Kingmakers Game Wiki
Home
ReleaseRelease dateWhy it was delayedIs it cancelled?Is it real?Steam playtestDemoBiliBili World demoWhat Early Access includesHow to play it nowPrice and pre-orders
PlatformsPC: Steam and EpicPS5 and PS4XboxConsoles and Switch 2Game PassSteam DeckSystem requirementsPerformanceCrossplayController support
The gameGameplay explainedStory and settingUnits and officersWeapons and vehiclesBase buildingFactionsCo-op and multiplayerTrailers
StudioDeveloper and engineQ&A with the directorNetflix movieDiscord and communityAnnouncement timeline
Sources
About
Release

Kingmakers playtest

The Kingmakers Steam page has a Request Access button for a playtest. Pressing it adds you to the list. It does not download anything, because entry is by invitation: Steam emails you when the developer lets more players in. When the button went up, the game director said the test itself had not opened yet.

A Steam store panel headed Join the Kingmakers Playtest, with a green Request Access button.
The playtest panel on the Kingmakers Steam page. Screenshot of the Steam store page, logged out.

How to request access

  1. Open the store page, signed in

    Go to the Kingmakers store page in the Steam app or a browser, logged in to your Steam account.

  2. Find the playtest panel

    Scroll to the block titled Join the Kingmakers Playtest, the one pictured above.

  3. Press Request Access

    Confirm in the box that opens. Nothing downloads at this point.

  4. Wait for Steam’s email

    The page shows no further sign-up step, and entry conditions have not been announced.

This is how the store page itself describes it:

“Request access and you’ll get notified when the developer is ready for more participants.”

Steam store page. From the Kingmakers Steam store page

Has it started?

Not when the sign-up opened. Asked on the forum whether anyone had an invite, the game director replied:

Paul Fisch Game director, replying on the Steam forum

“It’s not open yet, we are planning to open it soon.”

Thread: Paul Fisch in the Steam playtest thread

The announcement that put the button up talks about “a big wave of invites” coming soon. Asked the next day whether invites would go to everyone or at random, the director gave the direction but not the method:

Paul Fisch Game director, replying on the Steam forum

“The current plan is that we will be opening it up more and more overtime.”

Thread: Paul Fisch on how the playtest will open up, Steam discussions

Whether places are drawn at random or in order has not been said, so there is no known advantage in requesting early or late.

What nobody has announced

Open: How many placesNo number for this test. Earlier tests were usually around 200 people, as described below.
Open: When invites go outPlanned soon, according to the announcement. No day has been given.
Open: How long it runsNot announced.
Open: Whether there is an NDANot stated for this test. Earlier testers were under one.
Open: Region limitsNot stated.
Open: Streaming or recordingNot stated for this test. Earlier testers were asked to record their play for the developers.
Open: Whether progress carries overNot stated.

How earlier playtests worked

Before this button existed, the official FAQ told players to sign up for playtests through the Kingmakers Discord. Asked what it took to be picked, the game director described those tests:

Paul Fisch Game director, replying on the Steam forum

“Well if you say you won’t record your playthrough they aren’t going to pick you. We watch all the videos and they are really important for us.”

“The thing is a lot of people have signed up, and playtests are only around 200 people usually.”

Thread: Paul Fisch on how playtesters were picked, Steam discussions

Those testers were under an NDA; the director has mentioned testers who “broke NDA”. None of this has been restated for the Steam playtest, so treat it as how things worked before rather than the rules now. One figure is for a single, smaller test:

“The playtest in December is not going to be open. It is going to be around 100 of the people who have signed up, but thousands of people have signed up for playtests, so I don’t want everyone to think they are going to be playing Kingmakers in December.”

Paul Fisch, game director. From Paul Fisch on the December playtest, Steam discussions

Places have never been sold. When a player claimed someone was charging for tester access, the director answered: “There is no paid access to testing and there never has been.”

The director has also said testers are picked across a wide range of hardware, and that some have played on a Steam Deck. What that means for handheld play is on Kingmakers on Steam Deck, and the PC specs currently listed are on Kingmakers system requirements.

Playtest, demo and Early Access are three different things

Exists now

Playtest

Invite-only. Today it is a list you can join from the Steam page.

Planned, no date

Demo

Built around the first mission. Covered on the Kingmakers demo page.

Paid release, no date

Early Access

The first version you can buy, on Steam.

If you want the shortest route to playing, requesting playtest access is it; the other options are on how to play Kingmakers now.