Tears of Metal Release & Early Access

Launch Week — Now Live Since July 22, 2026

Tears of Metal is live in Early Access as of July 22, 2026. Paper Cult confirmed the global PC unlock on Steam and the Microsoft Store, with day-one Xbox Game Pass access through the Microsoft Store listing. Launch week brings co-op traffic spikes, day-one balance hotfixes, and fresh Steam user reviews — compare client versions with squadmates before inviting friends and watch Steam news for cross-store party updates.

New players should read the First Week Checklist for post-launch priorities, Village investments after your first wipe, and co-op etiquette. Master Combo Strings early — crowd control chains matter more than raw DPS in musou-scale battles.

Early Access Launch — July 22, 2026

Paper Cult launched Tears of Metal into Early Access on Tuesday, July 22, 2026 for PC. The game released simultaneously on Steam and the Microsoft Store, and subscribers can access it through PC Game Pass via the Microsoft Store listing on day one. Steam pricing is $24.99 USD with a ten percent launch discount through early August 2026 ($22.49), per Paper Cult's Games Press launch announcement. This is the first public paid version after extensive closed and open playtests that followed the game's Summer Game Fest 2024 reveal, which helped push Steam wishlists past four hundred thousand ahead of launch.

Early Access is not a finished 1.0 product. Paper Cult describes a polished core loop—musou combat, roguelike Emblem synergies, battalion tactics, and village meta progression—but plans to expand content, balance online co-op, and respond to player feedback over a projected four-to-twelve-month Early Access period. Price increases are planned when the game leaves Early Access, so launch-week buyers lock in the lower EA price if they are comfortable playing a live-in-development roguelike.

An Xbox Series X|S version is targeted before the end of 2026, but console players should treat PC Early Access as the first playable full campaign experience. Console launch timing depends on certification and parity work separate from the July 22 PC date announced in press materials and on the Steam store page.

Platforms and Storefronts

Steam remains the primary PC storefront with Steam Deck compatibility goals, workshop-adjacent community features through Steam discussions, and standard Steam Cloud saves where enabled. The Microsoft Store version serves PC Game Pass subscribers and standalone Microsoft purchases with Xbox ecosystem integration. Steam ↔ Game Pass Crossplay shipped, but patch 0.8.57278 temporarily disables it on the default branch — follow the Crossplay Guide and the Steam "Crossplay" beta for mixed-store parties.

Game Pass inclusion on day one lowers the barrier for squads who want to try co-op without individual purchases—a significant factor for a game selling four-player online rebellion fantasy. Achievements, cloud saves, and overlay behavior differ per platform even when gameplay builds align, so friend groups should pick one storefront for the season if party friction appears in week-one patches.

• Steam — July 22, 2026 Early Access (PC)
• Microsoft Store — July 22, 2026 Early Access (PC)
• Xbox Game Pass for PC — available at EA launch via Microsoft Store
• Xbox Series X|S — planned 2026, date TBA after PC EA

Demo Ended — Saves Do Not Transfer

The public Steam demo for Tears of Metal was removed on July 6, 2026 ahead of Early Access to avoid conflicting installs and outdated balance files. If you logged dozens of demo hours, those saves do not transfer to Early Access. Progress, Emblem unlock experiments, village upgrade trials, and control settings reset on the paid client. Paper Cult communicated this clearly so players would not expect continuity from preview builds tuned for festival deadlines rather than long-term progression.

Demo feedback still shaped the launch build—elite tuning, tutorial pacing, and co-op stability—but your personal demo profile is gone. Treat Early Access as a fresh campaign, re-run the tutorial even if it feels familiar, and rebuild muscle memory on battalion commands that may have changed since your last demo session. Review scores from demo players overwhelmingly praised the combat feel and Dynasty Warriors-adjacent spectacle, which is why wishlist momentum stayed high after the demo sunset.

What Early Access Includes at Launch

Launch Early Access ships three Acts with distinct elites, hazards, and bosses—including Act 1's Gilles the Hog and escalating threats toward the Mother Dragon Stone finale region. Wallace is playable immediately; Ruadh Stonecrusher and Vanguard Tracker unlock through campaign and Village milestones detailed on the heroes hub. Emblem families, Charms, equipment, companions, village settlement upgrades, daily challenges, and online co-op for up to four players are in the launch feature set, with more heroes and systems listed on the Early Access roadmap.

Paper Cult's February 2026 Ruadh reveal trailer also teased hero customization options beyond launch skins. Expect occasional placeholder text, rare crashes, and balance hotfixes—Paper Cult's Steam Early Access FAQ acknowledges these honestly. The full campaign spans more than forty-five handcrafted battlefield environments with branching map nodes. Online multiplayer is fully supported at launch but will receive stability and scaling patches as concurrent player counts spike on Game Pass. Single-player remains viable for every Act, but the game shines in cooperative battalion coordination.