As civilization prepares for an impending ice age, a twisted new project emerges, half science experiment and half live-entertainment. It's called Darwin Project and it challenges participants to survive the cold and fight to the death in a treacherous, snow-covered arena.

Darwin Project takes the battle royale genre up north to the Canadian Rockies. Set against a post-apocalyptic backdrop, an impending ice age has kick-started a twisted new reality show, in which participants must fight to the death to earn their survival. Other combatants won’t be players’ only worries though, as the harsh climate will put even the most hardened survivalists to the test.

Darwin Project offers a competitive multiplayer third-person experience with an emphasis on survival. Players must withstand extreme environmental conditions, track opponents, craft tools, set traps, and even negotiate temporary alliances to be the last one standing at sunrise.

Scavengers Studio is today making Darwin Project free to play on Steam.

“We’ve said from the start that we’re committed to creating a fresh and exciting experience for Darwin Project players and viewers. With features like the Show Director who serves as a master of ceremonies, Spectator Interactions that let viewers directly interact with streams, and an emphasis on tracking that ensures players are always within arm’s reach of a tense confrontation, we still believe Darwin Project offers a quality experience unlike any other battle royale game out there.

“We’ve been fortunate to have a core community of players join us at a very early stage, with many still supporting us during Early Access, and the last thing we want to do is let those passionate players down. Lately, members of our community have reported longer queue times and difficulty finding matches in lesser populated servers. To bring in new players and maintain a level of activity that ensures players are able to get the most out of Darwin Project, we’ve decided to make it more accessible by removing the price tag.

“We’re aware that it’s a big change, and we want to reiterate that we’re remaining true to Darwin Project’s vision as we move forward,” says Simon Darveau, Creative Director on Darwin Project.

Tuesday, April 24 on Steam and Xbox One, we’re overhauling the progression system to give you the ability to earn a variety of cosmetic items as you level up. This means that when Tuesday’s update goes live, which is expected to happen at 12:00 PM EDT (4:00 PM UTC), you will be reset to Level 1. Don’t worry: none of your career stats like Official Rating and Games Played will be affected.

As you play Darwin Project matches and gain Fans, you’ll occasionally receive Fan Gifts. Open these packages to discover new styles for your clothes or weapons. We hope you’re excited to start expanding your collection because we’re adding over 200 items on Tuesday, with more coming later!

Look forward to new hairstyles and facial customization options soon as well. For now, unlockable cosmetics will be limited to items wearable by contestants, but we’re not forgetting about all the Show Directors out there! This is just the start of our efforts to make the Darwin Project arena a more fashionable place to carry out the manhunt.

Darwin Project is now available on Steam Early Access (free) and Xbox Game Preview ($14.99).