Trees Hate You Wiki
Fan-Made Community Guide
Official screenshotAfter a picnic in the woods, your hiker tries to go home, but the trees are determined to make the trip miserable. Trees Hate You is a single-player rage game about traps and gags from Tykenn, planned for November 16, 2026. Until then, the free Steam demo covers the first chapter, and this fan wiki explains the demo: how to install it, how the Tab pause menu and Challenge Mode work, and how to set up a speedrun.
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Challenge Mode: Demo Unlock and DifferencesTrees Hate You challenge mode unlocks after finishing the Steam demo once. See the confirmed trap, respawn, seeded event, and extra trap differences here.
Controls: How to Open the Pause Menu in DemoLearn how trees hate you controls work in the demo. Players report Tab opens the pause menu and settings when Esc fails. Includes Steam Community notes.What is Trees Hate You?
Trees Hate You Wiki is an unofficial, player-run reference for Tykenn's rage game about traps and gags. We document the free Steam demo as it exists: how to install it, what the two levels contain, how the Tab pause menu works, how Challenge Mode changes traps and respawns, and how to enable the timer and death counter for comparable speedruns. The full game is not out yet, so every page states which demo build it covers and which details are still unconfirmed.
Everything stated as fact here comes from saved sources: the official Steam store page for app 4171850, the developer news feed, and the Steam Community discussion about the missing pause menu. Player reports are labeled as player reports, not official confirmation. When the demo changes or the full game launches, pages get updated from new sources rather than guesswork. This site is not affiliated with Tykenn or Valve.
Developer
Tykenn (developer and publisher)
Planned release
November 16, 2026
Demo content
First chapter: two levels plus a short transition
Demo pause key
Tab, per Steam Community reports
Languages
22 languages on the store page
Minimum specs
Windows 10 or higher, 1 GB storage
Reference Library
Explore Trees Hate You Guides
Start with the install walkthrough, then work through the demo's controls, modes and tools in this order. Each module links to one page; the three category pages collect everything we have published so far.
Install the Steam demo
The demo lives on the full-game store page as a separate app. This walkthrough covers the Download button, demo app ID 4307190, and what the first chapter includes.
Open the pause menu
Esc does nothing mid-run. The Steam Community thread that started May 3, 2026 settled on Tab as the pause and Settings key, and in-game signs reportedly hint at it.
Unlock Challenge Mode
Finish the demo once and a second mode opens: every trap out from the start, no respawn changes, seeded random events, and extra traps. Built for repeatable runs.
Set up the speedrun timer
The June 19, 2026 update added a timer and death counter, the developer's most requested features. Enable both in Settings so runs end with comparable numbers.
Customize your victim
The demo character creator covers eyes, mouths, hair, clothes, skin and more, or you can skip it and run the default bespectacled hiker. Exact option counts are not published.
All demo guides
The guide category holds every how-to we have published for the Steam demo: controls, Challenge Mode and speedrun setup, each scoped to the demo build it was written against.
Character pages
Everything published about who you play as in the demo: the character creator categories, the default bespectacled hiker, and the hats the developer has been adding to the forest.
Release news
The timeline of official announcements: demo launch on April 24, 2026, localization on May 23, the June 19 quality-of-life update, and the November 16, 2026 release date.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Trees Hate You?
It is a single-player rage game about traps and gags from developer and publisher Tykenn. After a picnic in the woods, your hiker has to get home while the trees make the trip miserable. The Steam page lists Adventure and Indie as the genres and a planned release date of November 16, 2026.
Where do I get the demo?
From the full-game Steam store page (app 4171850). The 'Download Trees Hate You Demo' section installs the separate demo app 4307190. The full game is not yet available, but the demo download works from that page as of October 11, 2026.
Why does Esc not pause the demo?
The demo uses Tab for the pause menu and Settings, according to player reports in the Steam Community thread started May 3, 2026. Commenters said the in-game signs point to Tab. There is no official keybinding list, so treat the rest of the controls as unconfirmed.
How does Challenge Mode change the demo?
After you complete the demo normally, Challenge Mode unlocks with every trap out from the start, no changes on respawn, seeded randomized events, and extra traps throughout the levels. Tykenn describes it as trickier but fairer and more ideal for speedrunning.
What did the June 19, 2026 demo update add?
A timer and death counter that appear at the end of a run and on the HUD when enabled in Settings, a new checkpoint near the end of level 1, trap adjustments, bug fixes, a few more character creator options, and glasses that fly off on death. Tykenn called it likely the last major demo update.
Can I customize my character?
Yes. The demo creator offers options for eyes, mouths, hair, clothes, skin and more, plus a quick default: the bespectacled man from the announce trailer, who is not based on anyone in particular. The June 19, 2026 update added a few more options.
Try the demo before the November release
The Steam demo is free and covers the first chapter: two levels, a short transition, and Challenge Mode. The full game is planned for November 16, 2026, so now is the time to learn the traps.