Towerborne Launches February 26 from the Banner Saga Developers

Towerborne leaves early access on February 26, 2026 on PC (Steam and Xbox app), Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5. It will also be available day one on Xbox Game Pass (Premium and Ultimate).

Developer Stoic, the studio founded by three former BioWare staff who created The Banner Saga trilogy, has spent over a year reworking the game from the ground up. The biggest change: Towerborne is no longer free-to-play. It launches as a $24.99 premium title ($29.99 for the Deluxe Edition).

From Free-to-Play to Premium

Towerborne entered early access on Steam in September 2024 as a free-to-play, always-online title. That model is gone. Stoic described the transition as “deep structural rebuilding,” redesigning systems originally built around constant connectivity to support full offline play with optional online co-op.

All cosmetics are now earnable through gameplay. No premium store, no microtransactions. Early access players keep all their unlocks and founder’s pack rewards, and their game automatically upgrades to the Standard Edition at no extra cost.

What’s New in the Full Launch

The 1.0 update is substantial. Here’s what Stoic added:

• A complete story campaign with a primary antagonist and full narrative arc
• Two new bosses plus lieutenants and new umbra enemy types
• A new Forge system for modifying gear, upgrading equipment, and re-rolling stats
• Redesigned World Map with an added coastal biome
• “Brutal” difficulty mode for players who want a serious challenge
• Multiple save slots with character and loot import
• New soundtrack by Austin Wintory, the Grammy-nominated composer behind Journey and The Banner Saga

How It Plays

Towerborne is a side-scrolling beat-em-up with RPG progression. You play as an Ace, an immortal warrior defending the last human settlement (the Belfry) from monsters that have overrun the world. Combat is combo-based, closer to classic arcade brawlers than traditional RPGs.

Four classes are available: Pyroclast (fire mage), Sentinel (shield tank), Rockbreaker (heavy melee), and Shadowstriker (rogue). You can switch between them freely, and each has distinct combo trees and gear loadouts.

Co-op supports up to four players online. The game scales encounters based on party size, so solo play remains viable throughout. Five Danger Levels with hundreds of Discovery Missions provide the endgame loop.

Why This Matters

Stoic is a studio that earned its reputation through The Banner Saga, a trilogy of tactical RPGs praised for their hand-drawn art, branching narratives, and the emotional weight of their choices. Towerborne is a sharp genre pivot, but it carries the same attention to world-building and visual identity.

The shift from F2P to premium is also worth watching. Towerborne joins a growing list of indie and mid-tier games that tried the free-to-play model, found it didn’t fit, and pivoted to a one-time purchase. Players tend to respond well to that kind of honesty from developers.

Towerborne is Xbox Play Anywhere and Handheld Verified, so Steam Deck players can jump in at launch. If you’re looking for a co-op game to fill the gap while waiting for Planet of Lana II on March 5, this one lands just a week earlier.