Raccoin

Raccoin
Pixelated text of "RACCOIN" with a coin substituted for the "O", and "Coin Pusher Roguelike" as a subtitle on yellow background
Release logo
DeveloperDoraccoon
PublisherPlaystack
ProducerXinya Ma (ManKemono)
DesignersHongpeng Luo
(JoshuaRabbit)
ArtistMing Tang (Wolong)
ComposerZhengtao Pan
EngineUnity
Platforms
Release
  • WW: March 31, 2026
  • Playtest
    • WW: August 18, 2026
  • Windows
    • WW: March 31, 2026
  • macOS
    • WW: October 1, 2026
  • PS5, Switch 2, Xbox
    • WW: November 10, 2026
GenreRoguelike
ModeSingle-player

Raccoin: Coin Pusher Roguelike, or simply Raccoin, is a 2026 coin pusher-themed roguelike video game developed by Chinese studio Doraccoon and published by Playstack. It was released for Windows on March 31, 2026, and was released on macOS in October of the same year. In Raccoin, the player must collect tickets by shooting their own coins, which can either push coins off an arcade cabinet's edge or activate special abilities. The player can purchase various types of coins with different purposes, and can purchase upgrades which change the behaviors of coins and the amount of coins the player can shoot.

Raccoin was developed in around two years, being Doraccoon's first game. Doraccoon, a Shanghai-based studio consisting of a producer, designer, and artist, was founded after its member's graduated university. The studio received funding and support from COREBLAZER, a team created by the developers of Arknights. It recieved favorable reviews from critics for its satisfying gameplay, but was criticized for lack of engagement and its reliance on randomness.

Gameplay

A cel-shaded, retro-styled coin pusher cabinet filled with different types of coins, including bird- and raccoon-themed coins
Many coins and prizes exist, helping fill the round's target

Raccoin is a game roguelike based on runs. The goal of each run is to complete 15 rounds. During each round, the player controls a dispenser with a certain amount of coins, trying to push other coins into a scoring area (akin to a real-life coin pusher). Coins pushed into the scoring area give the player tickets—the game's currency—and help to fulfill a set target. If the target is achieved, the round ends and the player is taken to the shop. If the player runs out of coins to dispense before they reach the target, they can exchange tickets for more. Otherwise, the run ends and the player fails.

In the shop, the player may spend tickets on upgrades and items. They can purchase special coins, expand their clip (their special coin inventory), and purchase prizes and chips. Special coins can be added during the round with different abilities, like explosion or duplication. Prizes are power-ups which the player can activate mid-round. Chips are items that give different modifiers and affect scoring. After the player finishes shopping, the next round begins.

Certain rounds may have "bad coins", which provide debuffs to the player. If all bad coins are defeated (by using abilities which "kill" them) then the player can choose between multiple new modifiers. Once a run is completed, the player can unlock new cabinets, cards, raccoons, and ticket colors, which modify future runs.

Development

Raccoin was developed by three-person Chinese indie studio Doraccoon. Doraccoon was founded in 2024, by producer Xinya Ma (known online as ManKemono), artist Ming Tang (Wolong), and designer Hongpeng Luo (JoshuaRabbit). and is based in Shanghai. The studio received support and investment from COREBLAZER (a team created by Hypergryph, the developers of Arknights), and the game was published by Playstack. Development of the game began in July 2024, following the graduation of Doraccoon's members from the Communication University of China.

Raccoin's soundtrack was composed by artist Zhengtao Pan and the game was developed in the Unity game engine.

Inspiration

A red machine with music-related illustrations, filled with coins
A coin pusher in a penny arcade

Raccoin is based on a coin pusher, an arcade game where the goal is to shoot coins in a machine in order to have other coins fall off an edge. In an interview with Automaton West, Raccoin's producer ManKemono said:

The idea for the game came about around the beginning of 2024. At the time, one of our team members, Wolong, took me to an arcade, where I played a coin-pusher game for the first time. I got hooked almost immediately, and for the next month or two I would play whenever I had free time.

Balatro, another game published by Playstack, served as an inspiration. In the same interview, ManKemono said the idea started by "wondering what would happen if we combined the mechanics of a coin-pusher game with a roguelike system like Balatro." The games Luck Be a Landlord and Ballionaire also served as inspiration, the former also being a major inspiration for Balatro.

Release

Raccoin was announced for Windows on August 14, 2025, before releasing into an open playtest four days later on August 18. The game received attention for its similarities to Balatro, including by Ben Starr, the actor who portrays Balatro's mascot Jimbo. A free demo released on November 10, 2025.

Raccoin officially released for Windows 10 and Windows 11 on March 31, 2026, being sold on Steam. The game sold over 100,000 copies within 24 hours of its launch. On October 1, Raccoin became available on macOS. Raccoin is planned to release for PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and Xbox Series X/S on November 10, 2026 as Raccoin: Chaos Max Edition.

Reception

Raccoin received "generally favorable" reviews according to review aggregator website Metacritic. According to aggregator OpenCritic, 81% of critics recommend the game.

Reviewers praised Raccoin's addictive nature and the satisfaction of gameplay. Em Stonham, writing for Kyusai, called the game "ridiculously engrossing", and TechRaptor's Austin Suther called the game "immensely satisfying" to play. Other reviewers criticized the game's lack of engagement, especially in comparison to Balatro, with Kotaku's Zack Zwiezen saying that the "latest game to be labeled a Balatro-like isn't nearly as a engaging as that roguelike poker hit". In a review titled "Raccoin doesn't understand what makes Balatro special", Polygon's Giovanni Colantonio criticized the game, writing: "[Raccoin is] exactly like Balatro, but with the hand-crafting replaced with satisfying physics manipulation backed by ASMR-worthy coin-dropping sound effects." Siliconera's Jenni Lada criticized the game's reliance on random chance, saying "the fact that it is so RNG-related means the overall experience can feel very uneven".

Notes

  1. ↑ Chinese: 浣熊推幣機; pinyin: Huànxióng tuī bì jī; lit. 'Raccoon Coin Pusher'. "Raccoin" is stylized in all caps as "RACCOIN: Coin Pusher Roguelike.

References

  1. 1 2 Peterson, Kaitlyn (April 4, 2026). "Raccoin: Complete Guide To Power-up Items". TheGamer. Retrieved November 14, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Middler, Jordan (March 30, 2026). "Raccoin review: The best excuse to ignore the world around you since Balatro". Video Games Chronicles. Archived from the original on July 13, 2026. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  3. 1 2 Zwiezen, Zack (April 1, 2026). "Raccoin Is Fun To Watch But Definitely No Balatro". Kotaku. Archived from the original on April 17, 2026. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 Wan, Zhiqing. "RACCOIN: Coin Pusher Roguelike: The Retcon Review". Retcon. Archived from the original on July 8, 2026. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  5. 1 2 Lada, Jenni (April 10, 2026). "Raccoin: Coin Pusher Roguelike Relies Heavily on RNG". Siliconera. Archived from the original on July 13, 2026. Retrieved October 25, 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Behind the hit coin-based roguelike RACCOIN is COREBLAZER, a "support team rather than a publisher." How did this mysterious group help push the game toward success, and what exactly did they do?". Automaton West. Osaka, Japan: Active Gaming Media. May 21, 2026. Archived from the original on August 3, 2026. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  7. ↑ Baird, Fergus (April 1, 2026). "Games made with Unity: March 2026 in review". Unity. Archived from the original on May 18, 2026. Retrieved July 9, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Coin Pusher History – From Real Money to Cards (Are They Legal?)". Arcade Advantage. July 30, 2020. Archived from the original on July 15, 2023. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
  9. ↑ Denzer, TJ (March 14, 2024). "Balatro was largely inspired by slot machine roguelike Luck Be a Landlord". Shacknews. Archived from the original on December 6, 2024. Retrieved July 9, 2026.
  10. ↑ Sullivan, Dann (September 1, 2025). "Raccoin is a coin-pusher twist on the winning Balatro formula". Big Boss Battle. Archived from the original on July 11, 2026. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  11. ↑ McClure, Deven (December 2, 2025). "Balatro stan Ben Starr loves Raccoin, and you will too". Polygon. Archived from the original on July 10, 2026. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  12. ↑ Glennon, Jen (April 1, 2026). "Coin-pusher roguelike Raccoin hit a massive Steam sales milestone in just 24 hours". Polygon. Archived from the original on August 3, 2026. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  13. ↑ Ruiz, Fran (April 1, 2026). ""Coin pusher roguelike" Raccoin sells over 100K units on Steam in 24 hours". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on August 3, 2026. Retrieved July 10, 2026.
  14. ↑ Romano, Sal (October 28, 2026). "RACCOIN: Chaos Max Edition for PS5, Xbox Series, and Switch 2 launches November 10". Gematsu. Retrieved October 29, 2026.
  15. 1 2 "RACCOIN: Coin Pusher Roguelike Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on July 13, 2026. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  16. 1 2 "Raccoin: Coin Pusher Reviews". OpenCritic. April 22, 2026. Archived from the original on September 2, 2026. Retrieved August 16, 2026.
  17. ↑ 《浣熊推币机》游民评测8.3分 爽快纯粹的解压神器 [Raccoin Coin Pusher: A Gamer's Choice Review - 8.3/10 A refreshing and pure stress-relieving game]. Gamersky (in Chinese). March 31, 2026. Archived from the original on July 9, 2026. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  18. ↑ Stonham, Em (April 3, 2026). "Thanks, RACCOIN, I'm never leaving the house again". Kyusai. Archived from the original on April 15, 2026. Retrieved July 9, 2026.
  19. ↑ Suther, Austin (March 30, 2026). "RACCOIN: Coin Pusher Roguelike Review - Hitting the Jackpot". TechRaptor. Archived from the original on March 30, 2026. Retrieved October 25, 2026.
  20. ↑ Colantonio, Giovanni (April 3, 2026). "Raccoin doesn't understand what makes Balatro special". Polygon. Archived from the original on June 21, 2026. Retrieved July 8, 2026.

Official sources

In the text, these references are preceded by a double dagger (‡):

  1. ↑ "RACCOIN: Coin Pusher Roguelike Soundtrack". Steam. Playstack. Archived from the original on June 3, 2026. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Playstack and developer Doraccoon are excited to announce our brand new coin-pusher roguelike, RACCOIN!". Playstack. August 14, 2025. Archived from the original on July 9, 2026. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  3. ↑ "RACCOIN demo is now LIVE!". Playstack. November 10, 2025. Archived from the original on July 14, 2026. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  4. ↑ "RACCOIN Out Now on Steam". Playstack. March 31, 2026. Archived from the original on August 3, 2026. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  5. ↑ "🍎RACCOIN now available for macOS! 🍎". Steam. Playstack. October 1, 2026. Retrieved October 22, 2026.