Nightwater Release Date
18 September 2026, 08:00 PDT — a dated morning, not a vague Q4 anymore.
Studio Ashty posted the dated launch on 2 September 2026: Nightwater unlocks on Steam on 18 September 2026 at 08:00 PDT / 11:00 EDT / 16:00 BST / 17:00 CEST / 00:00 JST (19 September). That is the number this wiki will keep repeating until the store page flips from “coming soon” to a buy button.
The game was originally billed as Q4 2026, then Q3 in some publisher blurbs after Irox Games signed on. The September 18 clock is the one that matters.
Time zones
- 08:00 PDT (Pacific, Steam’s posted anchor)
- 11:00 EDT
- 16:00 BST
- 17:00 CEST (Munich, where Irox Games sits)
- 00:00 JST on 19 September
If you are reading this on 14 September 2026, you are four days out. Wishlist anyway; Steam’s ping is more reliable than a wiki tab.
What launches that morning
The full game, not another demo slice. Published promises for 1.0 (not all visible in the demo):
- 20+ resources, 60+ buildings, 100+ buildings/crafts/buffs
- Five minigames
- Multiple biomes you manifest into existence
- Optional story with four endings and secret areas
- Ages from sticks and stones through Bronze and Industrial into later tech
- Single-player, full controller support, Steam Cloud, achievements
The demo is expected to remain up until launch. Whether demo saves convert is not promised in the posts we tracked. Plan a fresh island unless a Steam news post says otherwise. Watch this hub.
Platforms
- Windows PC via Steam (app 3983860)
- Linux listed as native by several databases; confirm on the store page at purchase
- Not a console announcement in the materials we used
- Not mobile
- Steam Deck compatibility Unknown before launch week
Specs: system requirements. Store: links.
Price
Steam did not surface a stable public price in every region while the game was still “coming soon.” This wiki will not invent $29.99. Check the store widget on launch morning. Family Sharing is listed as a feature, which is relevant if two people on one Steam family both want the island — still two single-player saves, not one shared island.
How to not miss it
- Wishlist on Steam.
- Follow the news hub so the dated post is in your inbox.
- Install the demo now so shaders and controls are already settled.
- Join Discord from links if you care about downtime or a delay. Indie dated launches sometimes slip; we will not pretend they never do.
After 18 September
If you are reading this later and the store says the game is purchasable, this page should be rewritten in past tense. Until the unlock, the correct English is launches on, not past-tense shipping copy.
Use the extra days: finish Getting Started, automate one line, play Dark Thicket, decide if the review matches your taste. The lighthouse will still be broken on the 17th. That is the point of a dated launch.
If you only have a laptop, run the system requirements list tonight, not at 07:55 PDT. If you only care about story, read the Lighthouse page so you know the four endings are a hunt, not a cutscene that plays automatically. If you only care about factories, the items hub is the better tab to leave open on launch morning.
Related: news timeline, demo news, biomes for what 1.0 still has to prove.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common questions.
When does Nightwater come out?
18 September 2026 at 08:00 PDT / 11:00 EDT / 16:00 BST / 17:00 CEST on Steam.
Is Nightwater on consoles?
No console date was published in the sources used for this wiki. PC Steam is the launch platform.
Will the demo close at launch?
Studio Ashty said the demo would remain online until launch. After 18 September, check Steam; this page will follow official news.
Can I play Nightwater with a friend at launch?
No. It is a single-player game. The published feature list is single-player only.