Escape From Playtime Gets October 21 Early Access Date

Mob Entertainment has set October 21, 2026, as the Steam Early Access release date for Escape From Playtime, its new co-op survival horror game set in the Poppy Playtime universe. An open beta will begin earlier on October 1, giving selected players a chance to try the game before Early Access starts.

The release date was announced during the PC Gaming Show Tokyo Direct. Escape From Playtime supports solo play and online co-op for up to four players, with players controlling the Smiling Critters inside the abandoned Playtime Co. factory.

Mob Entertainment is working with FirstLook.gg on an open beta beginning October 1. Players can register for consideration through the studio's playtesting program, although Mob has not announced when the beta will end.

The beta gives the studio an opportunity to gather feedback ahead of the October 21 Early Access launch. Mob previously opened registrations for future playtests after revealing the game in August, but the October test now gives players a confirmed date.

Players enter the factory as the Smiling Critters and collect parts and resources for a mysterious Voice. The areas they explore can include classrooms, warehouses, testing labs and the corridors connecting them, while hostile Playtime Co. creations hunt players throughout each run.

The factory layout changes between runs through procedurally generated environments. Players can search for tools, find hiding places, create distractions and use alternate routes to avoid enemies. Proximity voice chat also affects how teams communicate when they split up inside the facility.

A Mini Mode also lets the smaller Smiling Critters crawl, jump and climb through parts of the factory. This gives familiar locations from Poppy Playtime a different scale while opening routes designed around the Critters' smaller size.

The Early Access version is planned to launch with all eight playable Smiling Critters, one starter zone and an initial group of enemies. Mob intends to add more zones, enemies and features as development continues, using player feedback to help shape later updates.

The studio is currently targeting about one year in Early Access, although that timeline is not fixed. Mob says the eventual 1.0 release is expected to include more content, improved balancing, bug fixes, performance improvements, wider hardware compatibility and additional story material.

Mob also plans to increase the game's price when version 1.0 arrives after substantial additional content has been added. An Early Access price has not yet been listed on the Steam store page.

Escape From Playtime enters Steam Early Access on October 21, with the open beta scheduled to begin on October 1. Mob Entertainment has not announced versions for platforms outside PC.