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Permafrost on PC. Click to open it full size.
Permafrost is a story-driven survival game for PC from SpaceRocket Games, available on Steam, GOG and the Epic Games Store. The moon has shattered and Earth is stuck in an endless winter. You scavenge frozen cities, hunt, craft and build shelters while you follow a radio signal from a long-lost friend.
The cold is what sets it apart from other survival games. Temperature is the main threat, not zombies or monsters, so storms, frostbite and the distance to the next warm shelter decide every trip. A dog you rescue from the ruins scouts ahead, warns you of danger and carries supplies.
It entered Early Access on October 9, 2026, for Windows 10 and 11. You can play solo or in online co-op with up to four players. Toplitz Productions, the publisher behind Medieval Dynasty, releases it.
Already out in the snow? Tell us what you named your dog. Got questions before buying? Reach out to us directly.
What You Need to Know
- Permafrost is in Early Access. The story start, side quests, several biomes and four-player co-op are in. More biomes, quests, enemies and vehicles are planned before the full release.
- It is sold on Steam, GOG and the Epic Games Store. Pick the store whose launcher you already use.
- It needs 16 GB of RAM even at minimum settings, which is more than many survival games ask for.
- It is not on Boosteroid, so you need a PC that meets the requirements to play it.
Quick Facts
How to Download Permafrost on Windows
Permafrost is sold on three PC stores, and the steps are the same on each. These use Steam, the most common choice. You need 30 GB of free space.
- Step 1. Install a store app. Download Steam, GOG Galaxy or the Epic Games Launcher and sign in.
- Step 2. Open the store page. Go to Permafrost on Steam, GOG or Epic.
- Step 3. Pick an edition. Choose the standard game, the Companion Edition or the Ultimate Edition and finish checkout.
- Step 4. Install it. Find it in your library, click Install and choose a drive with 30 GB free.
- Step 5. Launch it from your library. The first start takes a little longer while the game prepares its shaders.
💡 Buying on GOG? The download there is DRM-free (no always-online check), so you can also grab the installer from your GOG account without using GOG Galaxy.
Permafrost Editions and Price
There are three editions. All three include the same game, so the extra money only buys digital books and the soundtrack. The standard edition is all you need to play.
Prices are US list prices before any launch discount, and the bundle editions can differ by a few cents between stores. Regional prices apply elsewhere. The guide, cookbook, novel and soundtrack are also sold on their own if you want to add one later.
What Is Permafrost?
Permafrost is set in a near future where a chain of disasters ended with the moon breaking apart. Its debris now rings the sky, and Earth has frozen over. Cities stand empty, and the survivors left behind have split into groups that trade, raid or fight over what is left.
You play a “Rook”, an engineer who can fix machines but has little experience in the wild. A radio signal from a long-lost friend pulls you out into the cold, and that search is the thread of the story.
Storms turn a short walk into a real risk.
You play in third person. Every trip is about staying warm: you gather wood and scrap, hunt for food and pelts, craft tools and clothing, and plan routes between places where you can heat up. Progress comes from exploring, since you restore abandoned shelters and repair old machines to push further into the map.
Building a shelter next to a campfire.
You can play alone with your dog, or bring up to three friends. In co-op you split the jobs, such as one player hunting while another builds, but the cold does not get easier with more people.
Up to four players can survive together online.
Official Trailer
Watch the official Early Access launch trailer for Permafrost to see the frozen cities, the blizzards and the dog that travels with you.
Key Features
Cold zones, storms, frostbite and hunger wear you down. Warmth, shelter and timing decide whether a trip ends well.
Ruined cities give way to buried forests, caves and survivor camps, each with its own loot and its own dangers.
Restore abandoned shelters and build your own, so each new one becomes a safe base for the next push outward.
Rescued from the ruins, your dog scouts ahead, warns you of danger and carries extra supplies.
Some groups will trade with you, others will fight you. You decide who to trust.
Play solo or online with three friends, and split the work of hunting, building and scouting.
Is This Game for You?
Our Take
🎮 Our Take
Permafrost has a clear idea, and it is a good one: make the cold the villain instead of zombies, then give you a reason to keep moving with a story and a dog. The shattered moon hanging over every scene gives the world a look of its own, and the shelter network turns the usual build-a-base loop into something with direction. The weak side is the one every Early Access survival game shares. The launch build needed several crash fixes in its first days, mostly tied to upscaling on NVIDIA cards, and quest blockers and co-op issues remained on the studio’s known-issues list after those first patches. The 16 GB RAM minimum also shuts out older PCs.
If you like The Long Dark or Sons of the Forest and have friends to play with, the standard edition is a fair buy now, as long as you accept rough edges. If you want a polished, finished game, add it to your wishlist and check the Steam news page for patch notes before you buy. The Companion and Ultimate editions add books and music, not gameplay, so skip them unless you want to support the studio.
System Requirements
These are the requirements the publisher lists on Steam. Both tiers ask for 16 GB of RAM, while the graphics card bar starts low: a GTX 1060 from 2016 meets the minimum. It runs on 64-bit Windows 10 and Windows 11.
Early Access games often gain performance fixes over time, so the same PC may run it better a few patches in. If yours falls short, our Best Gaming Desktops guide is a good place to start.
Tips for Beginners
Dress for the cold first
Open the inventory and check how much cold protection each clothing piece gives before you head out. Warm clothes buy you time between fires.
Travel shelter to shelter
Restore every abandoned shelter you find. Each one is a place to warm up, so plan routes between them instead of across open ground.
Take the dog everywhere
Your dog warns you of danger before you see it and carries extra supplies, which frees up your own backpack.
Do not get caught in a storm
When the weather turns, stop exploring and head for cover. Open ground in a blizzard drains your warmth fast.
Repair before things break
Tools and weapons wear out with use. Keep spare materials at your base and repair at a workbench before a long trip.
Best Permafrost Mods to Start With
Permafrost has no official mod support or Steam Workshop. Mods come from Nexus Mods, and the first wave is mostly about inventory space and less busywork. These five are the most useful to start with.
💡 These are fan-made mods, not official ones. Early Access patches arrive often and can break any of them until the author updates, so back up your saves first. In co-op, use mods only when everyone in the group agrees and has the same set installed. To remove a mod, delete the files it added, or use Verify integrity of game files in Steam.
Permafrost Screenshots
Frozen settlements, night skies lit by moon debris, hunting in the forest and the warm shelters you build to escape the cold. Click any image to open it full size.
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- Permafrost snowed in settlement from
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- Permafrost rifle frozen observatory from
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- Permafrost hunting in forest from
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- Permafrost inventory crafting screen from
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- Permafrost settlement golden hour from
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- Permafrost night forest deer from
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- Permafrost moon rings cliffs from
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- Permafrost shelter fire barrel from
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- Permafrost survivors warming by fire from
Permafrost FAQ
Is Permafrost multiplayer?
How long will Permafrost be in Early Access?
Does Permafrost have controller support?
Is Permafrost on PS5 or Xbox?
What are the Permafrost system requirements?
Support and Community
- SpaceRocket Games, the developer’s official website.
- r/PlayPermafrost on Reddit, the game’s subreddit, for co-op partners and player discussion.
- Toplitz Productions Discord, the publisher’s official server, where the team takes feedback and bug reports.
- Steam news for Permafrost, where patch notes and the known issues list appear.
- Permafrost on Nexus Mods, for the newest fan-made mods.
Explore more Windows games: Sons of the Forest for Windows · Enshrouded for Windows · Subnautica 2 for Windows · Palworld for Windows
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