What is included in Early Access?

Everything that's in the game today, plus every update we release until the full launch. Blastyard is still early and will change a lot during Early Access, so this is a snapshot of what you get right now:

  • 5 game modes: Team Deathmatch, Free For All, Virus, Roulette and Gibbed, an old-school arena mode where you fight over weapons, power-ups and armour lying around the map.

  • 5 maps: Arena (with a shooting range and a destruction yard), Neon District, Moon Base, Bunker, and Terrain, a work-in-progress test map.

  • The full movement kit: jetpack, wall runs, wall jumps, slides, the dolphin dive and leaning.

  • The armory: Rifle, Sniper Rifle, CFM-Launcher mortar and Rocket Sword, Pistol and Plasma Blade sidearms, frag grenades, red dots, reflex sights and 3x, 4x and 6x scopes, five custom loadout slots and a glow colour of your own.

  • Destruction: blow holes in walls with the mortar, shoot out glass, and bring down a building in the Arena's destruction yard.

  • Online play: host your own lobby and invite friends with a join code, or browse open lobbies. Online play runs on Epic Online Services with Easy Anti-Cheat.

  • Bots: fill empty slots in a lobby, or practice against them offline.

Will I have access to the product during the entire Early Access phase?

Yes. Blastyard is free during Early Access. Once you've claimed it, it stays in your library for the whole of Early Access and every update installs automatically through the Epic Games Launcher. You keep the game when it leaves Early Access too, even if the full version ends up costing money.

What is Early Access?

Early Access means you can play Blastyard while we're still building it. The core game is here and playable now, but it's still taking shape: expect new modes, maps and mechanics, big changes to what's already here, and some bugs along the way.

Why Early Access?

Blastyard is a multiplayer game, and the best way to find out what makes it fun is to play it with real players. We haven't locked down everything the full game will be yet, and Early Access lets us try ideas, put new builds in your hands often and shape the game around what you tell us.

Approximately how long will Blastyard be in Early Access?

We don't have a fixed date yet. The game is still taking shape, and we'll leave Early Access when it feels finished. We'll share a date as soon as we know it.

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

Blastyard is a party shooter, and that's where it's staying. Beyond that, the full version isn't set in stone. We plan to keep adding:

  • More game modes

  • More maps

  • New mechanics and abilities

  • More weapons and gear
    Blastyard is subject to significant changes before its full release. Modes, maps, weapons, movement, balance and the look of the game may all change, and some features could be reworked or removed along the way. We'll explain every change in the patch notes.

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

Blastyard is fully playable online and offline. All five modes, the maps and the armory listed above work today, with bots to fill a lobby or practice against. It's an early build and the game is still finding its direction, so expect rough edges and big changes: some art is placeholder, the Terrain map is a work in progress, and balance changes often. New builds land often, and each one comes with patch notes on the main menu (you can read them any time from What's new).

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?

Blastyard is free to play during Early Access. We haven't decided on pricing for the full release yet: it may stay free, or it may become a low-priced game. Either way, anyone who claims Blastyard during Early Access keeps it for free. We may also offer an optional supporter pack for players who want to help fund development, but you'll never need it to play. We'll announce any pricing well before the full release.

How are you planning on involving the community in your development process?

Every update comes with patch notes on the main menu, so you always know what changed. We're setting up ways for players to report bugs, share feedback and suggest ideas, through a community Discord and an in-game feedback system, and we'll announce them in the patch notes as they go live. Player feedback decides what we build next, from weapon balance to new maps, modes and mechanics.

Will my progress and settings carry over?

Your loadouts, glow colour and settings are saved on your PC and carry over between updates. As the game changes, some of them may occasionally need resetting, for example when a weapon or setting is reworked.

What do I need to play online?

An Epic Games account. Online play runs on Epic Online Services and is protected by Easy Anti-Cheat. Hosting is peer to peer, so there are no ports to open: host a lobby and share its six-letter join code with friends. Blastyard is on Windows PC.