Although the current approach to playing Dark and Darker is slightly unusual in an era of PC gaming dominated by Dark And Darker Gold Coins major platforms, the full early access release is much easier to acquire than the last couple of Dark and Darker playtests made available only through torrents. The complex legal status of the game makes it unlikely to appear on Steam anytime soon, but any eventual resolution of the case will decide its distribution one way or the other. For now, launchers for Dark and Darker can be downloaded through a couple of different websites that make the early access release of the game available to all.
Ever since its first playtest, Dark and Darker has amassed a sizable audience that only continues to grow, and thus it's no surprise that many players are wondering when they can join the next one. Although these periodic demos only last for a few days, they have proved wildly successful for developer Ironmace and the game's community alike, bringing about dozens of bug fixes, quality-of-life changes, and new additions to gameplay. Almost a month has passed since the last test, and so Dark and Darker's next playtest is soon due - and fans will want to mark the dates on their calendars, as it's one they won't want to miss.
Although the game is certainly still rough around the edges, it has captured the attention of an incredibly wide range of players. Combining RPG, PvPvE, and even battle royale elements in a self-proclaimed unforgiving dungeon crawler, Dark and Darker is the most interesting Tarkov-esque title yet, and its potential only increases with each demo. With Dark and Darker's playtest schedule for 2023 confirmed, players can look forward to an even more exciting experience this time around.
Dark and Darker's Playtest 5 is scheduled for April 14-19. There's no way of knowing what changes or improvements will be added until the servers go live, but from what's been revealed so far, it sounds promising. According to IGN, an Ironmace representative stated that the "recent playtest ... gave [Ironmace] a lot of clues on how to proceed," and that it "[hopes] to test some pretty substantial additions for this playtest." The previous test introduced things like VoIP and a solo-queue mode, and so this could hint at another queue mode, more changes to social features, or hopefully new characters to compete with Dark and Darker's best classes.
Although Dark and Darker's next playtest starts soon on April 14, the game's release date might still be several months away. It was originally slated for a Q4 2023 release according to the game's Steam profile, but this statement has since been removed, suggesting that Ironmace may need more time to polish its work. However, the indie developer recently confirmed the price of Dark and Darker to be $30-40, via a post from the IronmaceGames account on Reddit. With logistics such as purchase price already being determined, it's feasible that only a few playtests remain.
2023 is promising for the cheap Darker Gold indie scene, and Dark and Darker's playtest schedule for 2023 will only contribute to that statement. Dark and Darker Playtest 5's contents have yet to be confirmed, but according to Ironmace's claims, it could be the most impactful playtest yet (and possibly one of its last, too). Until then, Dark and Darker players can only hypothesize what the hardcore, fantasy-themed RPG will throw their way next.