Frostrail Release Date, Early Access, Free Demo and Everything We Know

The Frostrail release date is set for Q4 2026, when the co-op survival FPS launches in Early Access on Steam for Windows PC. There's no exact day yet, but you won't have to wait to play it: a free Frostrail demo is coming to Steam Next Fest from October 19 to October 26, 2026.

Frostrail comes from FakeFish, the studio behind Barotrauma, and is published by Shiro Unlimited. Here's everything officially confirmed: the release window, the demo, co-op, how the train works, the story, and how the playtests have gone.

Frostrail at a glance

When is the Frostrail release date?

Frostrail is coming to Steam Early Access in Q4 2026, which means October, November or December. That's the window on its Steam page and in Shiro Unlimited's latest press release. When the game was revealed in spring 2025 it was aimed at 2026, and it's still on course for this year. FakeFish hasn't announced an exact launch day yet; we'll update this article with the exact Frostrail release date as soon as it does.

Is there a Frostrail demo?

Yes. The Frostrail demo is available during Steam Next Fest, from October 19 to October 26, 2026. It's free, and you'll find it on the game's Steam page during the festival, so you can try Frostrail well before its Early Access release date. FakeFish says the team has been working through feedback from the closed beta to improve the game before the demo.

How did the Frostrail playtests go?

• November 2025: a small, limited playtest. Testers liked the core loop of driving the train, exploring and crafting, and the visual style. FakeFish said onboarding, enemy AI, usability and performance needed more work.
• April 16 – May 4, 2026: a larger closed playtest focused on the early game, extended by a week. More than 100,000 players applied.
• August 31 – September 7, 2026: a Closed Beta during Steam's PvE Survival Crafting Fest, with no NDA. More than 70,000 players took part.

Since then, FakeFish has added a new tutorial level, progression that carries between levels, levels with multiple exit points, reworked dungeons with better lighting, a bigger tundra biome, and train defence encounters built into clearing obstacles from the track.

What is Frostrail about?

Frostrail is set in the ruins of a once-mighty empire, now consumed by unending cold. The Emperor made a pact with the Void, and the frozen land is haunted by Revenants and eldritch horrors. You ride with the Penitent Gardeners aboard an armoured, steam-powered train, purging the land of the cursed, showing mercy to the lost and striking down the wicked as you search for salvation in the heart of the frozen wasteland.

Image: FakeFish / Shiro Unlimited

How does the train work in Frostrail?

The train is the heart of Frostrail. It's your refuge, your base and your only way forward:

• Run the Eden Engine: fuel it, manage its power and drive it further into the wasteland.
• Upgrade it: reinforce the walls, build weapon stations and upgrade the engine so you can outrun what hunts you.
• Expand it: add new carriages, crafting stations and storage, turning it into a moving fortress.
• Defend it: train defence encounters now happen when you stop to clear obstacles from the track.

What do you do when you leave the train?

Every step away from the train is a gamble. You head out to scavenge abandoned settlements, old mining camps and villages, break into wreckage frozen in the ice and descend into bunkers, vaults and ruined strongholds, where the best weapons and loot sit alongside the greatest danger.

The cold is the other enemy. The frost creeps into your bones, blizzards blind and slow you, and heat is something you have to ration. Revenants, wolves and other horrors attack anyone who lingers too long. Frostrail is a first-person shooter, so you fight with crafted weapons and equipment, from firearms to brutal melee weapons.

Is Frostrail co-op?

Yes. You can play solo or with a team of up to four, according to Shiro Unlimited. The Steam page lists single-player, multiplayer and online co-op. In the Closed Beta, each tester could invite up to three friends.

Who is making Frostrail?

Frostrail is developed by FakeFish, a studio of around 30 people in Turku, Finland, founded in 2014. Its first game, Barotrauma, has sold more than 3 million copies. It's published by Shiro Unlimited, the publishing label of Shiro Games, the studio behind Northgard and Dune: Spice Wars.

Watch the Frostrail gameplay trailer

The gameplay trailer (February 2026) shows the reworked art direction. FakeFish says it redrew large parts of the game's art since the reveal in spring 2025, with more hand-crafted locations.

Is Frostrail coming to PS5 and Xbox?

Not announced. Frostrail is launching on Steam Early Access for Windows PC, and no console versions have been mentioned.

Frostrail system requirements

Not announced yet. Every field in the Steam requirements is still "TBA". We'll add them here when FakeFish publishes them; the Next Fest demo should give PC players a good early idea of performance.

How much will Frostrail cost?

The Early Access price hasn't been announced. We'll add it here alongside the exact Frostrail release date.

What languages does Frostrail support?

The Steam page lists English, French, German, Spanish (Spain), Portuguese (Brazil), Russian and Simplified Chinese.

How popular is Frostrail?

Frostrail has passed 500,000 Steam wishlists. It hit 200,000 in June 2025, 300,000 in March 2026 and 400,000 in April 2026, then reached half a million after the Closed Beta in September.

More survival games on iGame Magazine

• Permafrost guide – frozen co-op survival you can play now
• Permafrost release date – another cold-weather survival launch
• Frostpunk 2 release date – survival in a frozen post-apocalypse

Frostrail FAQ