Permafrost looks good enough to me. It’s already on my wishlist, I’ve been watching people play it, and it looks a lot like Icarus, except here the main enemy is the cold. I might even buy it.
Permafrost went into Early Access on 9 October at $24.99, from developer SpaceRocket Games and publisher Toplitz Productions. Its Steam reviews are Mostly Positive, with 71% of 1,826 positive, and 743 people were playing it when I wrote this (Steam).
What is Permafrost?
Permafrost is a story-driven open-world survival game set on a near-future Earth locked in endless winter, after a series of catastrophes ended with the moon shattering. You play a “Rook”, an engineer pulled into the frozen world by a radio signal from a long-lost friend (Steam).
You explore frozen cities and wilderness, deal with faction-controlled territory, hunt, scavenge, craft and build a network of shelters. You can play solo or with up to three friends, and progression is gated by exploration: you restore abandoned shelters and repair broken machines to push further into the world.
Permafrost sells itself as grounded. Its Steam page promises “no constant gunfire, no fantasy tropes”, just winter, isolation and scarcity. Co-op is about building a shelter network together, dividing responsibilities and playing to each other’s strengths, and it “doesn’t simplify the world; it just means you don’t face the cold alone”, in the page’s words.
How many people are playing Permafrost?
Permafrost peaked at 3,442 players at once in its first weeks, and has averaged about 1,263 over the last 30 days (SteamCharts). In the 24 hours before I wrote this it hit 1,938.
Is Permafrost like Icarus?
It looks very much like Icarus. When I looked at the similar games on its Steam page, the first one it suggested to me was Icarus. The difference is that in Permafrost, the main enemy is the cold. There’s hunting and faction-controlled territory, and there are guns too: one of the official screenshots shows a rifle, and the Steam page promises “no constant gunfire”, not none. But the cold is the threat that never lets up. I always struggle with cold being the thing, and here the part that makes it the apocalypse is the winter.
I’ve got 174 hours in Icarus on Steam. Icarus came out in December 2021 as a PvE survival game about terraforming gone wrong. Permafrost’s own Steam page calls the cold your “true enemy”: frostbite, storms and the creeping chill shape every journey (Steam).
What does Permafrost’s building look like?
The building looks pretty good, and there seems to be a big selection. In the live stream I watched, the player had a cool little house going and had learned a bunch of blueprints. His inventory looks nice, and his crafting menu looks good. His hotbar is in the wrong place, in my opinion.
The one thing I’m not sure about is that he was picking up full logs and putting them in his bag. I prefer how The Forest did it, where you have to carry a full log yourself. I can see why Permafrost might not do that, though, because functionally it could take ages.
I’ve got 107 hours in The Forest and 62 in Sons of the Forest. Permafrost’s Steam page puts building around a network of shelters that you restore as you explore.
What about the dog in Permafrost?
The dog looks like it moves like trash. In Permafrost, your dog is rescued from the ruins, and according to the game’s Steam page it scouts ahead, warns you of danger and carries supplies.
Is Permafrost worth buying?
It looks pretty good, and it looks nice. It’s got Mostly Positive reviews, and that is good. It’s on my wishlist, and I might even buy it.
Permafrost at a glance
| Released | 9 October 2026, Early Access |
|---|---|
| Price | $24.99 on Steam |
| Developer | SpaceRocket Games |
| Publisher | Toplitz Productions |
| Players | Solo or co-op with up to 3 friends |
| Steam reviews | Mostly Positive, 71% of 1,826 |
| Main enemy | The cold: frostbite and storms |
| Also | Hunting, faction-controlled territory, some gunfire |
Those numbers come from Permafrost’s Steam page on 26 October. For another survival game I know well, my 7 Days to Die bandits piece asks whether bandits would bring me back to a game I’ve got 626 hours in.
FAQ
Is Permafrost co-op? Yes. You can play solo or with up to three friends in online co-op.
How much is Permafrost? $24.99 on Steam, in Early Access since 9 October 2026.
Is Permafrost like Icarus? It looks very similar, and Steam suggests Icarus as a similar game. The big difference is that the cold is the main threat.
