Frostpunk 2 beta dates have been confirmed by developer 11 bit studios, but you’ll have to pay if you’re eager to jump into the brutal city-building survival game early. The sequel to the fantastic 2018 strategy game is set to arrive in just a few months, and I couldn’t be more excited to try out its grander scale decision-making, but you’ll be able to get a first taste of it with a closed beta on Steam – although you’ll have to put in a pre-order to do so.
The Frostpunk 2 beta will let you get hands-on with the grim, frosty strategy game in mid-April, meaning you’ll be able to try it out a full three months before the Frostpunk 2 release date, which is now set for July.
Frostpunk 2 ramps up the close-knit community and tough decision-making of the first game to a new level, expanding your city size dramatically and placing you at the whims of a ruling congress that must be appeased. Along with the apocalyptic threats of the harsh, frozen landscape, you’ll now face inner conflicts sparked by social differences and human nature. It’s your job to ensure that these factions can coexist without sparking the collapse of your civilization from within.
Frostpunk 2 beta dates and how to access
The Frostpunk 2 beta is available from Monday, April 15 to Monday, April 22, 2024 on Steam. It starts at 10am PDT / 1pm EDT / 6pm BST / 7pm CEST. In order to access the beta, you’ll need to pre-purchase the Frostpunk 2 Deluxe Edition.
Unfortunately for anyone hoping to jump in and test the beta before committing to a purchase, 11 bit studios confirms that currently the only way to get access to the Frostpunk 2 beta is to pre-purchase the Deluxe Edition of the game on PC. That means you’ll need to commit to the more expensive edition to play the beta, which is currently on sale for 10% off at $67.49/£56.69.
It also means you’ll miss out if you’re waiting to play Frostpunk 2 on Game Pass. The punishing sim is set to land on Microsoft’s PC Game Pass service from day one, so you’ll be able to play it there at no additional cost if you’re a subscriber – but you’ll have to wait until the June launch date to do so.
In the meantime, take a look through more of the best city-building games for plenty of places to manage ever-more massive metropolises, along with the best survival games if the challenge of struggling against the odds is more your speed.
You can also follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides, or grab our PCGN deals tracker to net yourself some bargains.