Last Updated on Sep 6, 2026 @ 16:47:20 PM.
When it comes to the survival genre, there are dozens to hundreds of games that will come to mind, and now Permafrost should be one of them.
If you haven’t heard of Permafrost, now is your time to notice it, as it brings players into a world where the moon has exploded, leading to a permanently frozen landscape across Earth, with your job being to survive or complete other objectives.
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An Eternal Freeze Won’t Stop You From Bringing the World Together, Or Tearing it Apart
During Gamescom, I had the opportunity to sit down with the devs behind Permafrost as we talked about the various gameplay mechanics that will be in play, your main role as the protagonist of the game, how the NPCs will act, and so much more.
As we said above, the situation on Earth is dire, as the moon has exploded, leading to the world being completely enveloped in ice and snow. Because of this, your job as a gifted engineer is to repair the various communication towers littered throughout the world, or not? It’s your choice.
Whether you want to save the world or not is your choice, but exploring the game world is a big part of what makes Permafrost so interesting and deadly, as the ever-present cold will slow you down, freeze you to death, and even restrict where you want to go.
This means that to progress in this world, you will need to improve yourself in terms of armour, clothing, equipment, and more to ensure that you can brave the tundra and its harshest of locations.
However, you might be thinking this sounds like a lonely venture, and in a sense you will be right, as the game world is rather sparsely populated with those willing to work with you, enforcing the idea of loneliness and dread on the player, but you will not always be alone, as your friends can join you, or you can get aid from your fluffy dog companion.
Although you can find companionship with your friends or a dog, there are some factions you can meet along your journey, but with any “end of the world” situation, not all of these factions will align with what you believe, meaning that you will befriend some and create enemies of others.
Whether you make friends or foes of these factions can help determine your future within the game, whether it be what blueprints you can acquire, the help you get along the way, or just generally who will attack you or won’t in the open world.
All in all, Permafrost is shaping up to be a hellstorm within the survival genre, as its building mechanics, survival mechanics, and general atmosphere allow the player to fully delve into the game and feel that their decisions make a difference, even if it is the decision of whether I carry this food or do I leave it.
For your next read, why not check out our article that talks about the upcoming Stuntman: Hollywood that’s coming after 20 years of being away, or check out our article regarding the new Hellraiser: Revival and our experience with it at Gamescom.
Liam is a Senior Editor, Writer, and Critic for Thumb Wars and has been working with the team since day one. Liam is a big fan of all things gaming, as you will catch him playing all of the new releases from every genre you can imagine. Whether you find Liam gaming just for fun or spending his free time streaming, you will always find a smile on his face when it comes to all things gaming.
