How to play the Frostpunk 2 beta

By Jesse Lennox Updated April 8, 2024

A frozen man with Liar written on his chest sits in front of oil rigs in Frostpunk 2. — 11 bit Studios

We’re all awaiting the full release of Frostpunk 2 to give us some chills during the heat of the summer, but you don’t have to wait until July to go back to the Frostlands. Developer 11 Bit Studios is hosting a beta period where players can experience some of the game much earlier. This isn’t a regular open beta where anyone is free to download it and play with no restrictions. There is one big catch to gaining access, and even then, it is only available for a very limited time. Here’s what you need to know about the Frostpunk 2 beta and how to join it.

Contents

When is the Frostpunk 2 beta?
How to access the Frostpunk 2 beta

When is the Frostpunk 2 beta?

The Frostpunk 2 beta will run from 1 p.m. ET on April 15 through April 22. That will give you seven days with the game, but you’ll only be able to access a modified version of the sandbox mode called Utopia Builder Preview. No story missions or content will be available.

How to access the Frostpunk 2 beta

There’s only one way to get yourself a slot in the Frostpunk 2 beta, and that is to pre-order the Deluxe Edition. This normally costs $75, but is currently on sale on Steam for $67. The Deluxe Edition also includes access to three future DLC packs, 72-hour early access to the story mode, an exclusive item, a digital novella, and a digital artbook and soundtrack.

Topics

How-To Guides

Jesse Lennox loves writing, games, and complaining about not having time to write and play games. He knows the names of more…

Gaming

How to join the Concord beta

Two characters face off in Concord.

PlayStation's first real shot at cracking into the live-service world will be the competitive shooter Concord. The game features a cast of (literally) colorful characters, and the gameplay shown off so far appears to take a lot of inspiration from the hero shooter genre. Nailing that balance of such distinct characters, weapons, and abilities is tough, plus Concord isn't going the free-to-play route like many other live-service games. Thankfully, we are getting the chance to test out the game before putting our money down. If you and your friends want to feel this game out before launch, here's how you can get beta access.
How to join the Concord beta
There are technically two ways to get into the Concord beta. The first is to preorder either version of the game from PlayStation. Either one will let you join the beta when it starts in July. Not only that, but you will also get three more beta codes to share with your friends.

If you don't want to put money down on a preorder, there is technically another way to get access. Since every individual who preorders gets three codes to share, all you need to do is convince a friend to preorder the game and share a code with you.

Gaming

3 Xbox Game Pass games to play over Memorial Day weekend (May 24-27)

Senua carries a torch in Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2.

This was a big week for Xbox as it received its first console-exclusive first-party game of the year in Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2. We're also approaching a holiday weekend where you'll have a lot more time to play video games if you so choose. As such, there's one really easy recommendation I can make to people looking for what to play this weekend. Hellblade 2 is a very dark and mature game that depicts what it's like to have psychosis, though, so my other recommendations are a little more lighthearted.

The first is an indie game that launched in Xbox Game Pass earlier this month, where players control a cat exploring a city. The other is a collection of classic Pac-Man games that is leaving Xbox Game Pass very soon. Those two are worth checking out if you want some more relaxing, gameplay-focused fun this weekend after the intense experience Xbox Game Studios' latest offers.
Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2

Gaming

The best State of Decay 2 mods

State of Decay 2 Review

You can't say State of Decay 2 hasn't gotten more than its fair share of developer support. Not only did it receive plenty of extra content and updates after launch, but it even continues to be worked on years after State of Decay 3 was announced. Being an open-world zombie survival game with tons of RPG and management elements, it wasn't long before modders saw all the potential there was to tweak, add to, and fully customize this great game to be even better. Modders have done everything from increasing the difficulty to enhancing the immersion with new lighting, so we've scavenged the net for only the best State of Decay 2 mods to recommend.
Unlock Developer Menu

When a game is still being made, developers often include a special menu they can access to change various settings on the fly to test things out. Typically, these menus are then disabled for the full release since they would essentially allow anyone to cheat and break the game. The Unlock Developer Menu mod brings that feature back so you can change all sorts of options with ease. You can think of it like accessing a command menu, only it's much more user-friendly. With it, you can do things like spawn weapons, zombies, and plague hearts, and add followers and enclaves just by hitting F2. The only thing to be aware of is that not all the functions are enabled, and the modder isn't planning on fixing them since it was not created by them, only reenabled.
No More Room In Hell