Honestly, trying to keep track of Toby Fox’s development cycle is a full-time job. You’ve probably spent the last few years scouring the Undertale newsletters or refreshing Twitter (or X, whatever) just to see if a tiny white dog has posted a single pixel of a new character. It’s a lot. If you're looking for the short answer: there are four Deltarune chapters currently playable. But that's not the whole story. Not even close.
As of early 2026, the landscape has shifted. We finally moved past the era where we only had Chapters 1 and 2 to chew on for years. If you haven't checked Steam or your console lately, you might have missed that Chapters 3 and 4 launched together on June 5, 2025. It was a massive drop that coincided with the Nintendo Switch 2 release, finally giving us a "paid" version of the game. Now, the big question hanging over everyone's head is Chapter 5 and exactly how much longer this saga is going to actually be.
How many Deltarune chapters are out right now?
Right now, you can play Chapters 1, 2, 3, and 4.
For the longest time, the first two chapters were free "demos," but that changed with the 2025 release. Toby Fox started charging for the game once Chapter 4 was ready. Basically, you pay one price (it’s $24.99) and that covers everything currently out, plus the future chapters as they release. It's a bit like an episodic season pass, but without the corporate greed feel.
The jump from Chapter 2 to Chapter 3 was arguably the hardest wait for the community. We're talking about a three-year gap that turned into nearly four. But the good news is that the pace is actually picking up. Toby mentioned in his January 2026 update that the team is "really moving along" on Chapter 5. In fact, he’s already seeing the finish line for it.
The current status of Chapter 5
If you beat Chapter 4, you saw that "To be continued in Chapter 5. 2026" message. It wasn't a joke. Toby recently confirmed in his Winter 2025/2026 newsletter that Chapter 5 is on track for a release later in 2026.
Here is the current breakdown of where that chapter stands:
- Rooms and Scenes: Pretty much finished.
- Battles: Mostly done, just needs some "bullet pattern" balancing.
- Localization: Already underway (the translators are apparently learning what "caked up" means, which is peak Toby Fox).
- Console Porting: Investigation started in January 2026.
How many Deltarune chapters will there be in total?
The million-dollar question. If you look at the chapter select screen in-game, there are seven slots. This has led almost everyone to assume there are exactly seven chapters.
It makes sense. Undertale was built around the seven human souls, so seven chapters for Deltarune feels right. However, there’s been some chatter in the data-mining community about references to "Chapter 0" or even placeholder assets for up to ten chapters.
Toby is famously cagey about this. He hasn't explicitly said "there will never be a Chapter 8," but the narrative structure he's hinted at suggests a seven-part arc. He’s described the game as being roughly "two and a half Undertales" in terms of content. With Chapter 4 out, we've likely crossed the halfway point of the total story.
Why the release schedule keeps changing
You might remember a time when Toby said he wanted to release Chapters 3, 4, and 5 all at once. That was the original "New Strategy."
Plans change. Development is hard.
In late 2024, Toby realized that Chapter 5 was going to take way longer than 3 and 4. Rather than make fans wait another two years, he pivoted. He decided to bundle 3 and 4 together for the initial purchase and save 5 for a solo release. It was a smart move. It gave the team breathing room to polish the later stages without the "when is it coming out" pressure reaching a boiling point.
The gap between 4 and 5 is looking to be the shortest in the game's history. We’re looking at roughly a 12 to 18-month wait, compared to the 3-4 years we endured previously. This is partly because Toby expanded the team and brought on a professional producer to manage the workflow. The "Small Indie Team" is still small, but they’ve got their systems down now.
What to do while you wait for Chapter 5
If you've already cleared Chapter 4—and if you haven't, go do that, the boss fight in the "Shadow" area is incredible—there's still plenty to dig into.
- Hunt for the Shadow Crystals: Each chapter has a secret boss (like Jevil or Spamton). If you haven't found the secret bosses in Chapters 3 and 4, you're missing the hardest and most lore-heavy content in the game.
- The Weird Route: Just like the "Snowgrave" route in Chapter 2, players are finding increasingly dark ways to manipulate the story in the newer chapters. These routes significantly change the dialogue and world-state.
- Save File Management: Make sure you have a "perfect" save ready. Toby has hinted that your choices actually do matter, even if the game repeatedly tells you they don't. Having a save where you've collected every item and talked to every NPC in Hometown is usually a good idea.
The reality is that Deltarune is a marathon, not a sprint. We’ve been at this since 2018. By the time Chapter 7 finally arrives—likely toward the end of the decade—it’ll be one of the most significant pieces of indie gaming history. For now, we just wait for that 2026 window for Chapter 5.
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Actionable Insights for Fans:
If you're jumping back in, make sure you've updated your game to version 1.04 or higher. The 2025 patches fixed several save-import bugs specifically for the Nintendo Switch 2 and PS5 versions. If you're playing on PC, check the local files; Toby often hides "leftover" dialogue in the strings that gives hints about the Knight's identity before the next chapter drops. Don't bother looking for a "Chapter 5 Demo"—the free ride ended with Chapter 2, so you'll need the paid version to access any new content moving forward.