Cinder City Will Be Buy-to-Play, With Five Characters Planned for Launch

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NC and BigFire Games shared a clearer picture of Cinder City at gamescom 2026, confirming that the post-apocalyptic MMO shooter will launch as a buy-to-play game rather than free-to-play. The game, previously known as Project LLL, is now targeting an alpha test in Q4 2026, with PC planned as the first full launch platform.

The studio also narrowed down the playable launch roster. Cinder City is now expected to ship with five selectable Cinder Knights, down from earlier talk of seven to nine. Players will be able to run duplicate characters in group content, so parties won’t be forced into one-of-each setups.

  • Seven is an assault-style character with a blue shield used to push enemies, parry attacks, and stun bosses.
  • Vulcan is a tank with a larger shield for protecting allies, plus shockwave crowd control.
  • Orang is a stealth-focused sniper built around ambushes.
  • Psyker uses drones, ground units, and turrets.
  • Angel is a support medic who restores shields and clears negative effects.

On monetization, Cinder City will have a box price, then cosmetics and Battle Passes as part of its live-service model. The items mentioned include character skins, weapon decorations, key rings, charms, and similar cosmetic gear. NC and BigFire say these won’t provide power advantages.

The testing roadmap is still pretty far out. A recent North American pre-alpha reportedly put hundreds of players into one open-world field and included four-player co-op dungeons. More NDA pre-alpha tests are planned for Europe, Latin America, and possibly Asia before the Q4 2026 alpha, with beta tests to follow.

PC is coming first, and the studio says it’ll be a full release rather than early access. Console versions are planned later, though cross-play between PC and console hasn’t been decided.

For endgame, the team is focusing mainly on PvE. Plans include smaller four-to-six-player dungeons and large open-field raid bosses built for dozens of players. PvP is still being considered, including a possible item that creates a duel arena, but it isn’t the main focus right now.