Arkheron beta starts next week

Arkheron, a competitive PvPvE action game from Bonfire Studios, will open its closed beta on July 15. The test will run until July 26, giving players more time with the team-based tower climb before the game moves toward early access.

The game is built around squads of three climbing a haunted tower, gathering items, fighting monsters and facing rival teams floor by floor. Its fast isometric combat, small-team duels and build-heavy fights may feel familiar to players who miss Battlerite’s tight arena pressure.

Bonfire Studios has confirmed that Arkheron’s closed beta will run from July 15 to July 26. Access will roll out in waves through Steam and FirstLook waitlists, and invited players will receive three Steam friend invites to bring a squad.

That invite setup fits the game’s 3v3 focus. Arkheron can be tested solo, but its main appeal is in squad decisions, shared item planning and fast team fights where one mistake can end a run. The test will focus mostly on PC. A limited group of console players will also join through the Xbox Insiders Program, but Bonfire is not opening full console testing yet.

During the closed beta, Spires will be available as the main 24/7 queue. Spires is Arkheron’s arena-style mode, built around 3v3 fights, item choices and best-of-three rounds.

That makes Spires the fastest way to understand Arkheron’s combat without committing to the full tower climb. Players can test builds, learn enemy patterns and adjust to the speed of fights in a cleaner competitive setup.

Bonfire is also adding Learning Spires for new players. That mode uses bots instead of real opponents and is designed to teach the item system and Eternals before players enter the full competitive mode.

Arkheron’s main competitive mode, Ascension, will not run all the time during the beta. Bonfire will open it during scheduled weekend windows between July 17 and July 26, with times varying by region.

Ascension is the larger mode where 15 teams enter a match and try to climb the tower. Teams defeat monsters, gather Relics, build toward stronger combinations and fight other squads as the field narrows toward a final 3v3 at the top.

That structure gives Arkheron its PvPvE shape. Players are not only fighting each other from the start. They are racing through floors, taking risks for better loot and deciding when to avoid or force fights against other teams.

Arkheron does not use fixed heroes in the usual sense. Relics define a player’s abilities, which means a build can change across a run depending on what the team finds and chooses.

Players can collect matching Relics to transform into an Eternal and unlock another ability, or mix different sets to create a less predictable build. The skill is not only in fighting, but in adapting before the next fight starts.

This is where the Battlerite comparison makes sense. Arkheron has readable top-down combat and tight spacing, where every dash, stun and cooldown can decide a fight. The difference is that Arkheron adds loot, PvE pressure and run-based decisions around those fights.

The closed beta will include a limited cosmetics progression test. Players can earn Pages and spend them on items from the Closed Beta Collection, but most of those unlocks will reset when the test ends.

The exception is the Prestige track, which includes a title, banner and skin that players can keep if they unlock them during the beta. Arkheron does not have a final release date yet, and its Steam page still lists the launch timing as to be announced.