Towerborne developers, Stoic, and Xbox Game Studios have announced that the side-scrolling action RPG is finally ready to graduate from the Game Preview program. Towerborne’s full 1.0 launch is currently set for February 26.
The game’s full launch plans have undergone significant changes since its initial reveal and early access launch. At the time, Towerborne was planned to go free-to-play at launch and was initially touted as an Xbox console exclusive. The 1.0 update for Towerborne will now launch on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and Steam, with a standard edition priced at $ 24.99 and a deluxe edition at $29.99.
The idea behind Towerborne’s original free-to-play launch strategy was that the game would be an always-online cooperative multiplayer experience, but that plan has since shifted. The 1.0 launch of Towerborne will transition the game into its ‘buy once, play offline’ state. Online co-op will still be an option, but Stoic has opted to make Towerborne an experience that players can actually own — a concept that seems almost foreign in today’s all-digital and subscription-based landscape.
In a blog post on Xbox Wire, Stoic CEO and President Trisha Stouffer explained that this dramatic pivot in launch plans “required deep structural rebuilding over the past year, transforming systems originally designed around constant connectivity. The result is a stronger, more accessible, and more player-friendly version of Towerborne.“
What’s new for Towerborne with 1.0?
Towerborne’s full premium launch will continue to build upon the foundation for the game’s story, providing a complete narrative arc that will culminate in an epic boss battle against the game’s major antagonist. Not just one but two new bosses have been added as well as new lieutenants and umbra enemies for players to tackle alone or with friends.
Version 1.0 of Towerborne will also feature a fully reworked world map with a new biome, new combat challenges, and plenty of new encounters. There is also new gear and player abilities, and a forge system for modifying stats.
Stoic has also integrated a brand-new difficulty system into Stoic, rebalancing the game and introducing ‘Brutal’ difficulty for those who want even more of a challenge.
While there is a plethora of quality of life changes also planned for Towerborne’s 1.0 update, one of the most notable changes is a result of the decision to forgo a free-to-play launch model. Towerborne was initially intended to be supported by cosmetic microtransactions, but Stoic has shared on a dedicated FAQ page that player feedback steered the team away from a free-to-play model for a premium launch.
This left the team with the challenge of converting the rewards from the previously available Founders Packs to the new launch plan. Players’ Belfry Bucks, the original in-game currency for Towerborne, will now be retired and converted into in-game Writs via a currency transfer Stoic is calling Stepstones. Players will receive one Stepstone for every 500 Belfry Bucks earned during Early Access.
Because Towerborne will no longer rely on cosmetic microtransactions for funding, the in-game premium cosmetics store will retire when Towerborne updates on February 26. Items players purchased during Early Access will remain available, but Stoic will discontinue Founders Packs sales once the game is fully launched.
Towerborne will leave Game Preview and launch on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, PlayStation 5, and Steam on February 26, 2026 for $24.99. The game supports Xbox Play Anywhere and is available for subscribers to Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass.
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