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The first Moonbreaker preview test period goes live soon

Unknown Worlds is opening Moonbreaker preview test periods ahead of the strategy game's September 28 early access launch, and here's how you can take part

Moonbreaker preview: A figure of a grey frog with a purple tongue sits on a board

Unknown Worlds and Krafton announced a set of Moonbreaker preview tests set to go live ahead of the strategy game’s early access launch on September 28. The Moonbreaker previews run from September 9 through September 11 and then again from September 16 through September 18. The tests will grant you access to the entire game, minus a few select portions, and all the units and Captains Unknown Worlds has planned for the game’s first season. Progress won’t carry over, though, at least with units, as Unknown Worlds said you need to unlock them again as normal in the early access version.

Since the test periods include the entire game and its features, that means you get to build your rosters as you see fit, paint them, and customize them. While units won’t carry over to the early access version, your paint jobs will, if you purchase the game.

Don’t expect a completely smooth journey, though. Since the point of the tests is to push the servers to their limits, the devs said outages and other problems are almost guaranteed.

To sign up for Moonbreaker’s preview period, head to the game’s Steam page and click “Request Access” on the “Join the Moonbreaker Playtest” section.

Moonbreaker aims to be unique among other tabletop-likes, at once more accessible and deeper than others. Part of that depth comes from character stories.

“We have stories for every single captain, but you realise that all the captains’ stories are interwoven,” game director Charlie Cleveland previously told PCGamesN. These unfold as audio dramas, and the team hopes they can appeal to a broad range of players and tastes, having attracted wider audiences through the success of their previous game, Subnautica.

If you’re after some more tactical goodness and don’t want to wait for Moonbreakers, check out our list of the best 4X games for PC. Wallet moaning at the thought of spending money for a game? Our list of the best free PC games has some excellent picks to quiet the grumbling.