NEW UPDATE· v0.2 – The Friends Update

3 A.M.
Mom's awake.
Better have a story.

Something went very wrong tonight. Get your story straight with your buddy – before Mom takes it apart.

Released Sep 29, 2026 · Free playtest

The Excuse key art

How it works

  1. 01

    Something happened

    Police at the door, a traffic cone on your head, green hair …

  2. 02

    Get your story straight

    15 seconds on the way home. Latecomer and Accomplice agree on an excuse.

  3. 03

    Face Mom

    Separate interrogations. Every answer has to fit.

  4. 04

    Busted or free

    Got away with it – or grounded. Then swap roles.

Three roles

LatecomerStay calm. Stay consistent.
AccompliceBack up the story.
MomCatch them in the lie.

Screenshots

Releases

v0.2 – The Friends Update

LATEST

NEW

  • Play with Steam friends: create a lobby and invite friends straight from an in-game friend list – no Steam overlay needed.
  • 6-character lobby codes (e.g. K7Q2XM): friends can join with “Join with code” – just send the code via WhatsApp or Discord.
  • Studio intro by Visual Media Solutions.
  • Credits screen.

IMPROVED

  • Voice chat: no more crackling – smoother, cleaner voice with a small jitter buffer.
  • Silky-smooth character animations: sitting, standing, walking, emotes – plus breathing and blinking.
  • Emotes now follow where you look – your upper body turns with your head, and you use the arm on the side you're facing. Yes, you can now properly show your buddy in the glass room the middle finger.
  • The boys look at each other while walking home and exchange a nervous glance at the door.
  • Mom ends the interrogation with the E key.
  • Starts in fullscreen at your screen's resolution (e.g. 1920×1080); no black bars on ultrawide or 16:10 screens.
  • Smooth circle transition from the intro to the main menu.

FIXED

  • “Invite friends” sometimes did nothing.
  • The Steam overlay now also works in fullscreen.

v0.1 – First Playtest

NEW

  • 3-player online co-op: Latecomer, Accomplice and Mom (random or chosen roles).
  • 13 absurd scenarios (black eye, police at the door, drunk, traffic cone, green hair …).
  • First-person interrogations with a glass room: see everything, hear nothing.
  • In-game voice chat with rooms, talking heads that grow with your voice.
  • Emote wheel (T): wave, point, thumbs up, peace, shrug … and the middle finger.
  • Settings (video, audio, microphone), 4 languages (EN, DE, FR, ES).

How to Play

  1. 1Download the ZIP and extract ALL files into one folder.
  2. 2Start Steam first, then The Excuse.
  3. 3Host: click “PLAY WITH FRIENDS”, then “INVITE FRIENDS” – or share the lobby code shown top left.
  4. 4Friends: start the game, accept the Steam invite – or click “Join with code”.

Tip: headphones for the voice chat.

Windows 10/11 · 64-bit · run TheExcution.exe
SmartScreen warning? “More info” → “Run anyway”.

Linux 64-bit (x86_64) · run ./TheExcution.x86_64
If needed: chmod +x TheExcution.x86_64

FAQ

Is it free?

Yes – it's a free playtest.

Do I need Steam?

Yes, Steam has to be running and you need to be logged in. That's how you play with your friends.

How many players?

Three: Latecomer, Accomplice and Mom.

Mac version?

Not yet – Windows and Linux only for now.

Found a bug?

Perfect, that's what the playtest is for. Send your feedback to whoever shared this link with you.