DARKSWARMWIKI
TIMELINE2026-10-08

Roadmap — every confirmed date

From the March 2023 reveal to Early Access in early 2027: the full verified timeline of trailers, tests and showcases, dated and sourced.

Official screenshot · Bitfire Games
Official screenshot · Bitfire Games

Full verified timeline

DateEvent
Mar 1, 2023First reveal at Ghost Ship Publishing's announcement stream (Deep Rock Galactic's 5th anniversary); Announcement Trailer releases the same day
Aug 20, 2024Gamescom 2024 trailer
Nov 2024Fall '24 teaser via Ghost Ship Publishing's “On the Horizon” recap; Early Access date still TBA
Jul 10, 2025Devlog: seed-based procedural generation, four biomes
Jul 14, 2025Closed Alpha sign-ups open
Sep 2 – 8, 2025Closed Alpha 1 — first broader public test
From Nov 4, 2025Closed Alpha 2 — Chryos revamp, social features, tactical crouching
Feb 16 – 22, 2026Closed Alpha 3 — voice chat, ping wheel, dynamic music
Apr 26, 2026“Fight Together” trailer
Jun 27, 2026“Extinction” trailer
Aug 23, 2026“Four Classes, One Mission” trailer
Sep 16, 2026The Big Break Showcase appearance announced
Sep 29, 2026Big Break Showcase: swarm technology (thousands of enemies at once); Closed Alpha 4 dated Nov 3; Early Access targeted early 2027
Nov 3, 2026Closed Alpha 4 begins (planned)
Before EAOpen beta phase (on the official calendar, no date)
Early 2027Early Access launch target

The studio behind the dates

Bitfire Games is a Danish studio based in Copenhagen, founded in 2022 by Jonas Ejby Raagaard and Hans Oxmond; DarkSwarm is its announced debut, built in Unreal Engine 5. Publisher Ghost Ship Publishing is the publishing arm of Ghost Ship Games (the Deep Rock Galactic family, part of Embracer Group), and DarkSwarm was among the first three titles it announced in March 2023.

How this page stays current

Tests are announced at least one month in advance on the Steam news hub and official socials, and this wiki re-checks those channels — every change lands on the updates page first, and this timeline gets re-dated with sources. The snapshot date below tells you when the table was last verified.

Sources

  • Steam news archive — All 10 official posts read via RSS, October 8, 2026
  • darkswarm.com/news — Official site mirror of announcements, checked October 8, 2026
  • Ghost Ship Publishing — “On the Horizon” recap — November 2024 (Fall '24 teaser, EA TBA wording)
  • Saving Content / GGRecon — reveal coverage — March 1, 2023 (first announcement context)

Source: Steam store page, Steam news archive & official press kit — snapshot Oct 8, 2026 · Open on Steam ↗

Guides

RELEASE

Release date — when DarkSwarm launches

Early Access is officially targeted at early 2027, with a Closed Alpha on November 3, 2026 and an open beta before launch. Every verified date in one place.

2026-10-08Read guide →ALPHA

Closed Alpha — how to join the November 3 test

The fourth Closed Alpha starts November 3, 2026 on Steam. How to request access, what changed in each past alpha, and what to expect this time.

2026-10-08Read guide →FAQ

FAQ — launch questions answered

Release date, price plan, platforms, alpha access, engine, languages, the no-generative-AI art policy — the most-asked DarkSwarm questions, answered from sources.

2026-10-08Read guide →