A parallel story
Toby Fox’s official site introduces DELTARUNE as “the next adventure in the UNDERTALE series” and “a parallel story to UNDERTALE”. You’ll recognise monsters, locations and faces — but this isn’t UNDERTALE’s timeline continued. It’s a different story told in a related world, with its own cast, its own prophecy and its own mystery.
Key differences from UNDERTALE
- Battle: turn-based with creative bullet-dodging, but you fight as a party of up to three characters instead of alone.
- Pacing: released as chapters, not one complete game — five of seven chapters are out.
- Tone: still full of humour and heart, with even darker hidden corners (see the Weird Route).
- Endings: where UNDERTALE’s routes split widely, the official site teases “only 1 ending…?” for DELTARUNE.
- Choices: your choices carry forward between chapters through Completion FILEs, so they matter across the whole story.
Should you play UNDERTALE first?
It’s not required — DELTARUNE stands on its own and is free to try via the Chapters 1 & 2 demo. But if you’ve played UNDERTALE, DELTARUNE rewards you with callbacks and themes that land much harder. Many players enjoy both, in either order. Dive into the story guide to see what’s waiting in the Dark World.
Player questions
Is DELTARUNE the sequel to UNDERTALE?
Not exactly. The official site calls DELTARUNE 'the next adventure in the UNDERTALE series' and 'a parallel story to UNDERTALE' — a related but separate story, not a direct continuation.
Do I need to play UNDERTALE before DELTARUNE?
No — DELTARUNE works as a standalone story. Playing UNDERTALE adds context and emotional weight, but it's not required to understand DELTARUNE.
Is DELTARUNE made by the same creator as UNDERTALE?
Yes — both games are created by Toby Fox, with DELTARUNE featuring pixel animation by Temmie and a story and soundtrack written by Fox.