Groundwork Simulator release date
Groundwork Simulator left wishlists on October 22, 2026 and went straight into Early Access at $19.99 — here is what shipped, where, and for how much.
Out now. Groundwork Simulator released on October 22, 2026 in Early Access for Windows and macOS, sold on Steam at $19.99 (20% off the $24.99 list price at launch).
Groundwork Simulator released on October 22, 2026 and it released straight into Early Access, not as a finished game. That is the single most useful thing to know before you buy: the build on Steam today is the launch build of an Early Access project, the developer says so on its own site, and the store listing itself is tagged Early Access alongside Simulation.
The launch facts
| Release date | October 22, 2026 |
| Status | Early Access (launch build) |
| Developer / publisher | XYZ STUDIO |
| Price on Steam | $19.99, shown as 20% off a $24.99 list price |
| Platforms | Windows and macOS (no Linux build listed) |
| Genre | Simulation, with machinery operation and gold recovery |
| Modes | Single-player, Multi-player, Co-op, Online Co-op |
| Languages | 25 store languages, English with full audio support |
| Store page | Groundwork Simulator on Steam |
The discount is the kind of launch-week pricing Steam does routinely; treat the $24.99 figure as the list price the store displays and the $19.99 as what it was charging on launch day. What the price will be later in Early Access is the developer's call and is not announced anywhere.
What "Early Access" means for this game specifically
Two things, and they are different.
First, the content is the launch slice, not the roadmap. The published roadmap puts a new map and story-mode objectives in Update 1, more vehicles and wash-plant equipment in Update 2, and modding plus full release in Update 3 — none of that is in the build you install today.
Second, the build is rough in the way launch-week builds are rough. On October 22 the discussion forum filled with crash-on-startup reports, an unresponsive main menu for some players, and controller mapping complaints. A patch has been announced as coming. The launch week page collects the issues and the workarounds players found, and it is the page to check if the game will not boot.
Where you can actually buy it
Steam, for both platforms, in one purchase — there is no separate Mac SKU and no Epic or console release listed. The store page carries the Windows and macOS requirement tables (both are reproduced side by side on the system requirements page), the language list, and the Early Access disclaimer.
If you are on Linux, there is no Linux build, but players were running it through Proton on day one and reporting it working. That is a player result, not a supported configuration.
What you get on day one
A single open worksite with gold-bearing ground, three machine types to operate, a drilling step before you commit to a dig, a washing chain of wash plant, sluice boxes and shaking table, water routing with pumps and hoses, and a trailer-and-truck transport step between jobs. Single-player or online co-op with up to three friends, per the official site.
What you do not get on day one: the second map, story mode, modding, Map Studio, or the expanded equipment set. Those are roadmap items, and the roadmap itself says timing may change.
Should you wait?
If you want the finished game with the second map and mod support, the roadmap says that is Update 3 and no date is attached to it — waiting is the rational choice. If you want the loop that exists now — dig, haul, wash, sell, grow the site — the build on Steam does that today, and the beginner guide is written for exactly that first session.
