Back to the Dawn
by Metal Head Games · 17 Jul, 2025
29 downloads
About the Game
Back to the Dawn (动物迷城)
A gripping prison escape RPG woven with crime, corruption, and hidden agendas. Step into a maximum-security facility where every inmate has a past—and a plan. You'll have to fight to survive, investigate, and ultimately break free before the time runs out.
Uncover a scheme that threatens more than just your life—it could bring down the entire city. In this thrilling adventure, choices matter, and escape is your only salvation!

Choose between two protagonists — Thomas, a reporter caught in a web of lies, or Bob, an undercover agent sent deep into the prison system. Each storyline delivers over 20 hours of engrossing mystery, where your every choice matters. Navigate a prison ruled by three powerful gangs, interact with 47 uniquely crafted inmates, and uncover layers of intrigue through dozens of memorable NPCs.
With over 100 handcrafted quests, multiple escape routes—each with its own risks and rewards—several possible endings, and more than 500,000 words of gripping narrative, Back to the Dawn delivers a deeply replayable RPG unlike anything you've experienced.

Thomas the Fox is a journalist caught up in a dark conspiracy and who got thrown into a maximum-security prison for not playing ball. Working with your attorney friend on the outside, you must collect evidence to save yourself and the city from grave danger!
Bob the Panther is an undercover agent who has never failed on any of his missions, but he is growing exhausted of this line of work and wants out. But a personal tragedy drags him back for one last job in prison. Experience a hardboiled tale of betrayal, vengeance, and truth!

You’ll encounter all kinds of challenges as you explore your new environment. But will you be a model prisoner and just try to keep your head down, or will you leave a trail of chaos and destruction in your wake? It’s all up to you.

Meet a colorful cast of inmates in your prison, each with an interesting story to tell. You can either make them your friends or fight, bully and rob them into submission. Will you be part of a gang or a cunning lone wolf? Pick a side!

Are you a tough guy who lets his fists do the talking, a thief who hides in the shadows, or perhaps a smooth talker who manipulates the scene? Develop your skills, craft tools to suit your style, and climb your way from “new fish” to “top dog.”

In a place built to break you, your sharpest weapon is your creativity and cunning. Every inch of Boulderton Prison might hold the key to your escape, from your prison cell to the infirmary, to the sewers and even the rooftops. Can you break free?
Screenshots
14 images
Version Information
Steam Patch Notes
Official update history
Hello fellow inmates,
Thank you all so much for your continued support and feedback!
We are excited to share some good news. Back to the Dawn now supports Spanish (Latin America) and Vietnamese. A massive thank you to “Shadow” for the Spanish localization and “Nguyễn Trung Trực” for the Vietnamese localization. We are incredibly grateful for their contributions.
In addition to the languages already available, we are also in the progress of bringing more languages to the game. Thank you again to our global community for your support. It is because of you that Back to the Dawn can continue reaching more players around the world.
Here are the details of this update:
Optimization:
Added Spanish (Latin America) localization
Added Vietnamese localization
Optimized Traditional Chinese and Korean localization
Added Performance Compatibility Mode to the Settings - Graphics section. Enabling this will reduce lighting and filter effects in certain scenes, allowing a more stable and smooth gameplay.
Optimized the performance after selecting a dialogue option while voice-over is enabled.
Bug Fix:
Fixed an issue where, in non-Champion Mode, calling Maggie in the "Sun" escape route would trigger a Champion Mode prompt after deciding to escape.
Fixed an issue where the text prompt would trigger incorrectly when the protagonist sleeps with low body/low mind.
Fixed an issue where the Champion (Replay) Mode would overwrite save files from the Champion Path.
Fixed an issue where, after drugging Vasily/Kenny in the Guard Activity Room, the corresponding effect would trigger incorrectly during the Signal Tower escape.
Fixed an issue where, in some cases, choosing to continue the game would not access the previous save file.
In addition, we are also participating in The Storyteller's Festival 2026, where we will be having a sale starting on May 12th (UTC+08). Feel free to check it out!
If you come across any issues, please let us know by filling out our bug report form. Your feedback is crucial in helping us improve the game and ensure your prison escape experience is as smooth and thrilling as possible.
Hello inmates,
As usual, thank you everyone for your support and feedback!
Here are the details of this update:
Optimization:
Added Chinese voice-over. You may enable and disable it in \.
Bug Fix:
Fixed an issue where skipping TV programs on the 2nd floor of the lobby could cause save file corruption.
Fixed an issue where character positioning was incorrect after selecting "Restart" after failing a Ultimate Fight match.
If you come across any issues, please let us know by filling out our bug report form. Your feedback is crucial in helping us improve the game and ensure your prison escape experience is as smooth and thrilling as possible.
Hello fellow inmates!
Since the update article last September, where we updated everyone with a couple of optimization and port announcements, we haven't had the time to share our recent development with everyone. With the Chinese New Year coming up, it was the perfect opportunity for us to think back on the year, and look forward into the future.
We'd also like to thank the players who cheered us on throughout the Golden Box Awards judging process. We'd also love to thank IGN China for awarding us the "Niche Glory" award of the year. We hope that with the combined efforts of developers and players, Back to the Dawn will become more "mainstream". As Back to the Dawn makes its way to Nintendo Switch and Playstation, we hope more players will experience the rich life of Boulderton Prison.
Reflecting on 2025
2025 was a landmark year for us. Back to the Dawn, 7 years after the project was first initiated, has finally become a fully released game. Besides the long-term support of old friends, we have also made many new friends - the total number of players of Back to the Dawn across all platforms has now reached over 500k, and players continue to share about our game via word of mouth.
That's why, as we give everyone the first update of the year, it is still our top priority to show our appreciation to everyone for your endless support. Thank you all so much for making this possible!
In this fast-paced era of trends that last only a week, we are truly blessed to have players with as much as patience and passionate as you are with us. The fact that the extensive tale of Boulderton and its inhabitants has found an audience is an incredible affirmation of our efforts.
If fixing bugs and releasing version updates make us feel more like "developers," then seeing everyone discussing the details of Boulderton and sharing their love for the game makes us truly feel that we have achieved as "creators." As always, we are still quietly collecting feedback from players regarding their game experience, and we are very grateful for everyone's comments and suggestions.
Champion Mode
Today, we're officially launching the "Champion Mode" content update! This will also be the last major update for the base game of Back to the Dawn. The "Champion Mode" will bring a more challenging "Champion Mode" to veteran escape artists. Completing this mode will reward you with a "Champion Dice Skin" corresponding to your chosen character, as proof of pushing your limits!
Groundhog Badge
And if you're someone who is the opposite, we've got something for you too! We've added a new mystery item to Thomas' "New Eden Mode" and Bob's "White Mode"—the "Groundhog Badge." Having this badge while sleeping on day 21 allows you to remain on day 21 the next day. This means players choosing this mode no longer need to worry about failing to escape before the deadline.
Russian Localization
Back to the Dawn now supports the Russian language! Massive thanks to "pol4rcat" who provided us with the Russian localization script. Furthermore, the game's Chinese voice acting work is nearing completion and will be available on Steam in March, simultaneous with the Nintendo Switch port launch.
And... Drumrolls please!
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41416966/231075f08c92529905d04c543c4532e29f108674.jpg"]
We have heard the call... And it seems like the Gray Cat DLC... may perhaps... be officially under development!!!
If Thomas' story is about protecting the city and his dream, and Bob's duty is to defend the nation and his beliefs, then Supernatural Investigator Bam's mission is to save the world and reality as we know it! And faced with a potential "chaos" crisis, he may need the assistance of two other "trainee investigators".
A mage, a warrior, a ranger — wouldn't this be the perfect hero party? With patience, a year from now, we shall unleash a resounding success!
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41416966/22a1b3f829355357dd368f97f7b2af1b5f98f9c7.png"]
Next, the details of update \[V2.0.0.30]!
Content update:
Thomas's "New Eden Mode" and Bob's "White Mode" now include a new starting special item: the \[Groundhog Badge]. This item possesses a "mysterious and powerful" force: when the game progresses to day 21 and the player goes to sleep, a prompt will automatically appear asking if they wish to use the item's power. If used, the day will remain at day 21 the next morning. If not used, the story will proceed to its ending…
A fourth mode has been added to the mode selection, "Champion Mode"! This is a challenge designed for seasoned escape artists. You must first complete a protagonist's route in any mode to unlock this mode for the corresponding protagonist.
A new pop-up has been added to quickly change the dialogue speed during dialogue (specific instructions will be displayed below the "Dialogue Speed" option in the game options menu).
An "Organize Backpack" function has been added to the item purchase interface.
The text display of some in-game prompts has been optimized.
Performance and art optimizations have been made to some scenes.
Russian language support has been added.
The following is an overview of the Champion Mode content:
New Save File: You can only select this mode when creating a new save file. You can't use a save file from a previous playthrough to activate Champion Mode.
No Memory Recall: As with "Skidroad/Gray" mode, you can't use the Memory Recall feature in Champion Mode. Whatever the outcome of your choice or the roll of the dice, you'll just have to accept it.
Survival Trial: It will be more difficult to maintain good Body and Mind in this mode. Furthermore, going to sleep with Pain or Depression will immediately result in failure to survive.
Money Trial: When you buy items or take part in gang activities, the cost will be higher.
Growth Trial: All other characters except you will receive attribute boosts, and they will continue to get stronger every week.
Combat Trial: Your opponents will gain the Absolute Focus ability to counter your critical hits and dodges. In certain special fights, your opponents will also gain extra ability enhancements.
Escape Challenge: In this mode, every path to freedom becomes more perilous. The good news is you will get warned when the time comes.
Completion Reward: Finishing the final act storyline to complete this mode will earn you the Champion dice skin of your protagonist!
After Completion: Complete Champion Mode to unlock the Champion Path save tree, which consists of auto-save files at the start of each day during your playthrough. You can load these files to quickly return to any day during your playthrough and experience special content in other routes and branches in Champion Mode. The manual save feature will also be available.
Bug fixes:
Fixed an issue where characters appeared out of place after skipping the Black Panther opening sequence.
Fixed an issue where invisible walls appeared inside the General Building.
Fixed issues with the protagonist's animation jittering when walking or running against walls, and the model getting stuck when walking on slopes.
Fixed an issue with misaligned character location when transitioning from the boxing match day to the fighting arena.
Fixed some animation errors in Fenra's storyline.
As always, thank you everyone for your support. We look forward to sharing more and more of Boulderton with you and with more people across the world.
Hello inmates,
As usual, thank you everyone for your support and feedback!
Here are the details of this update:
Bug Fix:
Adjusted the speed of auto-advance of English text
Fixed the bug in the dialogue log and the controller selection
If you come across any issues, please let us know by filling out our bug report form. Your feedback is crucial in helping us improve the game and ensure your prison escape experience is as smooth and thrilling as possible.
Hello inmates,
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41416966/fd5d183ff77393ed3973bb05725a4a0662c4bac5.jpg"]
Thank you everyone for your feedback and support! Back to the Dawn is participating Spiral Up Publisher Sale, and you can enjoy a 10% discount on the game! The discount will last till 7th November so be sure to catch it while you can. Don't say we didn't warn you!
Below are the details of this update:
Optimizations & Adjustments:
Added auto-play for conversations, with adjustable playback speeds in \.
Added chat history, allowing you to view the last three days of conversations in the \ tab on the main interface.
Increased speed for boxing matches from 2x to 4x.
You can now end cooking tasks early in the kitchen.
Bug Fix:
The Charmer skill now works correctly while bonding with Chris.
Text improvements for Simplified Chinese and Korean
"Back to the Dawn X Roulette Hero" Bundle OUT NOW!
Get the Back to the Dawn X Roulette Hero" Bundle to get two wonderful animal-themed games! Buy it now to stack the discounts from the Publisher Sale with the bundle discount!
[dynamiclink href="https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/59630/_x/"]
If you come across any issues, please let us know by filling out our bug report form. Your feedback is crucial in helping us improve the game and ensure your prison escape experience is as smooth and thrilling as possible.
Current Release
22259489
Uploaded Apr 01, 2026
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System Requirements
How to Install
Back To The Dawn.exe to play
Troubleshooting tips
• Run Redist/_CommonRedist installers if game won't start
• Add folder to Windows Defender exclusions
• Run as administrator
Download
Direct link available
1.3 GB
22259489
4BD445A0
5a7c81c5aff831ec6bd4f645fddb6810bef3b9abb374a95c44aa6fa14ad555d9
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View AllDownload Back to the Dawn for PC with a direct link or via torrent. Get the full version of Back to the Dawn for free. Back to the Dawn is a Adventure released by Metal Head Games.