A Short Hike: revision #6

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**A Short Hike** is a small exploration adventure by solo developer Adam Robinson-Yu. It debuted through Humble Monthly on 5 April 2019 and released on Steam and itch.io on 30 July 2019.[^1] A quiet landmark of the [[cozy-game|cozy]] canon, it won the Independent Games Festival's top prize in 2020.[^3]

## Gameplay

The player hikes, climbs and soars through the peaceful mountainside of Hawk Peak Provincial Park on the way to the summit — free to follow the marked trails or wander off the beaten path, meeting fellow hikers and finding hidden treasures along the way.[^2]

## Development and release

Robinson-Yu is credited as the game's creator, programmer and artist, with an original soundtrack by Mark Sparling and additional art and writing contributions from a small group of collaborators.[^1] He built the game in Unity, using Yarn Spinner for its dialogue trees and InControl for controller support.[^5]

After its PC release, A Short Hike came to Nintendo Switch on 18 August 2020,[^1] and to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on 16 November 2021.[^4][^6]

## Reception

At the 22nd Independent Games Festival Awards in 2020, A Short Hike won the Seumas McNally Grand Prize for Best Independent Game (a $10,000 award) and the publicly voted Audience Award.[^3] It also received three nominations at the 23rd Annual D.I.C.E. Awards: Family Game of the Year, Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game, and Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction.[^1]

## External links

- [Official website](https://ashorthike.com/)
- [Steam page](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1055540/)

[^1]: Adam Robinson-Yu. ["A Short Hike — press kit"](https://ashorthike.com/press/) — ashorthike.com. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
[^2]: Valve. ["A Short Hike"](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1055540/) — Steam store data. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
[^3]: Game Developers Conference. ["A Short Hike wins Grand Prize at the 2020 Independent Games Festival!"](https://gdconf.com/article/a-short-hike-wins-grand-prize-at-the-2020-independent-games-festival/) — GDC / Informa. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
[^4]: Adam Robinson-Yu. ["The award-winning A Short Hike hits PS4 November 16"](https://blog.playstation.com/2021/11/13/the-award-winning-a-short-hike-hits-ps4-november-16/) — PlayStation.Blog, 13 November 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
[^5]: Game Developer. ["Road to the IGF: Adam Robinson-Yu's A Short Hike"](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/road-to-the-igf-adam-robinson-yu-s-i-a-short-hike-i-) — Game Developer. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
[^6]: PlayStation LifeStyle. ["Award-Winning Adventure, A Short Hike, Headed to PS4 and Xbox One on November 16"](https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2021/11/14/a-short-hike-ps4-release-date/) — PlayStation LifeStyle, 14 November 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2026.