The MMO shooter Pioner is set to release on Steam later this year. A surprise open beta has now started, allowing anyone interested to participate.
What is known about the beta? The developers of Pioner announced in a press release that an open beta phase has started on Steam, where anyone interested can try the MMO shooter until November 11, 2025.
Part of the beta is, according to the developers:
- About 30 hours of gameplay
- Story campaign (Acts I–V): Experience a complete narrative arc that introduces central factions, locations, and secrets of the island.
- Raid “Manufacture”: A large-scale PvE activity that tests coordination, skill, and firepower.
- Training Raid “Crash Site”: An introduction to raid mechanics and team-based encounters.
- Carnage Tournament: Compete in this tactical card minigame, featuring collectible decks, rewards, and ranked matches.
- Global Quests: Three large-scale missions, including a world boss fight integrated into one of the storylines.
- PvP Deathmatch: Fight for glory and carve your way to become the ultimate legend of Tartarus Island.
- Extended world content: Revised and improved quest lines in the Rogue Wastelands and the Murky Swamps – featuring optimized gameplay flow, better rewards, and more thrilling exploration.
Originally, the beta was supposed to take place in October. Here is the trailer for the open testing phase of Pioner:
Like The Day Before, but hopefully better
What is Pioner to you? The mix of RPG, MMO shooter, and survival resembles a bit like The Division but brings along the supernatural zombies that some fans wished for in Ubisoft’s online shooter.
The Day Before was supposed to fill this gap two years ago and built an enormous hype beforehand. At times, the game was even the most wanted game on Steam, but then disappointed the high expectations. As The Division 2 is hardly being developed further and The Division 3 is still early in development, there is a certain demand for such a multiplayer shooter.
Enter: Pioner! It takes place in a post-apocalyptic world filled with monsters, including creatures that resemble zombies. Besides the story campaign, you can expect various activities like PvE missions, PvP arenas, events, or even minigames such as fishing and gambling.
With its strong focus on survival, Pioner aims to appeal to survival fans as well. If you’re looking for more good games in the genre, you can find a wide selection in our list: The 31 best survival games of 2025 for PS5, Steam, and Xbox
