How to Join Into the Fire Playtests
Open Playtest no.2 is live through 7 September 2026. Request access on Steam.
Into the Fire is not a released product. The way to put hands on Dante’s Archipelago before Early Access in 2026 is a playtest. Open Playtest no.2 is live on Steam from 31 August through 7 September 2026. That is the current build. The no.2 briefing lists what changed. This page is the logistics manual across every wave. Mechanical deep dives live in Getting Started and playtest notes.
How signup has worked
The pattern is stable even when URLs rotate:
- Wishlist Into the Fire on Steam.
- Join the official Discord listed on Links.
- Watch Steam news and the Discord playtest channel. Some waves used a form plus verification; later open tests were Steam-side.
- If you already participated, Starward has said you often keep access without signing up again.
- Install to an SSD that meets the system requirements. Technical tests exist specifically to catch your crash before the public demo.
A public demo is still promised for 2026 and Starward has said it is already in active development, but they also want the core loop stronger first. Playtests are the path that exists this week. Gamescom 2026 had a Polish Indie Booth presence as well if you wanted a hands-on that is not a download. After 7 September, watch Steam news rather than this paragraph’s verb tense.
What a typical playtest build contains
Starward’s own summary: extraction gameplay (mission, loot, rescue, extraction point), survival elements, camp management including expansion, character development, and crafting. That is not a vertical slice of a trailer. Testers have already:
- Run New Sindra and Crimson Pass
- Built wells, kitchens, greenhouses, dog shelters
- Used skull-rated districts and a daily threat tick
- Fought fire spirits with extinguishing tools
- Seen the Ruins as a more vertical later space
- In no.2: a reworked tutorial, Main / Area / Gate quests, field animal rescue, full key remapping, and LAB unlocks for Jetpack and Flamethrower
Open tests around May 28–June 10 2026 pulled more than 11,000–12,000 players, tens of thousands of successful runs, thousands of crafted items, thousands of rescued people, and tens of thousands of structures. Those are community totals, not your homework. Your homework is to file a report when the axe breaks in two swings or a bomb has no tell.
How to test so your report is useful
Starward has asked for first-hour UX, crashes, settings, input, and later for extinguishing feel and hazard telegraphing. A useful session:
- Rebind using controls and note anything you could not find.
- Run a clean extract with one survivor. Time it.
- Run a greedy extract. Note where fire deleted the route. See extraction.
- Spend a morning in camp without leaving. Watch food, water, morale, threat.
- Screenshot crashes. Post in the official channel, not only on a random forum.
- Do not demand a feature from a different genre. The game is single-player cataclysm rescue. That is the bet.
They have credited playtesters in the game credits before. That is the carrot. The stick is that bad reports (“it sucks”) do not change kick stamina; numbered reports do.
What already changed because of testers
From public notes: kick cost 45→35, wall durability up, earthquake 420s→300s, better bomb/quake HUD, stamina rework, Breacher/Durable/Kicker perks, extra stamina perks, extinguishing feel experiments, Ruins added, survivors feeding hub progression more clearly. If you skip playtests and wait for EA, you are still playing a game those people already bent.
NDA versus open waves
Some Discord rounds used NDA forms. Open Steam tests were public enough that creators like Splattercat and SurvivalBob posted hour-long VODs. Follow the rules of your wave. This wiki only cites public trailers, public news, and public videos. Do not paste NDA footage into a comment and expect us to host it.
After you opt in
Read hazards so you do not mute the warnings the team just added. Pack from the expedition planner. File the bug. Then go back to camp and pet the dog, because morale is a stat and because you have earned it.
Playtests are the current version of Into the Fire. Treat them as the game, not as a demo trailer with extra steps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common questions.
Is a playtest the same as Early Access?
No. Playtests are temporary builds. Early Access in 2026 is the paid, lasting product on Steam and GOG.
I tested before. Do I sign up again?
Starward has often granted returning testers access automatically. Watch the Steam news post for the wave you care about.
Is there a public demo?
Yes, planned for 2026, but the studio has said the core loop needs more work first. Playtests fill the gap.
Where do I send crashes?
Official Discord and Steam discussion threads pinned for that wave. See Links.