End of Ember Steam Playtest Set to Close on December 6

End of Ember, the horror-inspired twin-stick roguelite from Bad Plan Studios and Rising Tide, has opened a free playtest on Steam for Windows PC. The current build is available during Steam Scream V Fest, which runs from October 26 through November 2, 2026, but players have longer than the festival window to try it: the playtest is scheduled to remain accessible until December 6, 2026.

That December date is an important cutoff for anyone interested in trying the game. The team has confirmed that the current Steam playtest build will be removed on December 6. No full release date has been announced for the Windows PC version, although the developers have indicated that a new demo is planned for the first quarter of the year. Until more details arrive, this playtest is the immediate way to see End of Ember's combat, progression systems, and particularly unruly central weapon in action.

A birthday trip to Hell, by mistake

End of Ember begins with an unusually unfortunate birthday scenario. Its protagonist, Ember, is sent to Hell by accident on her birthday and must fight her way through the consequences. She is not alone, however. Ember is joined by Abe, a talking chainsaw-gun fueled by hatred.

That premise establishes the game's apparent tone: horror imagery and demon-slaying violence delivered with a deliberately exaggerated, cartoonishly grotesque edge. End of Ember is positioned as a twin-stick roguelite, placing the focus on mobile combat, repeated runs, changing upgrades, and the unpredictable decisions that define the genre's best-known loop. Rather than simply working through a fixed set of rooms with one unchanging loadout, players will be making choices as they build a more powerful and stranger version of their weaponry on the way to a boss encounter.

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The current playtest is not being presented as the game's final state. Bad Plan Studios says it has rebuilt the older playtest build as part of a push toward what it calls "Ember's Final Form." That wording suggests the available version is both a snapshot of the project's direction and a staging point for further development, rather than a final preview immediately preceding launch.

Room clearing, traps, and demonic crowds

At its most direct, End of Ember asks players to clear rooms packed with demons and traps. The twin-stick format should make positioning and aiming central considerations, particularly in spaces where hazards can complicate a straightforward fight. The game's premise also gives it an obvious visual identity: Hell is not merely a backdrop for fantasy action but the setting for a run built around violent, horror-flavored escalation.

Combat is tied closely to Abe, the sentient chainsaw-gun at Ember's side. While the team has not outlined every possible weapon configuration in the announcement, it has described a system that lets players alter Abe's form through a resource called hatred. Hatred can be spent at a Mutator, changing the weapon's form and offering a route for a run to evolve beyond its starting capabilities.

That is a potentially significant part of the roguelite structure. A weapon-changing system can affect far more than simple damage numbers, especially in a twin-stick game where firing patterns, range, crowd control, and movement all shape survival. The specific choices and combinations available in the playtest have not been fully detailed, but the Mutator is clearly intended to be one of the major points where players define how Ember handles the next set of demonic rooms.

Teeth, hatred, and cursed upgrades

End of Ember uses more than one resource during a run. Players collect teeth, which can be spent at a shop, while hatred is used at the Mutator for Abe's transformations. Separating those functions means the game is not built around a single currency doing everything. One resource is associated with purchases, while the other has a direct role in reshaping the talking chainsaw-gun.

The announcement also highlights cursed items, which can improve guns and bombs before boss fights. Cursed equipment is a familiar fit for roguelites because it can make each decision less automatic: an item may provide a substantial benefit while carrying a drawback, a complication, or an unknown risk. The exact effects of End of Ember's cursed items have not been specified, but their role in upgrading offensive tools before bosses points toward a loop of weighing power against danger as a run develops.

This structure gives the game several layers of progression within the confines of a single attempt. Players clear rooms, survive traps, earn teeth, visit shops, spend hatred to mutate Abe, and decide whether cursed upgrades are worth incorporating before facing larger threats. The intended result is a fast action game where shooting skill matters, but where the route to a boss can change the tools available when that fight finally starts.

Bosses are described as grotesque and accompanied by graphic cartoon gore. That description is worth noting for prospective players: End of Ember is leaning into a horror presentation that is heightened rather than restrained. The game's use of demons, Hell, cursed objects, and a hatred-powered chainsaw-gun all supports that approach. Its gore is specifically framed in a cartoon style, but players who prefer a less graphic aesthetic may want to keep the game's tone in mind before jumping into the test.

Steam Scream V Fest provides an early window

The playtest's arrival coincides with Steam Scream V Fest, running from October 26 to November 2, 2026. Horror events are a natural setting for a game built around Hell, demons, traps, cursed items, and boss monsters, and the festival gives End of Ember an opportunity to reach players specifically looking for darker seasonal experiences.

Importantly, the playtest's removal date is later than the festival's final day. Players who discover End of Ember during the event do not necessarily have to complete their time with the build by November 2. The current version is expected to remain on Steam until December 6, 2026, at which point it will be taken down.

For a work-in-progress game, a defined end date can matter as much as the opening. It tells players that this particular version is temporary and that feedback, experimentation, and community attention are tied to a limited period. It also distinguishes the current playtest from the new demo the team has hinted will arrive in Q1. The planned demo has not been given a precise date, and there is no indication yet of exactly how it will differ from the build available now.

Streaming and monetized coverage are permitted

Creators have broad permission to share the End of Ember playtest. The developers have explicitly said that gameplay can be streamed, recorded, and monetized on any platform. That is useful clarity for streamers and video makers who may want to feature the game during Steam Scream V Fest or before the test closes in December.

The team has also made press kit and creator kit materials available for use in coverage, video thumbnails, streams, and overlays without needing advance approval. There is no embargo attached to the announcement. In practical terms, that means creators can publish impressions, gameplay footage, highlights, and other coverage as soon as they have material they want to share, including monetized content.

Such permission is particularly suited to a roguelite. Runs that develop in unexpected directions, unusual weapon mutations, cursed-item decisions, and chaotic boss fights can all create the kind of repeatable moments that work well in videos and live broadcasts. While players will need to discover the full range of possibilities in the build itself, the game's systems are designed around variation rather than a single identical playthrough.

What remains unknown

End of Ember has been confirmed for Windows PC via Steam, but its full release date remains to be announced. No additional platforms have been confirmed. Likewise, while a Q1 demo is planned, the developers have not provided a firm launch day or extensive details on what will be included in that future version.

For now, the concrete opportunity is the free Steam playtest. Players interested in a horror-tinged twin-stick roguelite can enter Ember's accidental trip to Hell, battle demons alongside a talking chainsaw-gun, and experiment with teeth, hatred, Mutator changes, cursed items, and boss-focused upgrades. The existing build is available now on Windows PC, with Steam Scream V Fest running through November 2 and the playtest itself set to disappear on December 6, 2026.

With the old test build having been rebuilt toward the project's next form, the remaining playtest period will offer an early indication of where End of Ember is heading. The eventual full game still does not have a release date, but players and creators have a clearly defined window to put the current version through its paces before it is removed.