Permafrost on Steam

Release date on Steam

The Steam store page lists Permafrost as coming soon to Early Access, with a planned release date of October 9, 2026. The game is developed by SpaceRocket Games, a studio of around 15 people in Warsaw, Poland, and published by Toplitz Productions in Germany. Its Steam App ID is 2254990, which is the number you will see in store links and Steam tools.

The date moved twice before it settled. The 2024 announcement planned Early Access for 2025, and a later plan targeted August 21, 2026. In a July 2026 press release, Toplitz moved the launch to October 9 so the team had more time to fine-tune performance and content.

There are no pre-orders on Steam. When a player asked for one, the official forum account replied that this is simply how the team decided to roll the game out. Steam posted global unlock times ahead of the launch, so check the store page for the exact time in your region.

Price and launch discount

The official Steam announcement three days before launch revealed the price: $24.99 for Early Access with a 20% launch discount. Custom regional pricing applies, and the team set those prices by hand rather than using Steam's automatic regional suggestions. In Germany, for example, the base price is €24.99 before the discount.

The price is likely to go up later. The Steam FAQ says it is very likely the price will be increased during Early Access on the way to 1.0, and calls the lower starting price a token of appreciation for early support. See the full price breakdown for how the discount grew with wishlist milestones.

What the Steam version includes

The store page lists the main features and supported platforms. It is a Windows-only release with no macOS or Linux version listed. Here is what Steam shows for the Early Access build.

Steam tags it as an open-world survival craft game with online co-op, crafting, base building, a post-apocalyptic setting, third-person view and snow. Full controller support is promised for later, and a developer said about half of it was done before launch. The best settings guide covers the PC options available on day one.

System requirements on Steam

The Steam page lists minimum and recommended specs for the Early Access build. The game runs on Unreal Engine 5 and needs a 64-bit processor and operating system. These are the official numbers.

Playtest reports showed that the game is demanding, so the recommended tier matters if you want high settings. Upscaling and frame generation helped many players reach smooth frame rates. See can my laptop run Permafrost for real hardware reports.

The Early Access plan

The Steam FAQ says the team does not know yet how long Early Access will last, but the plan is at least 12 months. During that time they want to add more biomes, quests, mechanics, quality-of-life features and technical optimization. Vehicles, new NPCs, enemies and equipment are also on the list before 1.0.

According to the same FAQ, most planned core features are already in. The game ships with several biomes, hundreds of items, building blueprints and crafting recipes. The opening of the story with plenty of side quests and co-op for up to four players are described as fully implemented.

The first four updates are already announced in the official roadmap. Update 1 brings combat animations, quality-of-life fixes and a map content update, and Update 2 brings weapon parts into crafting. Update 3 adds a sledgehammer, and Update 4 adds the White Hell biome.

Permafrost's history on Steam

Permafrost first reached many Steam players through its demo at Steam Next Fest in October 2024. The official post says it reached number 3 in Trending and Upcoming Games and peaked at number 7 among the most popular demos. Over 500,000 players downloaded it, daily players peaked at 15,000, and the demo was removed at the end of April 2025.

Two playtests followed in 2026. A March playtest was ended early so the team could fix problems, and a final preview ran from October 2 to October 6 with a two-hour limit. Before launch, the game also passed 500,000 wishlists, which raised the launch discount.

What the game is about

The Steam description calls Permafrost a story-driven survival sandbox set in a frozen, post-apocalyptic world. You play as Rook, an engineer drawn north by a radio signal from a long-lost friend, on an Earth locked in endless winter after the moon shattered. The cold itself is the main enemy, more than any gunfight.

Progress comes from exploration: you restore abandoned shelters, repair machines and reclaim technology to push deeper into the world. A rescued dog scouts ahead, warns of danger and carries supplies. You can do all of it alone or with up to three friends.

GOG and the Epic Games Store

Steam is not the only place to buy the game. The publisher's press release confirms Early Access on Steam, GOG and the Epic Games Store on the same day. All three are PC storefronts, since no console version launches during Early Access.

If you play with friends on different stores, crossplay is the key question. The official forum account said crossplay is in development because it is needed between Steam and Epic. Until it arrives, plan to buy on the same store as your group.

Steam community and news

The Steam page carries a regular stream of official news posts about regions, mechanics and updates. The Steam Community discussions are where the team posted fixes and answered questions during the playtests. Both are worth following during Early Access.

The Steam FAQ names the official Discord as the main hub for the community. That is the best place for quick news and bug reports. For an overview of every official channel, see our Permafrost wiki page.