Co-op survival RPG Enshrouded had a killer run in October when it was the most played and wishlisted demo at Steam Next Fest. I was one of the people playing it, too: Keen Games' voxel-based open world RPG ticks a lot of boxes with me, like exploration, building, crafting, hunting, farming, and even grappling hooks and wingsuits. Heck, I even complained like a spoiled child that Enshrouded's eight hour demo wasn't long enough for my tastes.
So the question on everyone's fingertips is: when do we get the rest of it? Soonish. Keen Games has finally announced the early access launch date. Enshrouded will release on January 24, 2024.
Accompanying the announcement is a boisterous new trailer showing off combat, stealth, magic, destructible environments, underground bases, a scaly new boss, and a narrator who seems shocked to discover all that stuff is crammed in there.
Will I complain like a spoiled child (again) that Enshrouded isn't coming out this year? I probably shouldn't. Don't get me wrong, I want to, especially since my other most-wanted game (Manor Lords) recently announced it too is not coming until next year. In fact, a bunch of games I was looking forward to this year slid into 2024.
These things happen. I'm just excited to play Enshrouded and I'm excited other people are excited. After the quick one-two-three punch of Baldur's Gate 3, Starfield, and Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 at the end of the summer, I've been genuinely wondering if gamers are really as interested in new co-op survival games as they were back in February when Sons of the Forest came out. After Enshrouded's performance during Next Fest, it looks like they are.