Escape From Playtime Hits Steam Early Access: 8-Player Co-op Horror

Ever wondered what the Poppy Playtime factory looks like from knee height? Now you can find out. Mob Entertainment, the studio behind the well-received Poppy Playtime series, has just launched its multiplayer co-op survival horror Escape From Playtime on Steam Early Access. The game supports Simplified Chinese interface and subtitles, and it's available right now.

You'll step into the tiny shoes of a Smiling Critter—the smiling little animals first seen in Poppy Playtime Chapter 3—and head deep into the danger-filled Playtime Co. toy factory. Your job? Scavenge resources, dodge the experiments roaming the halls, and complete tasks handed down by a mysterious voice. The game supports solo play or co-op with up to eight players, and dynamically generated exploration zones mean every run throws something new at you.

Story-wise, Escape From Playtime takes place after the series' famous "Hour of Joy" event and before Chapter 1, letting you explore the factory's past from a fresh angle. Never touched a Poppy Playtime game before? That's fine—Mob Entertainment says this works as a standalone horror adventure, and it's even put together a background video to get newcomers up to speed on the timeline and world.

The big hook is that this is the first time you get to explore the factory as a Smiling Critter. The Early Access launch version has eight playable characters, including CatNap, Hoppy Hopscotch, Bobby BearHug and DogDay. Four are unlocked from the start, while the other four open up as you progress. Because these characters are so small, you'll crawl, jump and climb your way through familiar locations from a mini perspective, reaching corners the main series never showed you.

Gameplay is built around survival-horror extraction. Each run sends you into a different area of the factory to find and transport resources for a mysterious shelter. You have to complete the unknown voice's tasks to prove your worth before you even get a shot at entering the shelter. The factory is crawling with dangerous creations Playtime Co. threw away, so you'll be making risk-reward calls against the clock—gathering tools, solving puzzles, hunting for clues, or using hiding spots and making noise to lure enemies away while you find another route.

Two enemy types are in play right now: small experiments and "Bigger Bodies" experiments. Early on you'll face small experiments like Boxy Boo, Bunzo Bunny and Queen B. in the Playcare area, plus the Bigger Bodies experiment Miss Delight—and there are new enemies that never showed up in public tests still waiting to be discovered. Co-op supports up to eight players with proximity voice chat, so your team has to coordinate positions and actions carefully. Here's the twist: your chatter can give away your location, making communication a survival risk all on its own.

There's a solid toolbox to keep you alive, too. The sewing kit, antidote and Poppy Gel syringe can support teammates, while Hoppy's ears, Charge Jelly and bounce pads boost mobility. Prank-friendly items like the piercing horn and slap hand are back as well. To fix the classic "where am I?" problem, the game adds glow sticks and a Sketch-A-Map minimap so you can check your surroundings, track teammates and find Barry.

Looking ahead, Early Access is set to add new areas, enemies, items, character skins and gameplay features through 2027. There's also a 10% launch discount running until November 5. Will you be grabbing it and rounding up seven friends for a trip to the factory?