Permafrost Price

The Early Access price

The official Steam announcement titled Three Days to Go revealed the price on October 6, 2026. Permafrost releases into Early Access at $24.99 with a launch discount of 20%, and it includes custom regional pricing. The official forum account repeated the same figures when players asked in the discussions.

Before that post, the price was a mystery for months. Earlier forum replies only said the price would be shared closer to release. Coverage written in late September, such as a Gamebrief guide, still listed the base price as not announced.

The same announcement doubled as the final countdown to launch. It said that on October 9 the world freezes over for good and Permafrost enters Early Access. Prices in each local currency show up on the store page once the game unlocks in your region.

How the launch discount grew

The size of the discount was tied to how many people wishlisted the game. An earlier official reply explained that the launch discount would depend on wishlists before October 9. At that point the game had passed 500,000 wishlists, which set the discount at 17.5%.

A September announcement confirmed the 500,000 milestone and named 600,000 wishlists as the next community goal. In the final price post the discount was confirmed at 20%. That is the figure that applies at launch.

Regional pricing

Regional prices were set manually by the team. The official forum account explained that Steam offers automatic regional pricing, but the developers chose not to use it. They also confirmed that the 20% discount applies in every region, whatever the base price there.

Germany is the example the team confirmed. When a player calculated a lower euro figure, the official account replied that the price in Germany is €24.99 before the discount. Check the store page in your own currency once the game unlocks, because other regional prices only appear then.

Where to buy and what is not available

Permafrost launches on PC through Steam, GOG and the Epic Games Store on October 9, 2026. There are no pre-orders, which the official forum account said was how the team chose to release the game. It is a one-time purchase, not a free-to-play game.

There is also no free way to play right now. The free demo from 2024 and 2025 was removed at the end of April 2025, and the free two-hour preview only ran from October 2 to October 6, 2026. See the playtest page for the history of those free tests.

Consoles are not part of the launch. The team says console versions are more likely around the 1.0 release, so there is no PlayStation or Xbox price yet. Read more on the PS5 and Xbox pages.

Will the price go up?

Probably yes, according to the developers themselves. The Steam FAQ says it is very likely the price will be increased over the course of Early Access leading up to 1.0. It adds that the price will always fairly reflect the content included.

The same FAQ calls lower starting prices a token of appreciation for players who join during Early Access. Notebookcheck reported the developer's position in the same way: the price will most likely rise before 1.0. If you plan to buy, the launch window with the discount is the cheapest confirmed moment so far.

Early Access is planned to last at least 12 months. During that time the team plans new biomes, quests, enemies, equipment and vehicles. Each of those additions is part of what the price increase is meant to reflect.

What you get for the price

The Steam FAQ describes what the Early Access build already contains. Most planned core features are implemented, and the game offers several biomes, hundreds of items, building blueprints and crafting recipes. The opening of the story with plenty of side quests is in, and co-op for up to four players is fully functional.

On length, the developers gave rough estimates in their Q&A. A player focused on the main story can finish in around 8 hours, and exploring optional areas takes around 18. Completionists can expect about 30 hours, and the sandbox keeps going after that.

The roadmap adds more on top of that. Update 1 brings new firearms, clothing sets and a map content update, Update 2 adds weapon-part crafting, and Update 3 adds the sledgehammer. Update 4 introduces the White Hell biome, all without a separate purchase announced.

Check your PC before you buy

Permafrost runs on Windows only and is built on Unreal Engine 5. The Steam page lists these requirements for the Early Access build. Players below the minimum reported very low frame rates in the preview.

The game needs 30 GB of free space. Performance was a common complaint during the preview, especially stutter when loading new areas. The developers say optimisation, including for lower-end hardware, remains a priority.

Is it worth the price?

Opinions from the preview were mixed but often positive. One player on the Steam forum said the game is worth the price even in Early Access, and another said they would buy it with the discount at around $20. Many testers liked the atmosphere, the dog and the building.

Some reviewers urged caution. A solo reviewer gave the game six out of ten and suggested waiting if frequent glitches would bother you. Another creator argued that once a game has a price tag, even in Early Access, performance and basic polish matter.

Steam's refund window gives you a way to test the game on your own PC. If you are unsure whether your hardware is strong enough, check the laptop and requirements guide first. The developers have also published a list of known bugs, which some reviewers saw as a good sign.