Survarium opens alpha registrations for hardened survivalists

S.T.A.L.K.E.R and GSC may have long fallen to the harsh nuclear winter of game development, but some members of the team managed to crawl out of the wreckage. Their new studio, Vostok Games, is now set to emerge from their emergency bunker with the free-to-play MMOFPS Survarium . First though, diligent testing is required to ensure the multiplayer shooter has got what it takes to survive. That process is now open to applications - with alpha test sign ups now taking place.

Amusingly, Vostok aren't mincing their words when it comes to describe the harrowing sights that await potential testers: "Remember that alpha testing of Survarium is hard work, rather than entertainment. The participants will deal with an optimised game client, experience errors and bugs, submit reports on those and deal with multiple things requiring patience and diligence." This is one of those "for the good of all humanity" deals. Your sacrifice will make the world (er, game) a better place for us all.

It's not clear when the tests are due to begin, but Vostok say they'll be holding different events to run through different playstyles, be they hardcore or casual, and are looking for a variety of hardware specifications. To sign-up, head to the Survarium registration page .

For more on Survarium, check out our interview with lead designer Alexei Sytyanov.

Phil Savage
Editor-in-Chief

Phil has been writing for PC Gamer for nearly a decade, starting out as a freelance writer covering everything from free games to MMOs. He eventually joined full-time as a news writer, before moving to the magazine to review immersive sims, RPGs and Hitman games. Now he leads PC Gamer's UK team, but still sometimes finds the time to write about his ongoing obsessions with Destiny 2, GTA Online and Apex Legends. When he's not levelling up battle passes, he's checking out the latest tactics game or dipping back into Guild Wars 2. He's largely responsible for the whole Tub Geralt thing, but still isn't sorry.