Greetings esteemed colleagues! We are so excited for you to play Abiotic Factor!
This guide contains everything you need to know about the playtest whether you're new or returning. Let's delve in, shall we?
Below you will find some helpful information, such as:
- Playtest dates and times
- How to access the playtest
- What's in the playtest
- How to report a bug or crash
- Where to submit feedback
- Where to find our FAQ
- A few new player tips
- Changes since the last Playtest
How Long is the Playtest?
The playtest is open from the 12th of December 12:00 PM PST to the 1st of January 12:00 PM PST.
Here is a time zone breakdown:
- PST: Tuesday, 12 December at 12:00 PM through Monday, 1st January at 12:00 PM
- MST: Tuesday, 12 December at 1:00 PM through Monday, 1st January at 1:00 PM
- CST: Tuesday, 12 December at 2:00 PM through Monday, 1st January at 2:00 PM
- EST: Tuesday, 12 December at 3:00 PM through Monday, 1st January at 3:00 PM
- GST: Tuesday, 12 December at 8:00 PM through Monday, 1st January at 8:00 PM
- NZDT: Wednesday, 13 December at 9:00 AM through Tuesday, 2nd January at 9:00 AM
How to Launch the Playtest
To begin your work in the GATE Cascade Research Facility, you’ll need to request access by clicking the ‘Request Access’ button on the Abiotic Factor Steam store page.
Once access is granted you’ll see Abiotic Factor in your Steam library. Select 'Abiotic Factor Playtest', download it, and you’re good to go!
What's Included in the Playtest
This playtest opens up an early section of the GATE Cascade Research Facility for exploration and gameplay, as well as the Tutorial. We've given you just a taste of the depths that you will be able to explore upon release!
Abiotic Factor is a large, open world game and this is just a small section of it, but contains a huge range of key gameplay and functionality, as well as a lot of new features, polish and improvements for anyone who may have participated in previous playtests. We’re super excited for you to jump in!
For those who want to 100% the playtest (so to speak) you can keep playing and making discoveries and unlocking more recipes/skills even after you complete the last available objective for this test.
How to Report Bugs, Crashes and Give Suggestions
We want to hear from you! Listed below are different guides and master threads dedicated to anything you’d like to ask or share with us.
Can I Stream it or Make Videos?
Yes, go right ahead!
New Player Tips
As a scientist arriving at the Gate Cascade Research Facility just as a mysterious catastrophe unfolds, you’re trapped far underground with no hope of rescue. Find ways to survive, explore, unlock and - eventually - escape your increasingly lethal workplace with your team.
Pager!
Your pager can be accessed in the emote radial wheel. A nifty device which lets you briefly ping your location to your fellow scientists in the case that you become lost in the cubicles.
Holster your items!
You can holster your weapon and shield by pressing H on keyboard.
Control rebinds!
Keyboards, mice and controllers can all be rebound in the settings menu at any time.
Changes since the last Playtest
For our returning testers, we’ve got quite a few new things in store for you! We'll list a few of them below, but the rest are for you to discover!
- Proximity chat! That’s right we heard your pleas and it is here! Your distant screams will be music to your teammates ears.
- By popular demand you can now boil tainted water to produce clean water! You’ll lose a bit to the steam but it could be an essential task when you’re in a pinch.
- Many traits have had bug fixes or were not fully functional. You may notice a larger impact from Traits this time around.
- We've added Summer Intern, for people who want a blank slate job - no extra skills!
Join Our Discord
To chat with fellow playtesters, find servers full of new friends, make jokes, share videos or screenshots, and everything else - join our Discord!
