ArcheAge Chronicles

ArcheAge Chronicles: Release, Demo & System Requirements

There is no date yet. XLGAMES plans Early Access on Steam “later this year” as the next step – before that, you can play the Steam Next Fest demo for free from October 19 to 26, 2026.

Release status

Release date: Not announced yet (Steam: “To be announced”)
Target: Early Access on Steam “later this year” (2026)
Price: Buy-to-play, price not announced; no in-game store at Early Access launch
Developer: XLGAMES (self-publishing, formerly Kakao Games)
Engine: Unreal Engine 5
Genre: Open-world action MMORPG

Demo

Steam Next Fest demo

Oct 19, 2026, 10:00 AM to Oct 26, 2026, 10:00 AM (PDT)

In your local time: –

Free for everyone on Steam, no registration or application required – just hit “Download Demo” on the Steam page. PC only. Progress does not carry over to Early Access.

Included

Select content centered around Diamond Shores, one of the early-game regions
All four classes, each with two of their weapons
Content from the network test plus a new dungeon
First public PvP: PvP channels open from the start, switch at a Nui Statue, kill log and PvP achievements (no rewards)

Not included

Some life content, including housing and trade
Carrying progress over to Early Access

Go to Steam page →

Timeline

Sep 24, 2024
Revealed at Sony’s State of Play (formerly “ArcheAge 2”). Planned for 2025, publisher at the time Kakao Games.
Nov 2024
Delayed to 2026 (Kakao’s quarterly results).
Feb 2026
After a move to Q3, the target is now Q4 2026.
June 2026
Focus group test with 165 testers: the most popular class was the Mage, ahead of Ranger, Warrior and Berserker.

Official focus group test results: 165 testers, 2,006 hours, highest level 16
July–Sept 2026
The four classes are revealed: Warrior (Jul 10), Ranger (Jul 30), Mage (Sep 17), Berserker (Sep 28).
Sep 8, 2026
XLGAMES sells the remaining ArcheAge IP to Align Studio – ArcheAge Chronicles is not part of the sale.
Sep 12, 2026
Six-hour network test on Steam for the US and Canada.
Sep 15, 2026
XLGAMES self-publishes the game; Early Access “later this year”.
Oct 7, 2026
Developer video: buy-to-play with no in-game store at Early Access launch, pay-to-win ruled out.
Oct 19–26, 2026
Free demo during Steam Next Fest.
Later in 2026
Early Access on Steam – date to be announced.

Platforms

PC (Steam)PC (Epic Games Store)PlayStation 5 Xbox Series X|S

Early Access is announced for Steam; whether consoles are included is open. There is no official statement on cross-play – only the Xbox Store data lists cross-platform play between Xbox and PC. On PS5, online play requires PS Plus.

Languages

Language	Interface	Full audio	Subtitles
English	✓	–	✓
Korean	✓	✓	✓
Simplified Chinese	✓	–	✓
Traditional Chinese	✓	–	✓
German	–	–	–

According to Steam there is no German version so far. Full audio is Korean only; English has interface and subtitles.

System requirements

	Minimum	Recommended
OS	Windows 10 64-bit	Windows 11 64-bit
Processor	Intel Core i5-12400 / AMD Ryzen 5 5600	Intel Core i7-12700 / AMD Ryzen 7 5700X
Memory	16 GB RAM	32 GB RAM
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti
Storage	100 GB	100 GB

As listed on Steam. A 64-bit processor and operating system are required. XLGAMES does not list an AMD graphics card or a DirectX version so far.

FAQ

When does ArcheAge Chronicles come out?

There is no date yet. XLGAMES plans Early Access on Steam “later this year”, i.e. still in 2026. When the full release and the console versions follow is open.

Can I play ArcheAge Chronicles already?

Yes, for one week: the Steam Next Fest demo runs from Oct 19, 2026, 10 AM to Oct 26, 2026, 10 AM (PDT) – free, no sign-up, PC only. Progress does not carry over.

Is ArcheAge Chronicles available in German?

Not so far. Steam lists English, Korean and Chinese (Simplified and Traditional); full audio is Korean only. XLGAMES has not announced plans for a German version.

Is ArcheAge Chronicles free-to-play or pay-to-win?

Neither: it is buy-to-play, the price is not set yet. There is no in-game store at Early Access launch. Pay-to-win was “never part of our vision” and will not be, says Executive Producer Yongjin Ham. Optional purchases for content, customization and convenience may come later – announced in advance.

Is ArcheAge Chronicles an MMORPG?

Yes, in its own form: everyone plays in one shared, persistent world split into channels of about 100 players; dungeons are instanced. XLGAMES calls it an “open-world action MMORPG” – earlier the studio described it as an online action RPG and explicitly not a traditional MMORPG.

Is ArcheAge Chronicles ArcheAge 2?

No. It was formerly called “ArcheAge 2”, but according to XLGAMES it is neither sequel nor reboot – it tells untold tales of Auroria’s settlers in the same world.

Which classes are there?

Four have been revealed: Warrior, Ranger, Berserker and Mage, each with two weapons and their own skills. Whether there are more weapons per class is open – the demo announcement speaks of “two of their weapons”. At Early Access each class stays locked to one gender.

Is there PvP?

Yes, on separate PvP channels you switch to at a Nui Statue. There you get 10–15% bonus EXP from monsters; there are no rewards for player kills yet. PvP is off on normal channels.

What are the system requirements?

Minimum Windows 10 (64-bit), Core i5-12400 or Ryzen 5 5600, 16 GB RAM and a GeForce RTX 3060 Ti; recommended Windows 11, Core i7-12700 or Ryzen 7 5700X, 32 GB RAM and an RTX 4060 Ti. Plus 100 GB of storage.

Who is developing ArcheAge Chronicles?

XLGAMES from South Korea, the studio behind the original ArcheAge. Since September 2026 XLGAMES self-publishes the game; Kakao Games was the publisher before. It is built on Unreal Engine 5.

Sources: Steam · Steam announcements · Steam: letter from the Executive Producer (Sep 15, 2026) · Steam: Q&A (Sep 18, 2026) · XLGAMES press release (Oct 7, 2026) · Gematsu: 2024 reveal · Gematsu: demo · MMORPG.com: delay to 2026 · MMORPG.com: delay to Q4 2026 · Inven Global: ArcheAge IP sale · Official: focus group test results · PlayStation Store

Information as of October 12, 2026.