Paint the Town Red: Complete Guide

A guide to Paint the Town Red's brawling: melee fundamentals, how to survive the Scenario levels, how to approach the Beneath roguelite and its classes, Arena and Endless, modifiers, co-op, and the level editor.

Researched September 2026 — current as of the 1.x PC release (1.0 launched July 29, 2021). South East Games announced a big free update for 2026; as of their September 7, 2026 post it's still in progress. Check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

• Everything is a weapon. Bottles, chairs, pool cues, knives, and anything else that isn't nailed down. Pick things up and use them.
• Enemies are made of voxels. Hits carve chunks out of them. Aim for the head to finish fights faster.
• Don't fight a crowd head-on. Back into a corner or doorway so only a couple of enemies can reach you.
• Block, then punish. Blocking stops a lot of damage; counter-attack when the enemy's swing ends.
• Kicks create space. Kick enemies away (or into each other) when you're getting surrounded.
• Throw things. A thrown weapon or object can drop an enemy before they reach you.
• Use Berserk at the right moment. It turns your punches into devastating hits; save it for when a fight is going wrong.
• Scenarios are chaotic brawls; Beneath is a structured roguelite. Learn the basics in Scenarios first.
• Play with friends. Online co-op works in almost every mode.
• Try the Workshop. Thousands of community levels add endless replay.

Controls and Combat Basics

Action | What it does

Attack (left/right hand) | Punch or swing whatever you're holding

Block | Reduces incoming damage

Kick | Knocks enemies back; great for crowd control

Grab / pick up | Pick up weapons, objects, and sometimes enemies

Throw | Throw what you're holding

Jump | Get over furniture and onto higher ground

Berserk | Activate when charged for massively stronger hits

Controller support is full; the game plays well on either input.

Combat fundamentals

• Weapons break or get dropped. Always look for the next one.
• Sharp weapons cut, blunt weapons smash. Both work; sharp ones tend to end fights faster.
• Watch your health. Retreat and reposition instead of trading hits when low.
• Enemies fight each other in chaotic brawls, which you can use to your advantage.
• Height and furniture matter. Standing on a bar or table, or putting a table between you and a crowd, changes who can reach you.

Scenario Levels

Scenarios are self-contained brawls in different places and time periods. The store lists the Biker Bar, Disco, Prison, Pirate Cove, and Western Saloon, each with unique enemies and period-appropriate weapons. The Biker Bar and Disco were the first two scenarios in Early Access.

How to beat a Scenario

• Grab a weapon immediately. Scan for the nearest bottle, chair, or blade.
• Pick your corner. Fight near walls so you can't be surrounded.
• Thin the crowd. Focus on one enemy at a time and finish them.
• Kick the extras away while you deal with the main threat.
• Keep Berserk for emergencies or tough enemies.
• Reposition during lulls. When the crowd thins, move back to a safe spot and re-arm before the next group reaches you.

Scenario-specific tips

• Biker Bar: tons of bottles and cues. Great for learning.
• Disco: open floor. Stay near walls and the edges of the room.
• Prison: tough, numerous enemies. Use doorways and cell bars as chokepoints.
• Pirate Cove: blades and period weapons. Grab a sword early.
• Western Saloon: Old West brawl. Use the bar and tables to break up the crowd.

Scenario Modifiers

Modifiers change the rules for a fresh challenge. The 1.0 update added:

Modifier | Effect

Soft Voxels | Weakens every enemy's voxels so even a jab can put a hole in someone

Boom Hands | Every hit is the equivalent of a Berserk punch

Splatter | Every kill becomes a shower of blood and chunks

Punching Only | Removes kicking and picking up weapons

Everyone Hates Me | Everyone in the Scenario comes after you

Later updates added more: the v1.2.0 "Shooter Modifiers" update (June 2022) brought Unlimited Ammo, Double Jump, and Shields Everywhere; Top Down and Lights Out are also in the list; and v1.2.2 (September 2022) added Friends Forever, which stops your allies from turning hostile at the end of a level. The five Beneath class modifiers (see below) let you play Scenarios with a class kit.

Tip: Boom Hands and Soft Voxels make great "power fantasy" runs; Everyone Hates Me and Punching Only are real skill tests.

Beneath: The Roguelite

Beneath is the game's largest mode: a deep underground roguelite with monsters, secrets, bosses, and persistent upgrades.

Classes

You choose from a variety of classes with unique stats and abilities, including Brawler, Spectre, Warlock, Vanguard, and Corrupted, and upgrade them over time. Since v1.0.3 (August 2021) these five are also available as Scenario modifiers, so you can practice a class's kit in the shorter Scenario levels.

Class | Beginner advice

Brawler | Straightforward melee; the best class to learn Beneath with

Spectre | A different, trickier style; try once you know the enemies

Warlock | Ability-focused; learn when to use abilities versus melee

Vanguard | Try after you're comfortable with the basics

Corrupted | An advanced pick; unlock and experiment later

How Beneath works

• Delve through floors of increasingly dangerous monsters.
• Find upgrades during runs and unlock permanent upgrades between runs.
• Fight bosses with unique challenges and rewards.

Beneath tips

• Learn one class well before switching. Class knowledge carries runs.
• Play safe on early floors. Getting hurt early snowballs.
• Explore for secrets when the floor is clear.
• Treat bosses as pattern fights. Watch them first, then commit.
• Spend progression currency steadily; permanent upgrades make each run easier.

Arena and Endless

• Arena has multiple challenges, including weather variants.
• Endless Mode tests how long you can survive against waves. Leaderboards track the best.
• Sandbox lets you test weapons and mechanics freely.

Endless tips:

• Hold a defensible position and keep a stash of weapons within reach.
• Use kicks to keep the crowd off you.
• Pace your Berserk to the hardest waves.

Co-op Multiplayer

• Online co-op is available in almost every mode, including Scenarios and Beneath.
• Coordinate: one player draws aggro while the other flanks.
• Watch friendly swings in tight spaces.
• Split weapon pickups so both players are armed.

Level Editor and Workshop

• The built-in Level Editor lets you design brawls, horror adventures, puzzle levels, and more.
• Steam Workshop support means thousands of community levels. Custom music and character textures are supported.
• The 1.0 update added a Nailgun plus new props and enemy types to the editor, and later updates kept adding options (for example a "Shard Lords Can Teleport" level setting for Shard Lord enemies).
• South East Games runs regular Map Making Contests. Contest #15 ("The Great Outdoors") ran in summer 2026 with winners announced September 7, 2026: Stuckcup's Mushroom Grove (Advanced), ifrogotmyname's back to the 18000 BCE (Intermediate), and elaias's Cabin Fever (Novice).

Editor tips:

• Start small: a single room with a clear fight.
• Test with modifiers to see how your level plays.
• Look at top-rated Workshop maps for layout ideas.

Paint the Town Red VR

The VR version is a separate release with its own updates. Its v1.1.0 (September 2024) added a Swarm Arena mode with unbreakable weapons against endless human and zombie enemies, plus bHaptics support. Early VR patches fixed a bug where non-VR saves from Steam Cloud could corrupt VR Beneath progress.

Your First Few Hours: A Suggested Path

Step | What to do | What you'll learn

1 | Sandbox for a few minutes | How each weapon type feels; blocking and kicking

2 | Biker Bar Scenario | Crowd control, corner fighting, improvised weapons

3 | The other Scenarios | Different layouts and enemy types

4 | Arena | Fighting under pressure without the chaos of neutral crowds

5 | Beneath with one class | Roguelite structure, bosses, upgrades

6 | Modifiers and Workshop maps | Variety once the base game clicks

A simple crowd-fighting routine

• Grab a weapon and move to a wall or corner.
• Block the first incoming swing.
• Counter with a heavy hit or two to the head.
• Kick the next closest enemy away to buy time.
• Repeat, re-arming whenever your weapon breaks.
• Pop Berserk if three or more enemies are on you at once and your health is dropping.

This loop wins most Scenarios on its own; everything else is refinement.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Fighting in the middle of the room. You'll be surrounded.
• Swinging wildly. Aim for heads and finish one enemy at a time.
• Holding on to a broken weapon. Grab a new one.
• Burning Berserk early in a fight you'd win anyway.
• Skipping blocks. Blocking prevents the chip damage that kills you later.
• Switching Beneath classes constantly before learning any one of them.

Advanced Tips

• Throw, then close in. A thrown bottle staggers; follow up before they recover.
• Kick enemies into hazards or into each other.
• Use doorways as chokepoints in every mode.
• Save the best weapon for tougher enemies and bosses.
• Try Everyone Hates Me as a training tool for crowd control.
• Watch for the next update: the developer says the big free 2026 update is coming together, but it will be shown only when it's ready.

FAQ

Is there a big update coming? Yes. South East Games announced a big free update in October 2025, planned for 2026. In September 2026 they said a lot of progress has been made and they'll show it when it's ready.

Is Paint the Town Red co-op? Yes, online co-op works in almost every mode.

What are the Beneath classes? They include Brawler, Spectre, Warlock, Vanguard, and Corrupted, all of which can also be used as Scenario modifiers.

Is the VR version included? No, Paint the Town Red VR is a separate release.

Can I make my own levels? Yes, with the Level Editor, and share them on the Steam Workshop.

Which scenario should I start with? The Biker Bar. It's the classic starter with plenty of weapons.

Sources

• Paint the Town Red on Steam
• Steam News: 1.0 release notes, 10 Years post, Map Making Contest #15 (Steam News API)
• Steam News hub for Paint the Town Red