Toby Fox comments on the development of Deltarune

Deltarune Chapter 5 is still a few months away, as a new report from Toby Fox sets a realistic timeline for the release of the next installment of the episodic bullet hell RPG. While the fans wait a long time, keep going Deltarune Chapter 5 is coming, and its creator wants fans to know what to expect as it nears completion.

Sequel to an extremely successful one Undertale set in a completely different universe, DeltaruneThe first chapter was released exclusively on PC on Halloween 2018, with ports on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch following just a few months later. Fans who jumped at the start had to wait almost three whole years for the release of the second chapter in September 2021. Deltarune The release date for Chapter 3 + 4 is even longer, launching on all platforms in June 2025, just in time for the release of the Nintendo Switch 2. With three more chapters planned, the next installment should leave fans with much less downtime, but exactly how much is still uncertain.

What to expect from Deltarune Chapter 5

The new chapters of Deltarune set the stage for what's to come, and while the adventure can be unpredictable at times, there's plenty of foreshadowing.

Chapter 5 progress in Deltarune is “excellent”

Last big update on Deltarune Chapter 5's release date was revealed by Fox around mid-September, and suggests that fans will be able to dive into it sometime during the first half of 2026. Now, an even more recent update from the developer, published in the game's official Winter 2025 newsletter, seems to indicate that the previously revealed timeline will still be in place, if that doesn't seem a little optimistic. According to the newly revealed information, Chapter 5 will require “several months to release the game from where we are now.” That leaves a large, vague window of time for an eventual release, but Fox has detailed a lot of things that need to happen before the next chapter is ready to debut.

Deltarune How to Raise the Bridge in Chapter 2 (Acid Tunnel Puzzle)

The progress report shows that a lot of work has already been done on the current project, and states that all the rooms in the next chapter have been completed, with the exception of some background editing work needed. Likewise, all of the game's scenes are practically finished and just need a bit of polishing to be ready for release. There are only a few battles left unfinished, but all of them are already technically functional from start to finish, with a few boss battles. Deltarune Chapter 5 needs some adjustments to their bullet hell patterns and pacing before Fox can officially declare them complete.

Looking ahead, the update states that the localization of Chapter 5 is already underway, and once that phase is complete, it will be ready to move into the professional testing phase. Additionally, January will be the time to shift focus to getting the game working properly on all available consoles. Since the first four chapters Deltarune on the Nintendo Switch 2 to take advantage of its mouse mode, and that the feature may return as part of Chapter 5, this part of the process could potentially throw some problems at Fox as it works to ensure that all versions of the game are as bug-free as possible at launch.

There's no exact estimate for the specific length of Chapter 5, but Fox promises that it “contains hours of fun!” Chapter length v Deltarune has deepened since its inception in 2018, with Chapter 4 taking roughly twice as long to fully complete as Chapter 1. Chapters 2 and 3 fall neatly in the middle of the game's ever-increasing length chart, so some fans may be expecting Chapter 5 to deliver an adventure that will take players over 10 hours to complete.