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Release and Platforms
August 7, 2026 at 09:58 AM
Converted to post-launch: Early Access is live, Xbox console dated to later in 2026, demo recorded as delisted, language list corrected to ten, and age ratings rebuilt with the full eleven-board set
Tears of Metal entered Early Access on July 22, 2026 on PC, unlocking worldwide at 15:00 UTC. The PC version is sold through Steam and the Microsoft Store, and is included with PC Game Pass. Xbox Series X|S and Xbox on PC versions have been announced but have not yet released; on launch day Paper Cult said the console version was still on track for later in 2026 and would join Xbox Game Pass at that time.
Platform | Storefront | Status |
|---|---|---|
PC (Windows) | Steam | Released in Early Access on July 22, 2026 |
PC (Windows) | Microsoft Store | Released July 22, 2026 as Tears of Metal (Game Preview); included with PC Game Pass |
Xbox Series X|S | Xbox Store | Announced; targeted for later in 2026 |
Xbox Series X|S | Game Pass | Planned to join Game Pass when the console version releases |
The Xbox announcement was made during the ID@Xbox Spring Showcase in April 2026. The game supports Xbox Play Anywhere, meaning a single purchase on the Microsoft Store provides access on both PC and Xbox Series X|S once the console version is available. The Microsoft Store product record also lists cross-platform multiplayer and cross-platform co-op, achievements, cloud saves and single-player among its capabilities. Paper Cult had originally targeted a Spring 2026 window but confirmed in June 2026 that it had missed that window, setting the firm Early Access date of July 22, 2026 for PC.
Tears of Metal launched in Early Access at US$24.99, with a 10% launch discount that ran from release through the first weekend of August 2026. Paper Cult has stated that the price will increase when the game leaves Early Access, so the Early Access price is the lowest the game is planned to be sold at. Regional prices were published alongside the launch times a week before release.
Region | Price |
|---|---|
United States | US$24.99 |
Canada | CA$29.99 |
Mexico | MX$324.99 |
Brazil | R$83.99 |
United Kingdom | £19.99 |
Europe | €24.99 |
China | ¥93 |
South Korea | ₩26,500 |
Japan | ¥3,150 |
Australia | A$34.95 |
New Zealand | NZ$38.49 |
The Early Access release unlocked worldwide at a single moment, 15:00 UTC on July 22, 2026, rather than rolling out region by region. Paper Cult published the following local equivalents.
City | Local Launch Time |
|---|---|
Anchorage | 7:00 AKDT |
Los Angeles | 8:00 PDT |
Mexico City | 9:00 CST |
Dallas and Winnipeg | 10:00 CDT |
Montreal | 11:00 EDT |
Sao Paulo | 12:00 BRT |
Glasgow | 16:00 BST |
Paris | 17:00 CEST |
Istanbul | 18:00 TRT |
Dubai | 19:00 GST |
Beijing | 23:00 CST |
Seoul | 00:00 KST, July 23 |
Tokyo | 00:00 JST, July 23 |
Sydney | 1:00 AEST, July 23 |
Auckland | 3:00 NZST, July 23 |
Date | Event |
|---|---|
Summer 2024 | Game announced at Summer Game Fest 2024 |
April 2025 | Open beta during Triple-i Initiative Showcase |
October 2025 | Demo released during Steam Next Fest; Early Access delayed to 2026 |
February 2026 | Ruadh Stonecrusher revealed; release window narrowed from Q1 to Spring 2026 |
April 2026 | Xbox Series X|S and Game Pass release announced at ID@Xbox Showcase |
June 2026 | Spring window missed; firm Early Access date set for July 22, 2026 (PC); demo retirement announced for July 6 |
July 2026 | Demo kept available past its planned July 6 retirement after passing 250,000 plays |
July 15, 2026 | Launch price of US$24.99 confirmed, along with regional pricing and worldwide unlock times |
July 22, 2026 | PC Early Access launch on Steam and the Microsoft Store at 15:00 UTC, with PC Game Pass on day one; demo delisted |
July 27, 2026 | 100,000 copies sold announced |
Later in 2026 | Xbox Series X|S release planned, joining Xbox Game Pass at that point |
Paper Cult has stated that Early Access will last between 4 and 12 months, depending on feedback. The price of the game is expected to increase when it exits Early Access and moves to full release. No specific full release date has been announced. Paper Cult had planned to remove the public demo on July 6, 2026 ahead of the Early Access launch, then kept it running after it passed 250,000 plays. It was delisted around the Early Access release: the demo's separate store listing no longer resolves and the main store page carries no demo. Demo save files never carried over to the full version.
The game supports ten languages: English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Spain) and Portuguese (Brazil). All ten cover the interface and subtitles; none of them, including English, has full voice-over, and Paper Cult has said that more voice acting and more languages are planned for the full version. The July 24, 2026 patch adjusted the Traditional Chinese wording for Strike so that it reads more clearly as a light attack, and rewrote several upgrade descriptions.
The separate free demo, while it was available, shipped in English and Simplified Chinese only.
The Microsoft Store product record carries a full multi-board rating set generated through the International Age Rating Coalition questionnaire, which is how storefronts issue board-branded marks for digitally distributed titles. Every entry below is attached to the Tears of Metal (Game Preview) product record itself, not inherited from a franchise or publisher page.
Board | Rating | Descriptors |
|---|---|---|
ESRB | Teen | Violence, Blood |
PEGI | 16 | Strong violence |
USK | 16 | Violence |
IARC | 16 | Strong violence |
DJCTQ (Brazil) | 14 | Violence |
GRB (South Korea) | 12 | Violence |
Classification Board (Australia) | MA | Strong violence, online interactivity and chat |
TCA (Taiwan) | R | Violence |
PCBP (Portugal) | 16 | Violence |
CCC (Chile) | 14 | Not listed |
Microsoft | 16 | Not listed |
Every one of those marks flags Users Interact as an interactive element, covering the in-game chat and online play that no board rating itself assesses. The Microsoft Store lists a minimum user age of 16.
A distinction worth keeping: these are questionnaire-generated storefront marks. The ESRB's own ratings database returns no entry for Tears of Metal, so no traditionally assigned ESRB certificate has been published for the game, only the ESRB-branded mark that the coalition process produces for the store listing.
The two storefronts also disagree on the German rating. The Steam listing shows a German age rating of 12 with the descriptor Fantasy violence, while the Microsoft Store set shows USK 16 with the descriptor Violence. Both are live and both are attached to this product. The Steam listing separately carries the content descriptor Fantasy violence and blood.
On the Microsoft Store the game is listed under the title Tears of Metal (Game Preview), the label used for unfinished games sold in that programme, and the listing carries the matching warning that the game is a work in progress that may or may not change over time.
