Why Early Access?

“Party Tag lives or dies on how four people react to each other inside the same round. That is not something we can tune in a closed test — it needs real groups, real connections and real reactions.

Early Access gives us three things we cannot get on our own:

• Online stress-testing. The online mode is host-authoritative and works today, but it needs to be played across many different connections and regions before we are willing to call it solid.

• Ability balance. There are 12 abilities and 5 characters, and players build a loadout before each match. We have our own opinion about which combinations are too strong — we would rather find out from people actively trying to break them.

• Punishment cards that actually land. The real-life dares are the part people remember after the session ends. We want to keep the ones that work, cut the ones that fall flat, and add the ones players suggest.

The complete core loop is playable today. What we need now is the volume and variety of players that only a public release brings.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“Roughly 8 to 12 months.

That is an honest estimate rather than a promise. The main variable is how much rebalancing the online mode needs once a larger number of players are on it — precisely the thing we cannot predict from the inside.

If the game reaches the state we want sooner, we will leave Early Access sooner. If online balance needs longer, we would rather take the extra time than ship a 1.0 that is not ready.”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

“We plan to keep everything that is in the Early Access version and build on top of it, rather than replace it.

Things we currently plan to work on before 1.0:

• More playable characters with their own ultimate abilities (Early Access starts with 5)
• More abilities for the loadout pool (Early Access starts with 12)
• More bosses that break into the match (Early Access starts with 3)
• More match events that change the rules mid-round
• More stages
• More punishment decks, which we hope to build partly from cards players suggest during Early Access

These are our current intentions rather than commitments. What actually ships depends on what Early Access feedback tells us to prioritise, and we would rather add fewer characters and get the balance right than pad the roster.

Please buy the game based on what it does today, described in the section above, and not on this list.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The Early Access version is the complete game as it stands — not a demo and not a vertical slice.

Playable now:

• Tag mode for up to 4 players, in local couch play or online over Steam
• Three match sizes: 1v1, triple duel (two against the cursed player), and a four-player group battle
• Two game modes: a straight round, and a points format played across several rounds
• 5 characters, each with a unique ultimate ability
• 7 secondary abilities to pick from when building your loadout
• 3 bosses that break into the match at random moments
• Match events — darkness, inverted controls and the Greedy Master — that change the rules mid-round
• The punishment system: whoever ends the match most cursed draws a real-life dare card, across balance, exercise and charades categories, each with a difficulty rating and a timer
• Full interface in 14 languages

Online multiplayer is implemented and playable. It is also the part we most expect to refine during Early Access.”

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?

“We expect to raise the price modestly when the game leaves Early Access, reflecting the content added during that period.

Anyone who buys during Early Access receives the full version at no additional cost.”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

“Player feedback is the reason we are doing Early Access instead of a closed beta.

We will be reading and replying on the Steam Community Hub and on our Discord, where players can report bugs, argue about ability balance and suggest punishment cards. Card suggestions are the most direct way to shape the game — the good ones go straight into the decks.

We will also post regularly about what changed and why, so it stays clear that feedback is being acted on rather than just collected.”