Open-world survival sandbox will be available via a closed playtest starting in Q1 2027

4J Studios has announced that its open-world survival sandbox Reforj will be available on PC via a closed playtest starting in Q1 2027.

The news was revealed yesterday at Game Republic New Horizons, during an interview with 4J Studios' Chris van der Kuyl and Joseph "Stampy" Garrett at the conference's VIP reception.

4J Studios shared further details with GamesIndustry.biz, including that the playtest will initially be invite-only "to ensure an optimised player experience" while the studio continues to update Reforj based on player feedback.

The developer has not confirmed which platform will host the closed playtest, but will provide this information later in the year with a full announcement.

During the session, Garrett emphasised the importance of early access, especially for a game like Reforj.

"The things I try to get across for why I think this is a bit different from the more traditional early access route are two main reasons," said Garrett. "The first one I think is just how early we got it in players' hands. We announced it when we had a prototype, so it was only nine months after development on the actual game began, and we literally had a world that could be generated, and it was creative mode building.

"There were no survival elements, there were no threats, there was a building. And that's when we announced it, and the very next day after announcing it, we had it in a select group of community members' hands and got them playing.

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