County of Fortune Release Date & Early Access

Launch briefing

County of Fortune releases into Steam Early Access on 5 November 2026. The demo is already available, progress carries over, and the launch build expands the settlement cap to level four with two new social classes.

County of Fortune release date and time

The Early Access release is set for Thursday, 5 November 2026. The Steam store page lists the date, and SteamDB records a planned unlock at 16:00 UTC. That converts to 08:00 in Los Angeles, 11:00 in New York, 16:00 in London and 17:00 in Berlin, assuming the time holds.

Steam unlock times are not always precise. Some releases go live when the store refreshes, others are delayed by a short certification or build process. If the button is still greyed out at the listed time, refresh the store page rather than reinstalling the demo.

Platforms and store

County of Fortune is a Steam release for PC. The store lists Windows and Linux / SteamOS support. There is no macOS build, and no PlayStation, Xbox or Nintendo Switch version has been announced. It is also not part of Xbox Game Pass or PlayStation Plus.

• Windows: Windows 7 or later is listed, though Windows 10/11 is the practical target for most players.
• Linux: a native Linux build is listed, including SteamOS. Steam Deck compatibility has not been officially rated at the time of writing.
• Mac: not supported according to the Steam store listing.
• Consoles: no announced versions.

For hardware guidance, see the system requirements page. The short version: the minimum is an Intel i3, 3 GB RAM and a GeForce 770 / R9 290; the recommended build is an i5, 4 GB RAM and a GeForce 970 / R9 390.

Price and editions

At the time of writing, the Steam price had not been published. There are no announced deluxe editions, pre-order bonuses or season passes. The only confirmed free product is the demo.

The developers have said the price may increase when County of Fortune leaves Early Access, depending on how much content is added. That makes the Early Access price the likely low point, but it also means you are buying an unfinished game. Our review covers whether the current build is worth your time.

What Early Access includes

The launch build is not a tiny vertical slice. The developers describe the core gameplay as complete: settlement and regional development, production and logistics, trade, cultures and noble houses. Compared with the demo, Early Access adds:

• Settlement levels up to level 4 (City) instead of level 2.
• The Artisan and Patrician social classes.
• More than 40 new production buildings and over 50 new products.
• Ports and sailboats, enabling goods to move both upstream and downstream.
• The Assembly, noble-house elections, privileges and the reworked culture system.
• Quality-of-life changes including clearer construction points, moveable settlements, better mayor management and rebalanced cultures.

For a deeper look at the systems, start with the game overview and the wiki.

Does demo progress carry over?

Yes. The developers have confirmed that progress from the demo carries into Early Access, and that you do not need to restart if you buy later. This is a meaningful reason to play the demo now: you can learn the interface, make your early mistakes and keep the county you built.

The demo has one map and caps settlements at level two, so your save will be limited by those constraints until the release build updates it. If a save compatibility issue appears at launch, check the Steam announcements before starting over. Our demo guide explains what is included.

Launch day checklist

1. Wishlist and follow the store page so you get the release notification.
2. Keep the demo installed until you confirm the Early Access build sees your save.
3. Update your GPU driver before launching; city builders can be sensitive to old drivers.
4. Start with the tutorial county even if you played the demo, because systems and UI have changed.
5. Check the known-issues thread on the Steam forum before reporting a bug.
6. Back up your demo save if you care about the county; save locations can differ between builds.

Once the game is live, our beginner guide and tips page will be the fastest way to get a stable county. For the bigger picture, see the roadmap.