Mob Entertainment's Escape from Playtime is holding an open beta from October 2 at 2:00 JST to October 5 at 10:00 JST, ahead of its Steam Early Access release on October 21, 2026. The open beta limits playable content to the first four shifts and withholds much of the story material for release.
Escape from Playtime is a co-op survival horror game from Mob Entertainment set in the Poppy Playtime universe. It was announced during the Future Games Show at gamescom 2026 on August 27, 2026, and is headed for Steam Early Access on October 21, 2026. Players control the Smiling Critters, the plush characters introduced in Poppy Playtime: Chapter 3, exploring the abandoned Playtime Co. toy factory, which spans classrooms, warehouses, testing labs, and connecting corridors. The layout is rewritten each run, and failed experiments hunt the corridors while a mysterious Voice directs the Critters to gather parts and resources for a construction project it says leads to escape and a promised home.
The game supports one to four players with proximity voice chat, though the open beta store page lists 1 to 4 players while the beta itself allows up to 8 and states the most balanced count is 4. The initial Early Access release will include 8 characters, one area, and multiple enemies, with new areas and features planned based on feedback. The supported platform is PC (Steam), with Japanese language support planned. Pricing is undecided. The announcement was accompanied by a trailer and a Steam store page.
The open beta runs from October 2 at 2:00 JST to October 5 at 10:00 JST, with registration through FirstLook requiring a linked Steam account and Discord account. Playable content is limited to the first four shifts, and much of the story-focused material is held back for release, so the test is aimed at tuning the core loop. Teams collect scrap, carry it back to the cart Barry, and meet a quota to escape.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself
sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every
fact links the story it came from.
Facts
- Release
- game · October 2 to October 5 · 2026-10-03
- Release
- game · October 21 · Steam Early Access · 2026-09-20
- Release
- game · early access · 2026-08-27
- Announced
- open beta opened on October 2 at 2:00 JST, running until October 5 at 10:00 JST · 2026-10-03
- Announced
- Escape from Playtime will begin Steam Early Access on October 21 (PC Gaming Show Tokyo Direct 2026) · 2026-09-20
- Announced
- announced during the Future Games Show at gamescom 2026 broadcast (Future Games Show at gamescom 2026) · 2026-08-27
- Noted
- set in the Poppy Playtime universe · 2026-10-03
- Noted
- players control the Smiling Critters inside the abandoned Playtime Co. toy factory · 2026-10-03
- Noted
- store page lists 1 to 4 players, beta allows up to 8, most balanced count is 4 · 2026-10-03
- Noted
- playable content is limited to the first four shifts · 2026-10-03
Connections
Structured graph also available as JSON at /public/entities/escape-from-playtime.
CC BY 4.0.
Oct 3
Mob Entertainment opened the open beta for Escape From Playtime on October 2 at 2:00 JST, with the test running until October 5 at 10:00 JST. The co-op survival horror game is set in the Poppy Playtime universe, and players control the Smiling Critters, the plush characters introduced in Poppy Playtime: Chapter 3, inside the abandoned Playtime Co. toy factory. The beta builds a shifting factory layout with failed experiments as enemies. Teams collect scrap, carry it back to the cart Barry, and meet a quota to escape. The store page lists 1 to 4 players, but the beta allows up to 8, and the most balanced count is stated as 4. Registration runs through FirstLook, and linking a Steam account and a Discord account is required. The playable content is limited to the first four shifts, with much of the story-focused material held back for release.
Sep 20
Mob Entertainment announced at the PC Gaming Show Tokyo Direct that Escape from Playtime, a co-op survival horror game set in the Poppy Playtime universe, enters Steam Early Access on October 21, 2026. Players control the Smiling Critters, the toy line introduced in Poppy Playtime: Chapter 3, exploring the ruined Playtime Co. factory. The facility spans classrooms, warehouses, testing labs, and connecting corridors. A mysterious Voice directs the Critters to gather parts and resources for a construction project it says leads to escape and a promised home. Playtime Co.'s failed experiments hunt the corridors, so players find tools, hide, set distractions, and take alternate routes. The factory's layout is rewritten by the Voice and changes each run. The game supports one to four players with proximity voice chat. A playtest starts October 1, with registration open on the official website. Pricing is undecided.
Aug 27
Mob Entertainment announced 'Escape from Playtime' during the Future Games Show at gamescom 2026 broadcast on August 27, 2026. The game is a survival horror title with up to 4-player co-op, set in the world of 'Poppy Playtime.' It supports single-player and online co-op. Players control the Smiling Critters, first introduced in 'Poppy Playtime' Chapter 3, as they crouch, jump, and climb to escape from failed experiments created by Playtime Co. They explore locations such as classrooms, warehouses, and laboratories, following a mysterious voice to collect parts and resources and bring them back to a safe place. The facility changes with each playthrough via auto-generated layouts, and the game supports proximity voice chat. The initial early access release will include 8 characters, one area, and multiple enemies, with plans to add new areas and features based on feedback. The supported platform is PC (Steam), with Japanese language support planned. A trailer and Steam store page were released alongside the announcement.