Getting Started

NAKWON: LAST PARADISE is a third-person multiplayer survival extraction game set in a post-outbreak version of Seoul. It is unreleased, so getting started today means joining one of the limited test phases run by Mintrocket and Nexon, or preparing for the eventual public launch.

Pre-Launch Status

There is no general public release yet, and no official release date has been announced. Access has been limited to invited rounds of testing. Outside an active test the build cannot be downloaded, and progress earned during a test does not carry over to the eventual full release.

Test Phase Timeline

The table below summarizes the public test phases run so far. Each has been free for selected participants and run on Steam.

System Requirements

The closed alpha listed the following Windows requirements. Full-release figures have not been published.

The Basic Gameplay Loop

Play alternates between two phases. The day phase is spent in the quarantine zone managing a personal shelter. The night phase is spent on expedition in the ruined city. Each feeds the other: what you bring back upgrades your shelter, and what you build at home prepares the next run.

Day at the Shelter

During the day you are based in a customizable home instance, where you place furniture, upgrade workbenches, store food, organize loadouts, and craft or modify gear. The fiction frames you as a refugee paying rent, with a Citizen Grade that gates access to better resources. Higher grades unlock more privileges, and most upgrades cost in-game money or recovered materials.

Night on Expedition

When you head out, you join an expedition alongside up to 15 other players, for 16 per session. You drop in with whatever gear you chose, scavenge named landmarks, complete optional missions, and fight or evade the infected and rival survivors. To finish, you have to reach a designated extraction exit alive. Items brought into an expedition are lost if you die before extracting.

Your First Session

A first run is mostly about learning the rhythm and not losing the gear you came in with. The map is a former district of Seoul with named landmarks like the NAKWON Arcade and Tapgol Park. You do not need to visit every named building. Aim to clear one or two structures near a known extraction point, then leave.

• Pick a starter loadout you can afford to lose.

  Bring basic

  melee weapons

  and light

  armor

  before you bring rare

  firearms

  . Death takes everything you brought.

• Plan your exit before you start looting.

  Identify the closest extraction and pick a backup.

• Watch your sound.

  The infected are sensitive to noise. Sprinting, breaking glass, slamming doors, and gunfire all draw attention.

• Stick to short objectives.

  One room looted and a clean extraction is a good first run.

• Treat other players as a question mark.

  Some will cooperate, some will betray on sight.

The Threat Hierarchy

Three groups can end a run, and each one wants a different response.

Other Players

Up to 15 other survivors share the map. The official framing is that you cannot trust anyone, not even the living, and human survivors are often the most dangerous threat in any run. Some will offer to team up; others will ambush at extraction points.

The Infected

The infected fill the city outside the safe zone. Most are basic runners, but several specialized variants change how a fight unfolds. They are sensitive to sound and vision, and they will swarm a noisy fight. Killing them is usually louder than slipping past.

The Environment

The city itself is the third threat. Falling, dead ends, being caught in the open during heavy rain, and running out of stamina while a screamer pings your location all count as environmental kills.

Day, Night, and Weather

Expeditions move through a real day-night cycle with three named conditions: daytime, nighttime, and heavy rain. Each shifts the rules of engagement.

• Daytime.

  Better visibility for you and everyone else. Useful while learning landmarks.

• Nighttime.

  Cover for movement, but harder to read other players and to see incoming infected.

• Heavy rain.

  Muffles ambient sound. Both you and the infected become harder to detect, which favors stealth but also makes ambushes easier for everyone.

Survival Fundamentals

• Sound is currency.

  Footsteps, gunfire, breaking glass, dropped items, and slammed doors all generate noise. Sound draws the infected and signals your position to other players.

• Sneak before you swing.

  Most encounters can be avoided if you spot the threat first. Engage only when geometry, noise, and gear all favor you.

• Manage your wounds.

  Injuries and bleeding have to be handled in the field. Read up on

  wound management

  before a serious run.

• Mind the Last Stand.

  At zero health you enter

  Last Stand

  , a downed state where you cannot attack but can still try to extract. Damage in this state raises an infection level; reaching full infection kills you.

• Build into your traits.

  Progression flows through

  skill traits

  and an active and passive skill tree. Picking a focus early makes loadout choices easier.

• Use Jongno as a learning ground.

  Several easier landmarks cluster near the

  Jongno

  streets. Running the same route twice teaches you the timing of patrols.

How to Leave: Extraction

Extraction is the only way a run ends well. Reaching a designated exit alive lets you keep your loot and any progress earned in the session. Plan your route so you can fall back to an exit at any point. If a fight goes wrong, breaking off toward the closest extraction is almost always better than pushing for one more kill.

If you go down before reaching an exit, the Last Stand state gives you a final chance: you cannot fight, but you can still drag yourself out. Knowing when to stop fighting and start crawling is the difference between losing a fight and losing your gear.