NC and developer Bigfire Games have announced that Cinder City will hold its second closed alpha test on PC via Steam from December 4 to December 6, 2026. The upcoming test introduces a significantly larger explorable world, two new cooperative dungeons, additional story missions and substantial combat improvements based on feedback from August’s pre-alpha. Registration opened on November 12 and will remain available until November 30.
The announcement follows the development team’s review of nearly 3,000 pieces of player feedback collected during the previous test. According to NC, players responded positively to the game’s environments, visuals and gunplay but identified problems with ammunition shortages, early-game difficulty and insufficient guidance around essential survival mechanics.
The December build addresses those concerns while expanding the content available to selected participants across North America, Europe and Asia.
One of the largest changes is the expansion of Cinder City’s open world. The playable environment grows from approximately 1.2 × 1.2 kilometers to 2.4 × 2.4 kilometers, increasing the explorable area fourfold.
The expanded map includes the Yeoksam, Seonjeongneung and Nonhyeon districts, with more than three times as many side missions as the earlier build. Players will also encounter a new field boss called the Rampage Mech.
Cooperative gameplay receives additional content through two new squad dungeons, Yeoksam Grand Building and Chamber Zero. These join the previously available Seolleung Sewage Control Station dungeon.
Yeoksam Grand Building features encounters against enemies known as Hydes, while Chamber Zero introduces additional creature encounters. The developers have also implemented dungeon save points, allowing squads to resume progress rather than restart an entire dungeon after an interruption.
The main campaign expands beyond Chapter 2, Episode 2, Someone on the Inside, and continues into Chapter 3. The new missions explore the identity of a traitor while following protagonist Seven’s search for his missing daughter, Joi.
Alongside the additional content, Bigfire Games has made several adjustments to Cinder City’s survival and shooting systems.
Average ammunition drop rates have increased by more than 30%. Players can now recover ammunition from enemies interrupted while reloading through melee attacks or executions, while faster enemy takedowns also provide additional ammunition rewards.
Gunpowder, an important resource for ammunition crafting, will appear more frequently. New supply missions also let players obtain equipment from NPCs at major hubs after exhausting their ammunition reserves.
The revised onboarding introduces guide missions covering ammunition crafting, weapon repairs and equipment creation. The prologue’s difficulty progression has also been adjusted to introduce tougher encounters more gradually.
However, the expanded open world is designed to provide greater resistance. New enemies feature improved AI behavior, including the ability to search for concealed players and identify alternative routes to flank them.
Movement and combat changes include a player-requested shoulder-switching option, refined sliding mechanics and adjustments to melee attacks. The developers say these improvements are intended to make transitions between movement and shooting more consistent.
Cinder City project manager GH Shin explained that the team prioritized issues repeatedly identified during the first test, particularly resource shortages and early difficulty spikes.
The studio has also published a new developer discussion video outlining changes introduced for the December build and offering gameplay guidance for new participants.
Registration is available for eligible players in North America, Europe and Asia. The official community announcement identifies the United States and Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom and France, and South Korea, Taiwan and Japan among the supported countries.
North American and European players can register through the official FirstLook waitlist, while eligible Asian players are directed to the game’s Steam registration page. Signing up does not guarantee entry, as participation requires selection.
The test will operate during scheduled Pacific Standard Time sessions. On Friday, December 4, servers will be available from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. PST. Sessions on Saturday, December 5, and Sunday, December 6, will run from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. PST each day.
The closed alpha is also subject to a non-disclosure agreement, restricting participants from publicly sharing gameplay footage, screenshots or details of their playtest experiences.
Developed using Unreal Engine 5, Cinder City is an upcoming third-person sci-fi shooter set in a post-apocalyptic version of Seoul. Its gameplay combines open-world exploration, cooperative PvE combat, resource gathering, weapon customization and survival systems.
The December test is part of the game’s ongoing development rather than a public release. Players looking for another upcoming PC multiplayer testing opportunity can also participate in the HUNGER open beta scheduled for November 27–29, ahead of that game’s December 3 Steam Early Access launch.
NC has not confirmed a final release date for Cinder City. The December closed alpha will provide another opportunity for selected players to experience the expanded game while Bigfire Games continues refining its combat, exploration and cooperative systems.
