After 5 Years in Early Access, Popular Survival Game Is Expected to Fully Launch in 2026

Many of the biggest survival games of recent years have released in Early Access. While that gives the developers a chance to adapt to fan feedback over time, Early Access does have its drawbacks. This often includes limiting the release to PC only, leaving console gamers to watch with envy as their friends check out the next big survival game. That has been the case with Valheim, which released in Early Access on Steam back in 2021. In 2023, it arrived on Xbox Game Pass, bringing the game’s early build to Xbox consoles. Now, PS5 gamers are finally about to get in on the action.

Valheim has maintained a Very Positive rating throughout Early Access, with over 251,000 reviews on Steam. The game’s Viking-inspired twist on the survival genre has proved to be a hit, offering players a fun open-world survival crafting experience. But for those like me, who don’t have a PC quite up to snuff to run the game, the wait for Valheim on PS5 has been a long one. Now, the game is officially slated to hit PlayStation in 2026, and many speculate this could bring the game’s full 1.0 launch, as well.

Despite Its 5-Year Journey, Valheim is Early Access Done Right

Gamers are pretty divided over Early Access, which has become more common in recent years. Now that developers can easily push new updates to their games, many teams choose to put out their games well ahead of full release. In theory, this is a great opportunity for developers and gamers alike. Devs get early feedback to improve the game, and players get to check out an upcoming game early and take part in shaping its future. But in practice, not all Early Access releases wind up working out.

Games have hit EA in a wide variety of states, leaving some players unsure about taking a chance on an untested early build. Some games have even been abandoned during the EA run, never to see a full release. But Valheim is a great use case for what Early Access can be. Iron Gate launched Valheim in Early Access back in 2021 for $19.99. and quickly found a bigger interest in the game than expected. This led to the team’s first big pivot, paring back the road map for new content to focus on bug fixes and stability.

It’s this ability to respond directly to player feedback and interest that makes Early Access work. And over the years, Valheim has continued to develop new features and fixes with direct input from its massive Early Access player base. This has allowed Iron Gate to refine the existing features and bring in new content that will make the game truly something survival fans can look forward to when it hits 1.0. Staying in the good graces of Steam reviewers for years is no easy feat, and it’s clear that Valheim has continued to deliver something special for players. And soon, PS5 gamers will finally get to take part.

Valheim Hits PS5 in 2026, and That Could Well Mean 1.0 Is Near

Back in September 2025, Valheim made an announcement many survival gaming fans have been waiting for. The game will officially arrive on PlayStation 5 in 2026, with full crossplay support for those already enjoying the game on PC and Xbox. We don’t yet have a confirmed date for when in 2026 the game will arrive, but fans are speculating that PS5 isn’t the only big thing coming for Valheim this year.

It’s been a while since a new dev vlog from Iron Gate, which last shared an update in November 2025. At that time, Valheim had recently gotten its last major Call to Arms update. Now, the team is hard at work on the game’s “final biome, the Deep North.” Along with this, the game’s updated Early Access description points to work on “the final aspects before we’ll consider the game to be version 1.0.” Reading between the lines, many fans expect that the PS5 launch this year will almost certainly come alongside the game’s full 1.0 release.

Iron Gate hasn’t yet confirmed that Valheim will hit 1.0 in 2026. However, releasing on PlayStation in Early Access is less common compared to PC and even platforms like Xbox, which offer game previews via Xbox Game Pass. So, it certainly seems likely that the game will be at least close to its final build by the time it hits PS5 this year. But even if not, PlayStation gamers are about to finally experience one of the best survival games that’s come out in recent years when Valheim hits PS5.

It’s likely we’ll hear more about the next major Valheim update, and its official PS5 launch date, in the coming months. Iron Gate generally publishes dev logs roughly every month or so, which means we’re about due for the next one.

Are you excited to see Valheim finally headed to PS5 this year? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

5 Most Single-Player Friendly Survival Games For Solo Gamers