You've got three extra days to play in the Dark and Darker alpha

Dark and Darker - three teammates stand in a castle room by torchlight
(Image credit: Ironmace)

If you didn't hear, one of the most-played games on Steam last week was actually a demo. Today would have been the end of the latest alpha for PvP dungeon crawling extraction game Dark and Darker but the developers have extended the playtest another three days.

"Due to the earlier downtime with the trading post, matchmaking, and lost playtime for players that were falsely banned, we have decided to extend the playtest until Feb 16," Ironmace says in a news post. "We also plan to use the time to address issues that are inconveniencing players and to continuously improve the game." So far, Ironmace has pushed out a total of five hotfixes since the alpha began last week, including lots of bug fixes and a nerf to wizard casting limits. 

It's worth giving a shot if you're keen to be on the cutting edge of what could be a rather popular battle royale-adjacent game when it eventually launches. I've long enjoyed the PvP tactical thrill of royales and extraction games, struggling though I do with my FPS skills, and came away from the demo quite pleased to report that Dark and Darker proves extraction shooters don't actually have to be shooters.

I spent several more hours diving into the Forgotten Castle with my pals over the weekend and I'm definitely experiencing a familiar PvP glee whether I'm winning or losing. Proximity chat can sometimes mean making pacts with other teams or just rolling real hard on an overly cocky wizard wearing only his underpants while slinging fireballs. You know the type. I still take issue with the exfil portals only taking one teammate at a time out of the dungeon, but the unusual constraint has created some really edge of my seat moments while my team watches our last member snag their nail-biting exit.

You can download the demo over on Steam and start making your own way through the dungeon halls until Thursday.

Lauren Morton
Associate Editor

Lauren has been writing for PC Gamer since she went hunting for the cryptid Dark Souls fashion police in 2017. She accepted her role as Associate Editor in 2021, now serving as self-appointed chief cozy games and farmlife sim enjoyer. Her career originally began in game development and she remains fascinated by how games tick in the modding and speedrunning scenes. She likes long fantasy books, longer RPGs, can't stop playing co-op survival crafting games, and has spent a number of hours she refuses to count building houses in The Sims games for over 20 years.

Read more
A spellcaster and muscular barbarian face down against an army of skeletons.
This 'overwhelmingly positive' Steam Next Fest autobattler demo feels like someone bolted a Path of Exile-style map onto Halls of Torment, and I fear for my future productivity
A girl in a school uniform pilots a giant robot
Steam Next Fest's most-played demo is a game almost everybody hates
Dungeonborne art - guy in a dungeon holding a lantern (detail)
Dungeonborne, the game that once threatened to steal Dark and Darker's crown, is closing in May
Exoborne promo image - guy wearing power armor and a baseball cap, packing a big gun, charging a church or something
Vertical extraction shooter Exoborne holds its first playtest soon, and you can sign up now
Fellowship playtest screenshot of a bearded fantasy character wearing a white and gold robe.
WoW players should try Fellowship's dungeon-only take on MMOs—it's like a fast and breezy version of WoW's party play
A hunter and their cat.
PSN crapping out means we all get an extra day of the Monster Hunter Wilds beta, even us on PC
Latest in RPG
A screenshot from SaGa Frontier 2, showing one of the protagonists wandering through a quaint fantasy village
One of Square Enix' most underrated PlayStation-era JRPGs just shadow dropped on Steam
kingdom come: deliverance 2 henry looks confused
'Medieval Batman' completes Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 pacifist playthrough with zero kills and 535 knockouts
The Huntress holding a bloody spear.
The biggest update since Path of Exile 2's early access launch is coming next week, bringing a new class and a bunch of endgame changes
Key art for the Ranger class in Path of Exile 2
Path of Exile 2 director isn't worried about ARPG competition, in part thanks to seasons: 'So long as people are willing to come back and play our game for a month four times a year, then I'm good'
Wuk Lamat, a character in Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail, stares in an unimpressed manner.
'I can't really say what they were thinking' says whistleblowing modder, as Final Fantasy 14's attempt to thwart stalkers falls terribly short of the mark
Raidou Kuzonoha and pals, looking like they've about to drop the most fire single of the 1930s
Raidou Remastered is finally bringing the historical Shin Megami Tensei supernatural sleuth spinoff to PC this June
Latest in News
A screenshot from SaGa Frontier 2, showing one of the protagonists wandering through a quaint fantasy village
One of Square Enix' most underrated PlayStation-era JRPGs just shadow dropped on Steam
The titular character from Princess Mononoke is depicted riding the wolf goddess Moro and carrying a spear.
Studio Ghibli AI image trend floods social media, cheered on by OpenAI and denounced by critics as an insult to Hayao Miyazaki
Marvel Rivals tier list - Wolverine
Marvel Rivals director says a future patch will reduce the shooter's insatiable hunger for RAM: 'It's a very big problem'
Hogwarts Legacy potions professor holding a potion
An unannounced Hogwarts Legacy expansion and 'definitive edition' have reportedly been cancelled
Story of Seasons - A cahacter in a purple tuxedo stands outside in a town square talking to the player
Story of Seasons is doing another Harvest Moon remake and it might be the best the series has ever looked
Assassin's Creed Shadows change seasons - An upper-body shot of Yasuke looking cheerfully up into the distance.
Assassin's Creed Shadows puts up the 'second highest day-one sales revenue in Assassin's Creed franchise history'