Fear the Wolves drops players, in squads or as lone wolves, into the oppressive environments of a radiation-ravaged Chernobyl. The classic Battle Royale mode forces them to fight to be the last man standing out of 100 fighters, while another to-be-unveiled mode brings an exciting twist to the genre.

To secure the top spot out of 100, players must worry about more than just survival. Across the hostile wastes, everyone is threatened by deadly anomalies and the dynamically-changing weather. With time wearing on and the day turning to dusk, survivors are forced to constantly adapt their strategies. Protective gear allows players to explore dangerous off-limit radioactive zones inaccessible to less-equipped opponents - but filled with powerful loot. All the while, the howls of mutated creatures echo through the wasteland…

While it’s possible to win a game through simply being the last alive, the helicopter extraction adds a whole new dimension to endgame strategy. In the final stages, all remaining players will be alerted to the arrival of the helicopter, which will hover over a fixed area before dropping a rope – and there’s only room for one. Will you rush to be the first to attempt an escape in the hope no one else is there yet? How will you deal with the oncoming assault of not only players, but mutant wolves, anomalies and radiation? How will your squad ensure a teammate survives the intense haul up to the chopper?

Further breaking the mold of the genre, every game is made truly unique by the irregular and unpredictable spread of deadly radiation, which organically closes in on players with different stages of toxicity. Safety is rarely certain, and adept players will need to read the environment to determine when it is no longer wise to remain in an area. Between all this, other players, tight shooting mechanics, and an arsenal of guns and melee weapons at your disposal, no two matches are the same.

Fear The Wolves continues development in Early Access with the new Unified Update, out today. This huge patch focuses on improving the player experience with faster queues and more intense matches, as well as adding much-requested features such as a new waiting room, vaulting, voice chat, and more.

The update’s namesake is the new Unified game mode, which makes playing as a duo the default and puts all players together in the same matchmaking pool. Those who want to play solo can do so, and hoard all the gear they find for themselves without having to split it with a partner, but may find themselves outnumbered. This is just another new way Fear the Wolves is creating a unique battle royale experience, alongside our radiation system, treasure maps, PvE elements and much more.

Also included in the Unified Update is a completely reworked onboarding experience to go along with a new deployment phase. It adds contextual hints as well as a revamped in-game UI that should help new players navigate the complex changes and tweaks Fear the Wolves has made to the battle royale formula.

Finally, squad voice chat and vaulting make their debut in the Unified Update. Both are vital to getting the game ready for final launch in early 2019, and greatly improve the gameplay experience, particularly for those matching randomly with other players online.

Fear the Wolves is available now on Steam Early Access, planned for 2019, including a release on consoles.