BLACKWOOD Getting Started
Wishlist, spec check, and the first-day loop before September 16.
BLACKWOOD Act 1 is scheduled for September 16, 2026 on Steam for Windows. This beginner guide is for players who want a working plan before the shutters go up: what the game is, how a day is supposed to run, which systems can end a save, and which wiki pages to open next. It is not a substitute for the in-game tutorial, and it does not invent mission solutions that the studio has not shown.
What you are buying
BLACKWOOD is a single-player cinematic third-person shooter from AttritoM7 Productions, published with IZilla Games. Steam lists English interface, full audio, and subtitles. There is no Mac or Linux build in the store listing. Steam lists a single-player campaign only. You play Anton Blackwood in a reconstructed 2012 New York — Brooklyn shop by day, contract work after dark.
Act 1 launches at $24.99. The studio’s release announcement is explicit: one purchase is the full game, not a season pass. Act 2 is planned for March 2027 and Act 3 for September 2027, delivered as free updates to owners. New buyers will see the base price rise after later acts ($29.99 after Act 2, $34.99 after Act 3). If you want the lowest official price for the complete story, buying at Act 1 is the stated intent. Details live on the release date and roadmap pages.
Mature content is not a rumour. Steam’s descriptors include blood and gore, intense violence, strong language, and use of drugs and alcohol. If that is a hard no for your household, stop here.
Confirm the PC first
The published minimum is already demanding for an indie action game: Windows 10 or 11 64-bit, Ryzen 5 3600 or Core i5-10400F, 16 GB of RAM, GTX 1650 / RX 570 / Arc A380, DirectX 11, 30 GB, SSD required, 1080p Low at 30 FPS. FSR2 is offered as a performance mode. Recommended steps up to a 5600X or i5-12400F, RTX 3060 / RX 6600 XT / Arc A750, 1080p High at 60 FPS, NVMe preferred, DLSS or FSR2 for extra headroom. Open system requirements and match your GPU before you treat the wishlist as a purchase.
Full controller support is listed, including DualSense. Camera comfort, custom volume, surround or stereo, subtitle options, and adjustable difficulty are on the Steam page. That is enough to plan an accessibility setup even before a full controls overlay exists in-game.
The loop you should memorise
The studio’s systems article is more useful than a generic “do the story first” tip. A day is a sequence:
- Wake at home and get ready.
- Open and manage the DVD shop.
- Take a main mission or a side contract.
- Return, close the store, and handle leftover shop work.
- Spend on upgrades and plan the next day.
- Rest or sleep.
Seven days form a week. Four weeks form a month. At month’s end you owe bills and hush money totalling about 11–13k. You can pay in pieces through the month. Fail once and a warning sequence starts — police attention or loan sharks. Fail a second time and it is a game over. That is why this wiki puts store management and the dual economy next to combat instead of burying them.
Autopilot on the shop is real and it is weak. Unmanaged inventory is described as roughly $60–$80 a day. Hands-on restocking, organisation, and pricing can reach $500 or more. Amelie can hold the counter while you leave. If you never touch the shop, nights have to carry a bill the shop was meant to soften.
Two wallets, not one pile of cash
Clean Cash comes from legitimate work: the store, daily life, and some special missions. It pays rent, store upgrades, outfits, civilian weapons, and relationship spending. Dirty Cash comes from contracts. It buys rare weapons, ammunition, black-market upgrades, and items that unlock unique takedowns. Neither wallet replaces the other. A night that prints Dirty Cash does not automatically cover the rent. Use the bill planner to see how many strong shop days you need if contract income is lumpy.
Combat expectations for hour one
Trailers and the official gameplay clip show cover, dives, rolls, slides, and a large menu of contextual takedowns. Takedowns restore some health. Health itself is staged, so you cannot treat every fight as a full reset. Weapons are modular: each firearm you own is a unique instance, parts can move between compatible guns, and the black market sells military variants, illegal modifications, untraceable ammo, and damaged guns for rebuilds. Read weapon customization before you sell a “bad” gun for scrap without checking its parts.
Main missions can be replayed. Side missions return with modifiers. That is good for practice and bad if you assume a failed night is gone forever — you still have to make the month.
A practical pre-launch checklist
- Wishlist or buy on Steam from the official app page linked in the header.
- Verify CPU, GPU, RAM, and SSD against the system requirements.
- Decide whether you will play on controller or mouse and keyboard using controls.
- Skim Amelie and Anton Blackwood so the shop scenes are not just cutscenes you skip.
- After launch, come back here for a first-week route. Until then, treat this page as a systems briefing, not a spoiler walkthrough.
The official gameplay trailer below is the prologue flavour the studio chose to show: Anton in over his head in New York, not a highlight reel of every Act 1 mission. Watch it for movement and tone, then use the written guides for the shop and the bill.
What this guide will not do
It will not list unreleased keybinds as facts. It will not name every gun in a catalogue the studio has not published. It will not claim BLACKWOOD is playable today. When Act 1 ships, the same URL will gain a short “first three days” route with links to live mission notes. Until that night, the useful work is learning the calendar, the two cash types, and the fact that a stylish takedown does not pay the hush money.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common questions.
Is BLACKWOOD out yet?
Not at the time this page was written. Act 1 is scheduled for September 16, 2026 on Steam for Windows. See the release date page.
Should I ignore the DVD store and only do contracts?
No. Unmanaged shop days are described as $60–$80. The monthly bill is about 11–13k. Read store management before you skip the counter.
Does one purchase include later acts?
Yes, according to the official announcement. Act 2 and Act 3 are planned as free updates for owners. The store price rises for new buyers after those updates.
Is there multiplayer?
Steam lists BLACKWOOD as single-player. This wiki treats it as a solo campaign.