Spellcaster University

Spellcaster University is a management sim about running your own school of magic. As rector, you decide which magic is taught, which rooms are built and which rules apply to students and teachers. Magical card decks ensure that every school develops differently.

Spellcaster University was released for PC on June 15, 2021. On Steam, early access began as early as Sep 24, 2019. The console versions for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch arrived in early May 2025.

The game is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch. The PC release supports Windows and macOS. The console versions were adapted for gamepads by Red Art Studios and published through Red Art Games. It is a purely single-player simulation.

The focus is on rooms, teachers, training and finances. You place teaching buildings and dormitories, hire staff and keep an eye on students' needs. The card system limits choices to certain options and makes every decision part of a longer-term school plan.

Gears and Gobelins was released for PC on Sep 26, 2026. The expansion brings steam-powered technology with goblins, nine new rooms, eight artifacts, three familiars and additional equipment. New landscapes with icy cold and a poisonous canyon are also included. The original soundtrack and a digital artbook are available as separate add-on products.

On Windows, Steam lists minimum requirements of an Intel Core i3-2100 or AMD A8-5600K, 4 GB RAM, a GeForce GTX 630 or Radeon HD 6570, and 5 GB free storage. On Mac, Steam lists OS X Lion as the minimum requirement and also 4 GB RAM. The current Steam client requires at least Windows 10 on Windows.

You unlock new rooms and facilities through themed card decks. Arcane magic enables unusual buildings and artifacts. Light magic promotes well-being. Nature magic brings creatures and nature-based facilities. Alchemy improves the production of mana and potions. Shadow magic stands for strict discipline and dark teachings.

Students have their own traits, backgrounds and interests. You decide which rooms and teachers suit their needs. After graduating, they can take different career paths, such as archmage, necromancer or simple villager. Their achievements influence bonuses for later chapters of the campaign.

A functioning university needs dining halls, common rooms, dormitories and special buildings. Artifacts strengthen certain rooms. In addition, dragons, pegasi and other fantastic creatures can become part of the campus. How the facilities are combined affects daily school life and training opportunities.

The school is surrounded by political and magical interest groups. You can negotiate with the Adventurers' Guild, ask the king for support, speak with orcs or hold your ground against witch hunters. Events confront you with decisions whose consequences play out in the short term and over several school years.

The campaign repeatedly puts the academy under new conditions. Ahead of the encroaching darkness, the school moves to other locations, including deserts, mountains and lakes. Books and the achievements of former graduates improve the starting position for the next stop. Changing location is thus part of long-term progress.

You set policies for the school, such as admission of students, meals, fees or punishments. These decisions change the available resources and daily life. A strict school with dungeons develops differently than a campus that focuses on balance and care.

The university must balance lessons, construction costs and funding. Random card offers and events disrupt established routines. Whoever puts all resources into special rooms still has to organize lodging, meals and staff. This combines building planning with improvised decisions.

Spellcaster University is a single-player game. On Steam, achievements and cloud saves are supported. The console versions use controls adapted to controllers. On Xbox Series X|S, a version optimized for the hardware is available.

German on-screen text is available on PC and consoles. The PC version additionally offers English, French, Spanish, Japanese, Polish, and Simplified and Traditional Chinese. On PlayStation, Korean on-screen text is also offered, among others.

In Gears and Gobelins, an engineer helps build new steam-powered facilities. Goblins operate the machines and unlock additional cards. Certain rooms are strengthened by neighboring buildings. Rare and legendary variants of existing school rooms enable further specializations. New locations such as the icy expanse and the toxic canyon change the conditions of the campaign.