Subzero Survival “Permafrost”: Enduring the Cold—Balanced Story and Exploration, but Early Access Bugs [Crafting Survival Guide]

Survival games have now become a staple across PC, console, and mobile platforms, with many players enjoying survival experiences set in a variety of worlds.

In Game*Spark’s “Craft Survival Guide,” a writer who loves this genre introduces and explains the appeal of craft survival games, focusing primarily on classic titles.The title we’re featuring this time is *Permafrost*, which launched in Early Access on PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG.com) on October 9, 2026.

A World of Endless Winter Where the Moon Has Shattered

*Permafrost* is a title developed by SpaceRocket Games, a Polish indie game studio. Toplitz Productions serves as the publisher. SpaceRocket Games was founded in 2023, and according to its official website, the studio is currently working on multiple projects.

Although the game was announced in May 2024, it originally began as a prototype created by a team of three in December 2022. Subsequently, the development team expanded to 15 members under the SpaceRocket Games banner, actively collecting feedback through the release of a demo and playtests.

Although Early Access was initially scheduled to begin in 2025, the team has announced several delays since then.They conducted numerous playtests right up until October 2026, just before release, and on October 9, 2026—the Early Access launch date—they even implemented a “few-hour delay” to address crash reports and other issues identified during the playtest that had ended on October 6.

“Permafrost,” a post-apocalyptic, freezing-cold survival game where you live with dogs, launches on Steam Early Access! Supports up to 4 players | Game*Spark - Domestic and International Gaming News Site

The release was delayed by a few hours to incorporate the results of the final playtest.

https://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/10/09/173450.htmlRead more »

The game is set on Earth, which has become a world of permafrost due to cataclysms triggered by the moon’s changes and destruction. Players take on the role of Luke, an engineer, and face the challenge of survival in a harsh region they’ve entered after receiving a transmission from a missing friend. In addition to solo play, the game supports cooperative play for up to four players.

The Early Access period is scheduled to last at least one year. In the current build, players can experience most of the core features, such as exploring each area, crafting, and completing quests. The developers plan to expand the content further for the full release and have published a development roadmap for the Early Access phase.

To Survive in a Freezing World

At the start of the game, you’ll first create your protagonist—your avatar. Here, you’ll set your character’s gender, voice, and skin tone, as well as choose a background and traits that determine your starting gear and skill bonuses. You can also name your dog companion and select its breed! There are several breeds to choose from, including Golden Retrievers and Border Collies.

The story begins when the protagonist, having received a message from their missing friend Icarus, visits the game’s setting only to become separated from their companions in an accident. Though the protagonist manages to survive, they’ve lost nearly all their gear. Initially, they’ll receive contact from their companions and make the bare minimum preparations for survival.

The gameplay system is a classic crafting-survival style, where you craft tools from stone and wood and build houses by combining building materials via the construction menu. One slightly unique feature is the knife, which is used not only to skin animals but also to open locked doors and chests. Note that each tool has a durability meter.

Once you’ve made the minimum preparations, you’ll cross a nearby cave and head for the first settlement beyond it. Although this game is set in a harsh, frigid world, various factions have established bases and are living there. In the settlements, you can accept quests from NPCs, trade with them, and rest in the provided beds.

Icarus is nowhere to be found in Horizon, the first settlement, and according to the leader, Robin, he has already headed off to another location. From here, the protagonist will travel across the frigid world in search of their missing friend.

Face the Terrifying Cold

The most terrifying thing in the world of *Permafrost* is the cold. In this world, where temperatures drop into the double-digit sub-zero range even during the day, simply walking around can be life-threatening if you’re not prepared. Figuring out how to survive the cold is the very first step in your survival journey.

The game features a cold gauge; if the temperature gets too low, the gauge will decrease, and once it reaches zero, your health will gradually deplete. Basic strategies for overcoming the cold include equipping better cold-resistant gear, seeking out even slightly warmer locations, and warming up by a campfire. Additionally, consuming alcohol or similar items can temporarily boost your resistance or restore the gauge.

The map contains not only settlements but also many ruins. Simply entering a building can provide some protection from the cold, and if you’re lucky, you might even find the remains of a campfire left behind by previous survivors. Even so, it gets colder as night falls, so finding a warm and safe place is crucial.

As you progress through the game, you’ll eventually build your own base. Base construction involves combining foundations, roofs, and walls, making it quite simple to build. Keep in mind that production facilities, such as workbenches, cannot be used without walls or a roof. Building a campfire not only keeps you warm but also allows you to cook raw meat from hunted wildlife.

Since you can’t protect yourself from the cold early on, the basic strategy is to explore and gather resources during the warmer daytime hours, then craft and rest at your base at night. If you hold down the interact key on a bed or sleeping bag, you can sleep straight through until morning (at first, I didn’t know this trick and just lay there in a daze until dawn).

Gain Experience and Adapt to This Harsh World

In this game, various skills develop based on the player’s actions. Dashing and jumping reduce stamina consumption, and taking damage in combat increases your maximum health. Additionally, earning experience points through building and crafting unlocks new crafting recipes.

However, many production facilities are unlocked as the story progresses. Since the main story involves traveling to various outposts and accepting NPC quests, if there’s something you can’t craft, just keep advancing the story. Higher-tier outfits significantly improve cold resistance, making your adventures much easier.

You can also find crafting recipes in various regions. There’s a wide variety of things to explore in the game, and you can obtain materials from corpses in ruins or abandoned cars on the side of the road.Inventory management can be a bit challenging, but since you can build outposts to store items or entrust them to your dog—your companion on adventures—we recommend exploring freely and collecting as much as you can.

You’ll also find audio recordings left behind by survivors in various locations, some of which trigger side quests. Additionally, a faction known as the Moon Cult is active in this region and is in conflict with the player and other factions. Of course, there’s also wildlife like bears and wolves, so be sure to have your bow and guns ready while exploring.

*Permafrost* is a crafting survival game where you struggle to survive in an extremely harsh, frigid world. It’s also a story-driven game, and as you progress through quests, you’ll unlock more activities, so you can enjoy not just simple survival but a full-fledged adventure as well.

In the current build, you might occasionally get stuck on the terrain, and there are some issues with quest progression in certain quests, but the developers have been actively releasing updates since launch to fix these issues and improve the game. The game supports Japanese, though some parts of the translation are a bit rough; we’re looking forward to seeing further quality improvements as the game heads toward its official release.

*Permafrost* is currently available in Early Access on PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG.com). You can enjoy a survival experience where you gradually adapt to your environment.