Into the Fire Open Playtest No.2

As of 1 September 2026, Into the Fire is not in Early Access. It is in Open Playtest no.2, a public Steam build Starward opened on 31 August and will keep available until 7 September 2026. Japanese coverage tied the window to Steam’s PvE Survival Craft Fest. If you want hands on Dante’s Archipelago this week, this is the wave. Logistics sit on the playtest guide. This page is the changelog-shaped briefing so you do not install a May VOD into an August client.

Early Access remains targeted for 2026 on Steam and GOG. A public demo is still “in active development” and still planned for 2026, with the studio saying the core loop should be stronger first. Playtest no.2 is that strengthening pass, not the paid launch.

How to get in

1. Open the Steam store page and request playtest access.
2. If you already played a previous wave, Starward has said you often keep access without signing up again.
3. Install to an SSD that passes the PC checklist.
4. Join official Discord from Links for bug reports. Do not paste NDA leftovers into public comments.
5. Wishlist anyway. The test will close on the 7th. EA is still the product you are waiting to buy.

Returning testers and first-timers are both invited. The studio’s post is explicit: step into the catastrophe zone, rescue survivors and animals, explore, expand Camp, and try the latest version.

What is new versus May–June

The first open playtest ran roughly 28 May–10 June 2026, pulled more than 12,000 players, and left Starward with over 35 GB of data. They closed it on purpose. July’s “What’s Next” post promised better onboarding and traversal, called August 31 as the return date, and admitted animal rescue was still being worked on.

Open Playtest no.2 is that return. Public bullet list:

• Completely reworked tutorial and introduction.
• A proper Main Quest.
• Unique Area and Gate Quests so districts have their own objectives, obstacles, and alternative routes.
• Full key remapping.
• New equipment through the LAB quest, including Jetpack and Flamethrower.
• Animal rescue in the field. Build a shelter in camp first.
• Traversal extras such as knocking down an electricity pole to cross a gap.

Read the systems pages, not this list, when you actually play: quests, animal rescue, maps, controls.

What did not change

• Single-player. No co-op session.
• PC only for now. Consoles remain a 1.0 conversation.
• Extraction plus camp. You still leave, carry, extract, and feed the hub.
• Extinguishing tools, not a lethal raid kit. A flamethrower unlock is still a specialist tool inside that fantasy.
• Early Access year: 2026. No day, no price.

If a streamer titles the build “full release,” they are wrong. If a key shop sells “playtest editions,” walk away.

What to test so the report is useful

Starward asked for first-hour UX last wave. This wave exists because that feedback landed. A useful session in no.2:

1. Play the new tutorial without skipping. Note anything still opaque. File it.
2. Rebind keys. Confirm the full remap actually sticks. Controls.
3. Build Well, Campfire, and animal shelter before a field animal extract.
4. Run one Area or Gate quest on New Sindra and write down whether the alternative route was readable.
5. Extract one named job (Zoe-style) and refuse a greedy extra. Time the RV.
6. If you unlock LAB tools, test Jetpack stamina against a ladder you already know. Do not first-test it over lava with a body in your arms.
7. Screenshot crashes. Use official channels.

Community totals from the first open wave (on the order of 20,000 successful runs, thousands of rescues and structures) were proof the loop was played. They are not your homework. Numbered reports still move the needle. “It sucks” still does not.

After 7 September

The build goes away. Your save is a playtest save. The next public artefact might be another test, the 2026 demo, or EA itself. Watch Steam news, not a countdown widget. Keep release date and roadmap in another tab.

If you miss this window, the playtest guide still explains how signup has worked across Discord and Steam waves. Do not wait for a fake “codes” page. There are no gift codes. There is a Request Access button.

Playtest no.2 is the current version of Into the Fire. Treat it as the game, then remember it is allowed to vanish next week. That tension is the point of a pre-EA wiki: you get a real loop, and you do not get to pretend the SKU is already on the shelf.