Stop everything, this vampire decorating sim screams dark romantasy and I can't wait to get my hands on it in 2026

Romance and fantasy are easily my favorite genres in the world of books, games, and movies. Combine those two together, and you get what is now lovingly referred to as romantasy – aka my bread and butter. I, like so many these days, am an avid reader of it. I just can't get enough. And if you give me tropes like fated mates, enemies to lovers, or forced proximity, you won't see me for days. It's my true happy place.

So why am I telling you this? Well, as GamesRadar+'s purveyor of the Indie Spotlight series, I'm always keeping a close eye on upcoming indie games, and I recently stumbled upon one set to come in 2026 that looks like the stuff dreams are made of – not only as a romantasy fan, but as someone who enjoys games like The Sims. The indie in question? My Eerie Lair from developer Bad Vice Games. With a slightly unhinged concept complete with a vampire captor lurking beneath its "cozy" decorating sim surface, I'm instantly intrigued. Sure, it sounds a bit dark, but is it firmly on my wishlist anyway? You better believe it.

I vant to win your heart

I'm nothing if not an expert in the world of decorating sims these days. From the soothing satisfaction of assembling a room just so in the likes of Unpacking and Camper Van: Make It Home, to running a housekeeping company in Whisper of the House, I was raised on The Sims, and I'm of course practised in the ways of building my ideal homes in The Sims 4. So to take the idea of furnishing rooms and combine it with a dark romantasy twist with a vampire at its heart? It's safe to say I added it to my wishlist faster than Dracula transforms into a bat.

See, in My Eerie lair, you're actually getting stuck into some relaxing laid back decorating inside a vampire's sprawling castle. But the twist is you're doing it to try to help the vampire called Victor (who looks a bit like Astarion from Baldur's Gate 3) win the heart of his beloved, Mary, who he's kidnapped and keeps inside his lair.

With a wealth of customization available and no restrictions or penalties at play in terms of how you want to decorate the abode, the Steam page details that you'll "uncover the dark story" that binds the vampire to his captive bride-to-be as you unlock new objects and bring the castle's rooms together.

I absolutely loved the way both Unpacking and Camper Van: Make it Home tell you so much about the people who live in the spaces you're decorating through the objects you set down, and it sounds like My Eerie Lair is going to tap into the same kind of storytelling magic — only with darker themes.

I'm already so curious about the bond between Victor and Mary. How did she end up capturing the heart of a vampire? Why is she there against her will? And why is Victor so hellbent on keeping her there? I have so many questions, and I can't wait to uncover their story as I sink into one of my favorite pastimes in the world of video games: decorating. I mean, who wouldn't want to design the interior of a vampiric castle? And with an Endless mode that lets you decorate the chambers "purely for the joy of creation", I can't help envisioning how I'd want to bring the eerie lair to life.

It really does sound like it'll combine so many things I love, and it's such a wonderfully dark and twisted spin on the decorating sim scene. I'm very keen to try it out for myself and see how you can shape the space to try and win Mary's heart. Will I want to root for Victor when I learn more about their story? Are they a match made in heaven or hell? I guess I'll just have to wait and see, but with it currently set to arrive towards the latter part of next year, it could be my ideal Halloween game in 2026, too.

One thing's for sure: my romantasy-loving heart is all aflutter, and I can't wait to sink my teeth into this one next year.

See what else is ahead with our roundup of new games for 2025 and beyond.