Professor Layton and the New World of Steam
Image: Nintendo Life

Coming as a surprise to many, Professor Layton and the New World of Steam was announced out of the blue back in the February 2023 Nintendo Direct. It's been a long old wait since our last proper Layton game, but Level-5 is making us wait just a little bit longer.

In this guide, we have assembled a rundown of everything that we know so far about the New World of Steam, including its release date, cast, story and more.

So grab your cup of fruity tea, make sure that you've got all your Hint Coins in order, and let's dive into the evidence...

Professor Layton And The New World Of Steam - Everything We Know

New World Of Steam Release Date

Professor Layton and the New World of Steam World
Image: Level-5

Despite being initially attached to a 2025 release window, Level-5 announced in September '25 that The New World of Steam was being delayed to 2026.

The studio issued a statement on the game's delay on the official Layton website, which you can find below:

LEVEL5 Inc. would like to begin by offering its sincere apologies to all fans who have been looking forward to the release of Professor Layton and the New World of Steam. Although the release was originally scheduled for 2025, in order to deliver the game in the best possible form, the launch has been rescheduled for 2026. We deeply regret any inconvenience this delay may cause and greatly appreciate your understanding and continued support.

There's still no precise release date at the time of writing, though back at the Level-5 Vision 2023 November Showcase, studio head Akihiro Hino stated that work on all of the game's puzzles has been completed and "production is progressing quite smoothly". So surely it can't be that long...

New World Of Steam Trailers

New World Of Steam Story

Professor Layton and the New World of Steam Luke
Image: Level-5

As we had theorised, the 'New World' of the title is America, and the game will see Hershel Layton making a trip across the pond to reunite with Luke.

The game will take place in the city of Steam Bison, an area that has managed to achieve great technological advancements due to its development of highly advanced steam engines.

One trailer stated that the city will develop with the number of puzzles that you solve — which could be a new mechanic, or just a re-wording of the "you need to have solved X number of puzzles to pass" that we have seen before.

As for what the central mystery will entail, we can't be 100% sure yet. The September 2024 Level-5 Vision Showcase introduced us to what appears to be the game's main antagonist, Gunman King Joe — a ghostly gunslinger warning Layton and Luke not to seek "the new world". This wouldn't be the series' first spooky spectre, of course.

What we do know is that Layton is not seen as the renowned detective that he is in London, so prepare for 'Detective Luke' to take a more prominent role in this one.

New World Of Steam Cast

Partially (in Japan at least). We know that Yo Oizumi will be returning to voice Hershel Layton once again in the Japanese recording, while Mio Imada will be taking on the role of Luke Triton.

The Western voice cast has not been announced just yet.

New World Of Steam Puzzle Developer

Professor Layton and the New World of Steam QuizKnock
Image: Level-5

QuizKnock will be handling puzzle duties this time around.

Following the death of Akira Tago (the creator of the first six games' puzzles), this was always going to be a big signing, but it looks like QuizKnock will be cut out for it. The group is probably best known for its puzzle and riddle-centric YouTube channel and will be designing a fresh batch of head-scratchers for the latest game.

New World Of Steam Timeline Placement

Chronologically, this is the latest title in the mainline Layton franchise. The game takes place one year after the events of the third game in the series, Professor Layton and the Lost Future, following Luke's letter from that game's post-credits scene.

This is many years prior to Katrielle and the Millionaire's Conspiracy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Professor Layton and the New World of Steam Question
Image: Level-5

Here are a handful of questions you may still have about Layton and Luke's next outing.

Will It Release Outside Japan?

Yes! After Level-5 announced back in 2020 that no more of its major games would be seeing a console release outside of Japan, we were a little concerned about this one.

But the Vision 2023 showcase said it loud and clear: Professor Layton and the New World of Steam will receive an international release.

Will It Launch On Switch 2?

The game was initially billed for Switch 1 only, but Level-5 cropped up in the Switch 2 Reveal Direct to confirm that the game will also be heading to the new hardware.

The Tokyo Game Show 2025 Level-5 stream revealed that the Switch 2 version will support Mouse Mode, though no other exclusive features have been revealed for the time being.

Is Katrielle In It?

Given that the game takes place roughly four years prior to Katrielle's birth, it's not looking likely that she'll appear in this one. Then again, with a series like Layton, time travel is always a possibility...

Keep an eye on this guide for future updates on the New World of Steam and take to the comments to let us know what features, characters, and story elements you'd like to see in the next instalment.