Gloomhaven, the digital version of the acclaimed board game, leaves Early Access on October 20

YouTube YouTube
Watch On

It's been a couple of years since we took a look at the Early Access release of Gloomhaven, the digital version of the 2017 tabletop tactical RPG. It was promising but incomplete, with no multiplayer support and a limited number of enemies, classes, and tiles compared to the boardgame. "But the pieces are in place to eventually create a worthy adaptation," we wrote.

A multitude of updates have followed since then, and we'll find out how close developer Flaming Fowl Studios has come to putting those pieces together on October 10, when Gloomhaven leaves Early Access and goes into full release.

The videogame version of Gloomhaven is not an exact duplicate of the tabletop version, but the differences are "very minor" and overall it is "a very faithful adaptation of the original gameplay and design," according to the developers. Differences in the digital version were implemented in close consultation with original tabletop author Isaac Childres, Flaming Fowl said, "to ensure we stayed true to Gloomhaven's core design."

Importantly, the scope of the game has grown considerably since our preview. The version we saw in 2019 had only a roguelike Adventure mode, but the 1.0 release will include the full campaign from the tabletop game and a co-op "Guildmaster" mode for up to four players, with more than 250 missions shared between them. Guildmaster mode saves from the Early Access release will be compatible with the full game, but saves from the Campaign mode beta test may not be—it's possible, depending on how things shake out, but the developers recommend starting a fresh run anyway.

The end of Early Access will not signal the end of development, as patches will be released and DLC is "a possibility." For now, though, Flaming Fowl is focused on "supporting the base game and making sure it matches the players' expectations." The 1.0 launch will bring about a price increase, however.

"Since the launch of Gloomhaven's Early Access, we have clearly communicated about the price increase planned for the full release," Flaming Fowl wrote. "With all the content added throughout the Early Access, including the digital exclusive Guildmaster mode, online co-op mode and eventually the acclaimed original board game campaign, Gloomhaven digital's value has substantially increased. This is why we will be increasing the price of the base game from $25/€25 to $35/€35 upon release."

It also clarified that if you own the Early Access release of Gloomhaven at launch, you'll be automatically upgraded to the full version at no extra cost when it goes live.

Gloomhaven is available in Early Access on Steam and will also be coming to GOG, although it's not listed there yet. You can find out more at asmodee-digital.com.

Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

Read more
Two adventurers face off against a pair of undead scallywags in Frosthaven
X-Com creator Julian Gollop unexpectedly takes over sequel to sprawling board game adaptation, and you can try out the closed beta next week
Dwarf Fortress adventure mode art
Dwarf Fortress finally got its roguelike Adventure Mode on Steam, so if you'll excuse me, I've got to go fire up a fresh wombat man
An anime lady with big hair and a spaceship in the background
Chase sticky-fingered dragons across the cosmos (or just fly around, ramming spaceships) in this sci-fi deckbuilder
A medieval city
'It may seem like a whole new game': One of my favorite medieval city builders just got a huge update with a ton of new features
Astarion, after being asked whether he'd like a kiss, winces in the opposite of anticipation in Baldur's Gate 3.
Hasbro will be ready to share news about the future of Baldur's Gate 'in pretty short order'
Age of Darkness: Final Stand
Brutal survival RTS Age of Darkness kept me up until 4 am this morning as I tried to perfect the formula to halt the end of the world
Latest in Adventure
Image of illuminated manuscript-style drawings from the game Pentiment.
Random characters kept swearing in Obsidian's font-obsessed murder-mystery when its procedural error system ran amok: 'Naughtiness abounded'
An image of a corpse with the text "You've been re-educated."
I played the lost videogame sequel to 1984, and came away more nostalgic than ever for gaming's awkward adolescence in 1999
Rosella encounters a satyr in a forest in King's Quest 4
Eagle-eyed streamer spots that Roberta Williams' portrait in King's Quest 4 is based on her author photo on the back of the game box: 'I never noticed it before.'
Myst puzzle game
'You’ve been asking, and we’ve been listening': Myst remake adds a whole new world to the classic adventure, one originally introduced in another overhaul from 25 years ago
The character takes a test in a school room.
Expelled! review
Max, protagonist of Life is Strange and Life is Strange: Double Exposure, stares with trepidation at something off-screen with her friend.
Life is Strange: Double Exposure reportedly a 'large loss' for Square Enix, says analyst, who adds: 'The company's IP fundamentally varies too much between good and bad'
Latest in News
A mech awakens.
Mecha Break developer is considering unlocking all mechs following open beta feedback
Lara Croft Unified Art
Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics lays off 17 employees 'to better align our current business needs and the studio's future success'
A long bendy arm stealing money from people in a subway car
'You're a very long arm. You steal things. It's a comedy game,' explains developer of comedy game where you steal things with a very long arm
The heroes are attacked by monsters
Pillars of Eternity is getting turn-based combat to mark its 10th anniversary, and that means PC Gamer editors will soon be arguing about combat mechanics again
Image of Ronaldo from Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves trailer
It doesn't really make sense that soccer star Ronaldo is now a Fatal Fury character, but if you follow the money you can see how it happened
Junah beginning a battle in Metaphor: ReFantazio.
Today's RPG fans are 'very sensitive to feeling like they wasted time' when they die, says Metaphor: ReFantazio battle planner—but Atlus still made combat hard anyway