Howdy Cowboys!
We’ve finally got some big news to share. Erosion’s first public playtest will open on June 23 and run through June 30 on Steam!
Over the past several months we’ve been hard at work expanding the world, refining systems, and making sure the game delivers on the weird neon-west roguelike experience we’ve been building toward. This will be the first playable version of the game shown to anyone in the public and we’re excited for you to play it!
For those just hearing about the game, Erosion is a roguelike where every death pushes the world forward by 10 years. Your daughter has been kidnapped and dragged into a mysterious pillar that twists time itself. Each failed run means the world changes, towns evolve, factions rise and fall, and your daughter grows older while you fight your way deeper into the dungeon trying to save her.
The Open Overworld
One of the things that makes Erosion different from most roguelikes is the overworld. Between dungeon runs, you’ll explore a giant neon-west wasteland filled with quests, minigames, factions, and odd residents.
Progressing in the open overworld will let you build your Camp. It's a form of meta-progression that will make you stronger for all dungeon runs moving forward. Some quest lines will even have branching paths and significant consequences that you'll only see years in the future.
The Time Pillar
Of course, the heart of the game is still the dungeon itself. Inside the Pillar you’ll fight through dangerous enemies, chaotic encounters, and massive arcade-inspired bosses while collecting increasingly ridiculous gear and upgrades.
There are dozens of weapons with unique behaviors and modifiers. Some are practical. Others are less so, at least on the surface. You might carry a revolver one run and a weaponized chicken the next. On top of that, abilities and modifiers can completely transform how your build plays, letting you experiment with all kinds of broken combinations.
Every run is about finding powerful synergies, surviving just a little longer, and pushing deeper before time catches up to you again.
Moving to Full 1.0 Release
We also wanted to share an important update regarding our release plans.
Originally, we had planned for to release the game in Early Access this year. As development continued, we realized that we wanted players to experience the FULL vision of the game right when we launch. Because of that, we’ve shifted to a full 1.0 launch in early 2027.
That extra time allows us to build out more of the overworld systems, story content, quests, and long-term progression so the game feels complete on day one.
Even though we won’t be launching in Early Access anymore, community feedback is still hugely important to us. That’s exactly why we’re doing this playtest. We want to hear what you think, see how you approach the systems, and continue shaping Erosion into the best version of itself.
We’re incredibly excited to finally let everyone jump in later this month.
Join us on Discord too!