Online: 404 Release Date, Early Access, Co-op and Everything We Know

The Online: 404 release date is October 16, 2026, when Cornfield Games' co-op survival game enters Early Access on PC via Steam. Its big twist: there are no magic crafting menus. Your smartphone is your main survival tool, and you look things up on an in-game internet full of ads, CAPTCHAs and unreliable advice.

Online: 404 is made by a husband-and-wife team of two, and its free demo in June was played by more than 60,000 people. Here's everything the developers have confirmed about the release date, the delays, co-op, the phone mechanic, PC specs and price.

Online: 404 at a glance

When is the Online: 404 release date?

Online: 404 launches in Early Access on October 16, 2026. Cornfield Games confirmed the date on Steam on August 26, and the store page lists the same day. No unlock time has been announced.

Was Online: 404 delayed?

Twice, but by the developers' own choice. In April, Cornfield Games planned an Early Access launch at the end of July 2026. After the June demo, they moved it to September 25 to polish the full game with players' suggestions. On August 26, they pushed it again by three weeks, to October 16, explaining: "we can make it on time with the initial release date, but we just don't want the deadline to be that tight."

What is Online: 404 about?

You're stuck in the Leminsgale District, an area that was sealed off years ago and never fully evacuated. The people who stayed "lost their minds and have been wandering aimlessly ever since". Together with one of the district's former residents, you try to find out what really happened: another epidemic, a strange fungus, or something worse. The developers describe it as a story-driven game you can complete solo or with friends, or ignore the story and just explore.

How does the smartphone work in Online: 404?

This is the game's headline idea. Instead of a recipe book, you use your character's phone:

• Search the in-game internet to learn how to craft an item, fix a car, butcher an animal after a hunt or find out which mushrooms are safe to eat.
• Use the map, flashlight and weather forecast.
• Put up with annoying ads, CAPTCHAs and unreliable information, "just like in the real Internet".

The developers say the whole game is built around "what a real person would actually do to survive" today. You won't mine ore and smelt a pickaxe; if you want electricity, it's "probably easier to take one off a nearby abandoned house" than build a solar panel from scratch.

Online: 404 gameplay: building, hunting and cars

• Base building: wood is the main material, but you can rip a car door or hood off an old vehicle and bolt it to your wall to reinforce it. Bases can be raided.
• Hunting and farming: watch animal behaviour, hunt, farm and even adopt a pet.
• Cars: restore an old car to make getting around the district much easier.
• Zombies: they're in there, but the developers say they're "quite unusual".

Is Online: 404 co-op?

Yes. You can play solo or team up with up to four players, either for the story campaign or just to mess around. You choose one of four characters, each with their own stats and starting gear.

What's in the Online: 404 Early Access version?

Cornfield Games says the Early Access launch "will already include the full story and all previously announced gameplay mechanics". They chose Early Access because they plan to keep polishing the game, since in an open-world co-op survival game "it is difficult to predict every possible situation players may encounter".

The June demo gives a good idea of how they work: they ran an "Update Every Day" marathon and a bug-hunting event, and handed out 16 free keys to the most helpful bug reporters.

Watch the Online: 404 trailer

The trailer from Cornfield Games' YouTube channel. The Steam page also has the official gameplay trailer.

How much will Online: 404 cost?

The price hasn't been announced, and Steam doesn't list one yet. We'll update this page as soon as it's confirmed.

Is Online: 404 on PS5 or Xbox?

No console versions have been announced. Online: 404 is coming to PC (Steam) only.

Online: 404 PC system requirements

Online: 404 release date timeline

• April 29, 2026: Cornfield Games introduces itself and plans a June demo and end-of-July Early Access.
• June 14–30, 2026: the free demo runs; more than 60,000 people play it in two weeks.
• June 28, 2026: Early Access moves to September 25.
• August 26, 2026: Early Access moves three weeks to October 16.
• October 16, 2026: Online: 404 launches in Early Access.

More upcoming survival games on iGame Magazine

• Project Zomboid Build 42.21 – the big zombie survival sandbox
• Permafrost guide – another survival game fresh into Early Access
• Frostrail release date – co-op survival for up to four
• ATMOSFAR release date – co-op survival entering Early Access in late October

Online: 404 FAQ