Fast-paced dynamic PvP game Arkheron announced for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC

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Bonfire Studios is launching *Arkheron*, a quick-paced team-based action game. Fifteen teams of three players will compete to climb a mysterious Tower. The game will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC (through Steam), and players can try it out during a PC alpha test from September 19th to 21st. A full release date hasn’t been announced yet.

Here is an overview of the game, via Bonfire Studios:

■ Fact Sheet

About

Arkheron is a strange and haunting realm built from powerful memories of the living. Everyone trapped here is connected to a central Tower, held by a forgotten past, and desperately seeks answers to escape a dangerous, consuming void.

Bonfire Studios’ new game is a fast-paced, team-based arena where three-player teams compete to climb a mysterious Tower constructed from pieces of their past. The core of the game revolves around items – each one grants special abilities and dramatically changes how you play. You’ll need to quickly gather and combine items during matches to create unique strategies and builds. The items you choose don’t just determine your power, they define your playstyle and ultimately, who you become as a player.

Key Features

  • The Only Way Out is Up – Fight your way up the Tower in a series of one-team-takes-all showdowns in Ascension mode. Battle monsters, challenge rival teams and seize control of beacons floor by floor to ascend before time runs out. With each successful Ascension, the player pool shrinks, culminating in a final three-versus-three showdown at the summit where one team will claim victory before the Tower resets and a new cycle begins.
  • What You Carry Defines You – In the Tower, memories take shape as powerful weapons and abilities called Relics. Every Relic you pick up has the potential to shift how you play, letting you adapt your strategy on the fly. You can chase a full set of four matching Relics to transform into an Eternal and unlock a game-changing fifth ability. Or, discover your own playstyle: Mix and match Relics from different sets, swap them out as you find new ones and create a “shattered” build that’s uniquely yours, gaining set bonuses and custom synergies along the way. The choice is always yours – and it can change at any moment.
  • High Stakes, Close Quarters Combat – Arkheron‘s free-aim isometric action keeps you locked into the fight; swiveling the camera to line up kill shots while dodging and striking at close range. The tight view makes combat strategic, fast-paced and intimate. Immersive audio heightens the pulse-pounding tension; you hear the danger before you see it, turning subtle sounds and music cues into vital keys for survival.

And here is the announcement FAQ:

■ FAQ

◆ General

What is Arkheron?

Arkheron is a team-based PvP game where 15 teams of three players battle it out to climb a mysterious tower. Teams must collaborate to gather items, combine their skills, and quickly adapt their strategies to be the last one remaining.

How do you play Arkheron?

Every match begins with you and your team relying only on your fists for protection. You’ll quickly search for weapons and items with special powers – finding them in chests, from defeated monsters, through completing tasks, or by defeating other players – before the final challenge, known as the Ascension, begins.

Once players are ready, the dangerous Abyssal Storm begins. This powerful force destroys everything it touches, and the only safe places are special points called Beacons that show up on the map. Since there aren’t enough Beacons for all players, you’ll need to fight off any other teams trying to control the same one.

Teams compete against each other, and with each round, one is eliminated until only two remain. These final two teams then face off at the top of the Tower to decide the ultimate winner.

Are there multiple game modes?

  • Ascension Royale Mode – This is our core game mode for Arkheron, where 15 teams of three must claim beacons in order to ascend the Tower. It’s basically a game of “deadly musical chairs” where every floor becomes more intense, with fewer and fewer beacons to claim until the two fiercest teams make it to the top of the Tower for a final three-versus-three match.
  • Training Mode – This is a separate dungeon area where you can experiment with Arkheron‘s items, find synergistic combinations and get accustomed to Arkheron’s unique controls. You can practice your skills against training dummies or enter the ‘sparring room’ to practice against other players. These sparring matches can accommodate up to six players—you can one-versus-one, two-versus-one, three-versus-three, etc.
  • Practice With Bots – It’s essentially Ascension mode, but instead of playing against real players, you’re playing against bots so you can get familiar with the game.

How do build-outs work?

Unlike many games, Arkheron doesn’t have set classes or roles. Instead, you build your character’s abilities from the ground up in each new match.

Your character is equipped with four items called Relics: a crown, an amulet, and two weapons. Each Relic gives you a unique power, but the power lasts only as long as you’re carrying it. You can only have four Relics equipped at any given time, and these Relics are central to the world of *Arkheron*.

Many powerful Relics come in sets of four. Getting at least two Relics from the same set gives you a bonus benefit. If you collect the entire set of four, you transform into an “Eternal,” gaining a fifth ability. However, once you become an Eternal, you’ll stay in that form for the rest of the match.

Arkheron is a game where having fun with character changes is great, but success really comes from finding items that fit how you like to play and how your team works together. With so many different item combinations – thousands, in fact – each time you play, you’ll discover new and powerful strategies.

Is there any fiction surrounding this game?

Arkheron is set within a strange, ever-changing Tower built from the memories of the living. The Tower reflects the people inside it, and just like memories, it’s constantly shifting and evolving.

Arkheron is a competitive player-versus-player game with a strong focus on storytelling. We’re building a rich lore around the Eternals and weaving these stories directly into how the game is played. As the Eternals’ story develops, the game’s central location, the Tower, will change, keeping the gameplay dynamic and exciting.

Who are the Eternals?

If you collect four specific items, you can create an Eternal, which is a powerful combination granting you an extra ability. However, choosing this path commits you to a specific build for the remainder of the game. Eternals aren’t necessarily stronger than creating your own item combinations, and they represent just a limited part of the overall build options available.

The people of the Tower have the strongest connection to the outside world, holding onto memories they seem unable or unwilling to forget. The story of Arkheron will be revealed gradually as these memories become clearer.

◆ Playtesting & Release

How can I sign up for the playtest? / When is the next playtest?

Our next playtest is happening Friday, September 19 to Sunday, September 21.

You can try out *Arkheron* by signing up for the playtest on our Steam page. Right now, we’re only testing on PC, but the game works with both keyboard/mouse and controllers.

What regions are you playtesting in?

We’re currently testing the game with players in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. We’re also testing in Korea and Japan with help from our partners at Drimage.

What are the recommended specs for the playtest?

These are the minimum and recommended specs for the upcoming Alpha playtests:

  • Recommended:
    • Windows 10 or later
    • Intel i5-9600K
    • Nvidia RTX 2070 8GB VRAM
    • 16GB RAM
    • SSD 25Gb
  • Minimum:
    • Windows 10 or later
    • Intel i5-7600K
    • Nvidia GTX 1060 6Gb VRAM
    • 16GB RAM
    • SSD 25Gb

When is Arkheron releasing? / Will you have an Early Access phase?

We haven’t set a launch date yet. Right now, we’re running playtests to figure out what the game still needs to be truly ready. It’s enjoyable to play already, but feedback from our testers will be crucial to polish it and determine when we can move forward.

What platforms will Arkheron be on? Will there be crossplay?

We’re building Arkheron for PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. Right now, our early testing phase (the alpha) is only available on PC. We plan to begin testing on consoles later this year and will share more information about crossplay compatibility at that time. In the meantime, you can add *Arkheron* to your wishlist on the PlayStation and Xbox stores to receive updates about upcoming tests!

◆ Bonfire Studios

Who is Bonfire Studios?

Bonfire is a video game studio creating exciting and emotionally resonant games. We focus on making gameplay that’s both fun and satisfying, building imaginative worlds where players can be themselves, and fostering friendly, lasting communities. We want our games to be more than just entertainment – we want them to be memorable experiences that players cherish.

How large is your team?

We’ve had a great year of growth and now have over 70 employees. We’re currently hiring for a few important positions to ensure we have the team we need to complete and launch *Arkheron* worldwide.

Check out the announcement and gameplay trailers below. You can also find the first screenshots in the gallery.

Announce Trailer

Gameplay Overview Trailer

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2025-09-17 19:38