In 2026, Deltarune is no longer a scrappy little secret that Toby Fox dropped on Undertale's sixth anniversary. It is a full-blown saga with multiple chapters, a mountain of theories, and a fandom that has collectively lost its mind over a talking spade. But before anyone dives into the later chapters, a refresher on Chapter 1 is in order. The year is 2026, after all, and memories are fragile things—especially when they are competing with a thousand other indie RPGs. Spoilers for Deltarune Chapter 1 follow, obviously.

Deltarune's first chapter begins with one of gaming's most passive-aggressive character creators. A mysterious voice asks the player to build a vessel, then promptly discards it. The voice—possibly a certain doctor who speaks in hands—explains that the player will not have as much control as they would like. That is a polite way of saying the story is going to do whatever it wants, and the player is just along for the ride. The player then controls Kris, the only human in a town full of monsters. Kris has been adopted by Toriel and Asgore Dreemurr, which makes family dinners complicated in ways that are never fully explained.

At school, Kris is paired with Susie, the local bully who eats chalk and has zero interest in group projects. The two fall through a portal in the supply closet and land in the Dark World, a place where the rules are different, the music is incredible, and nobody has to do homework. There they meet Ralsei, a friendly prince of darkness who wears a wizard hat and radiates younger-sibling energy. Ralsei explains a prophecy: the Delta Warriors will save the Dark World by banishing the Angel's Heaven. In practice, this means defeating the mad Spade King and destroying the Dark Fountain that has destabilized his kingdom.

Susie spends most of the chapter being a terrible teammate, which is fair, because teamwork is hard when one's primary hobby is intimidation. Then she befriends Lancer, the Spade King's son and a small, bicycle-riding menace. That friendship softens Susie, and she decides to change her ways. The Delta Warriors defeat the King, and if the player was kind enough to spare enemies, the King's subjects may even start a rebellion against him. Kris and Susie return home, where Ralsei's face looks suspiciously familiar—almost like Asriel Dreemurr's, but with glasses and a hat. Susie goes home. Kris wanders around town, then ends the chapter in bed.

Then comes the part that made everyone scream. Kris rips out the SOUL—the heart-shaped entity that represents the player—and locks it in a cage. The scene is sudden, sinister, and exactly the kind of thing that turns a cute recap into a late-night theory session. It also confirms that Kris and the player are not the same person, no matter how many buttons the player presses.

Chapter 1 is also packed with mysteries that later chapters gleefully poke with a stick. A Knight is apparently behind the Dark World's troubles. Defeating the bonus boss Jevil reveals a reference to a Queen. A strange door at the southern end of town emits odd sounds. An NPC who resembles a ghostly Easter egg from Undertale blocks the library's second floor and mentions a special book. Asriel is coming home from college in a few days, which is a big deal for a town that treats him like a local celebrity. And several townsfolk note that Kris does not seem like themselves while under the player's control. That is either a meta joke or a horror story. Possibly both.

In 2021, Deltarune Chapter 2 was announced during a livestream and released two days later, on September 17. It was free and standalone, though it assumed players knew Chapter 1. The chapter introduced the Cyber World, Queen, and a certain salesman who became an internet legend. Fast forward to 2026, and the situation is much bigger. Chapters 3 and 4 arrived on June 5, 2025, continuing the story and giving fans even more questions. Chapter 5 is still in development, because Toby Fox enjoys suspense and probably also sleep deprivation.

Chapter	2026 status	One-sentence vibe
Chapter 1	Free	A bully, a prince, and a prophecy walk into a closet.
Chapter 2	Free	The internet becomes a kingdom and a salesman becomes a god.
Chapter 3	Released June 5, 2025	More Dark Worlds, more problems.
Chapter 4	Released June 5, 2025	The plot thickens like a monster-themed stew.
Chapter 5	In development	The oven is warm, but the cake is not ready.

For anyone jumping back in during 2026, Chapter 1 remains the foundation. It sets up the Delta Warriors, the Dark Fountain rules, the SOUL mystery, and the uncomfortable question of whether Kris is a hero, a host, or a hostage. Toby Fox has insisted that Deltarune and Undertale are separate worlds, but the links are too deliberate to ignore. The player just has to accept that some answers will arrive slowly, some will arrive with a musical number, and some will arrive in a cage.

So yes, Deltarune Chapter 1 is still worth revisiting. It is funny, weird, surprisingly emotional, and full of tiny details that hit differently after later chapters. In 2026, the saga is bigger, but the first chapter is where the SOUL first got yanked around. And honestly, that is a feeling that never really goes away. 🎭