 13 October, and follow the game on X, Instagram, and its official Discord for patch news and the Epic Games Store date.

Photos and Visuals courtesy of 505 Games.

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