*UPDATE* Marauders release date window confirmed!
The Marauders Early Access dates, closed Beta info, and the latest info on the full release
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The Marauders release date, or at least, the Early Access release of the game on Steam, has been confirmed as falling at some point in October 2022, though we have yet to get a definitive date from the developers. The info was revealed during Gamescom 2022 by Team17, who were showcasing the game, and publicly announced in the Tweet below.
The developers had previously confirmed on Reddit that they were aiming for a 2022 Early Access release, but this is even earlier than we’d hoped. In the meantime, you can have an opportunity to play the game in the Marauders Beta. Read below for everything you need to know.
What is Marauders?
Marauders is an extract-style game that melds first-person shooting, spaceship combat, loot-based missions, and equipment crafting, all in a Dieselpunk Sci-Fi universe. Combat is both PvE and PvP based, as solo players or teams enter into a map/zone and can try and board each other’s ships for some close-quarters fighting (and the potential to capture the ship and the loot within), blow each other apart in ship-to-ship combat, or duke it out against AI or each other in the central hub base of the map.
Marauders Early Access Closed Alpha date
As detailed in-depth on our How to get Marauders Closed Alpha page, you were able to pre-order the game to get the Early Access version of the game for $27.00 /£24.99 back in April, and doing so gave you access to the closed Alpha, and all subsequent closed Betas (more on this below). The developers stated that the Marauders Early Access build represented about 25% of the content of the completed game.
- Marauders Early Access Closed Alpha (for streamers only) April 27th – May 1st, 2022
- Marauders Early Access Closed Alpha (for the public) May 4th – May 9th, 2022
Marauders Closed Beta date
The next Marauders Closed Beta, will run from 6th – 14th September, 2022.
We’re still waiting to hear about the beta start times in different regions.
This will be the second Marauders Beta, the first having ran from 20-25th July.
Will there be a Marauders Open Beta?
It no longer seems likely that Team 17 or Small Impact Games will run an Open Beta for Marauders, given the relatively short timeline until the game is released Early Access on Steam. So if you want to try the game out, you’ll have to cough up the cash and pre-order it for a chance to play the Closed Beta.
Marauders release date – Marauders Early Access vs complete version
There were a couple of different ways that the Marauders release could go: the conventional release or the Early Access / ‘perpetual’ Beta route, and it seems that Team17 have chosen to go with the latter.
As with many games these days, developers are favoring an approach that lets people play a version of the game whilst they tweak it, perfect it, and add new content. When such games are ever actually ‘complete’ and fully released can sometimes be unclear, but the advantages of this approach are that it gives the developers a better testing environment for new changes, with greater player feedback, and it allows the players to enjoy the game earlier. The potential disadvantage for the consumer is that the developer will take their money and then cease updating the game, though (so far) Small Impact Games and Team17 seem to be doing a good job of winning over the early player base.
The game Marauders is most often compared to, Battlestate Game’s Escape from Tarkov, is still actually in the closed Beta stage, despite being widely played and hugely popular for years now. Players have to ‘Pre order’ the game through Battlestate Game’s own online store in order to play it, although the company still claims it is aiming for a full release of the game on Steam and other platforms at some point in the future. Team 17 haven’t fully emulated this route, as they already have a Steam page for the game (whereas Tarkov doesn’t) which might suggest things may move a bit quicker.
Marauders FAQ
When can I play Marauders game?
You can play the next Marauders closed Beta in September on the 6th, or wait until the Marauders Early Access release in October.
How do I get Marauders?
If you want to order Marauders ahead of its Early Access release date, you can pre order the game via the official website (read our How to pre order Marauders page for more info). Alternatively you can wait until the game is released on Steam in October.
