If you’re a fan of open-world survival RPGs, you’ve probably heard of Enshrouded, the voxel-based title that took Steam by storm when it first launched, selling over 1 million copies in its first four days. A lot of players jumped in right away, burned through the available content, and stepped away to wait for more updates to drop. If you’re one of those players, or you’re considering picking the game up for the first time, you’ve likely asked: is Enshrouded still in early access? I’ve logged over 120 hours across every major patch since launch, so I’m breaking down exactly where the game stands right now, what’s changed, and whether it’s worth playing today.
Is Enshrouded Still in Early Access, and What’s Changed Since Launch?
The short answer is yes, Enshrouded is still in early access as of this writing. It first launched in early access in January 2024, with developer Keen Games stating it planned to keep the game in early access for at least a year to add more content and polish based on player feedback. In that time, the team has already released five major content patches, adding far more than most players expected in the first 12 months of development.
Some of the biggest additions include two full new biomes, the sun-scorched Desert of the Forgotten and the frost-covered Frozen Peaks, each with their own unique enemies, crafting resources, and story quests. The devs have also added dozens of quality of life fixes that the community begged for early on, including shared storage across all your bases, improved fast travel waypoints, better controller support for console players, and a transmog system so you can customize your character’s look without sacrificing gear stats.
Right now, the core gameplay loop of exploring the shroud, gathering resources, building bases, and fighting large boss enemies is fully functional and polished. You can play through 90% of the planned main story questline, unlock all three base character classes, and team up with up to 15 other players on community servers. The only major gaps are in the endgame content and cross-platform play, which we’ll cover more later.
Key Pros and Cons of Playing Enshrouded During Early Access
Before you decide to jump into Enshrouded right now, it’s worth weighing the upsides and downsides of playing while it’s still in early access. There are a lot of perks to playing now, but there are also a few drawbacks that might make you want to wait for full launch if you’re a more casual player.
Here are the biggest pros of playing Enshrouded in early access right now:
The main downsides right now are limited endgame content for players who have already completed the main story, occasional performance drops in dense, high-detail biomes like the Forgotten Desert, and the small risk of a partial save wipe when the 1.0 update drops. Keen Games has stated it’s doing everything possible to avoid full save wipes, but there’s no guarantee your current save will carry over to the full release. If you hate replaying content, that might be enough to make you wait.
What Content Is Still Missing Before Full Launch?
Keen Games has shared a public roadmap for the remaining early access content, so we have a pretty clear idea of what’s coming before the 1.0 launch. The biggest piece of missing content is the final endgame biome, the Sunken Citadel, which will wrap up the main story questline and add new raid content designed for 4-player groups. The Sunken Citadel will also introduce new endgame gear, new enemy types, and a new final boss that ties up the game’s core narrative about the fall of Embervale.
Other planned content includes expanded skill trees for all three base classes, including a dedicated healer path for the mage class that’s been highly requested by players who run group content. The devs haven’t announced an official 1.0 release date yet, but they’ve stated they’re targeting a launch window within the next 12 months, depending on how bug testing goes for the remaining content and how much feedback they get from players in the coming months.
Cross-platform play between PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S is also still in testing, so right now you can only play with friends who are on the same platform as you. The devs have said cross-play will launch alongside the 1.0 update, so if you have friends on different platforms, you might want to wait to play together when that feature drops. I got to play a test build of the Sunken Citadel last month as part of the community playtest program, and it’s already extremely polished, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the 1.0 launch comes earlier than expected.
Tips for Getting the Most Out of Enshrouded Early Access Right Now
If you’ve decided to jump into Enshrouded while it’s still in early access, there are a few simple tips that will make your playthrough far smoother, and help you avoid common mistakes that new players make. These tips come from my own 120+ hours of play, as well as feedback from thousands of players in the official community Discord.
Stick to official or private dedicated servers instead of peer-to-peer lobbies if you’re playing with friends. Peer-to-peer saves are tied directly to the host’s account, so if the host stops playing or deletes their save, you’ll lose all of your progress on that server too. Dedicated servers store saves independently, so you can log in and play whenever you want, even if none of your friends are online.
Another good tip is to build a small outpost in each biome instead of running all the way back to your main base every time you need to craft something. Each biome has unique crafting stations that you’ll need to make higher-level gear, so having a small base with a bed, storage chests, and those stations will save you hours of travel time over the course of your playthrough. You should also join the official Enshrouded Discord to get alerts for new patches, sign up for community playtests, and get help from other players if you get stuck on a boss or quest.
If you’re worried about the risk of a save wipe, you can back up your local save files to a cloud storage service every couple of weeks. That way, even if there is a partial wipe when 1.0 launches, you can still revert to your old save and play through the existing content whenever you want. You don’t have to rush through all the content right away either – the devs are adding new content every few months, so you can take your time and come back every time a new patch drops to check out what’s new.
At the end of the day, whether you choose to play Enshrouded now or wait for the full 1.0 release comes down to your personal playstyle. If you love being part of a game’s development journey, giving feedback to devs, and don’t mind minor gaps in endgame content, you’ll have an absolute blast with what’s available right now. If you prefer to play fully polished, complete games with no risk of losing your progress, you can hold off for a bit longer, but you’re missing out on a ton of fun content in the meantime. Now that you know Enshrouded is still in early access, you can make the call that works best for you, and jump into the world of Embervale whenever you’re ready.