- PLAYTEST 5 Coming October 2nd, Building Fortification!? - 20 September 2026
Heya Everyone! PLAYTEST 5 DATE CHANGEORMOD: Directive Playtest 5 will feature some of the BIGGEST updates & shifts to the way you play the game yetWith all of this coming together, we need one extra week of development time before Playtest 5 begins. There’s a LOT packed into this update, and we want that extra time to get everything ready & polished before we put it in your hands. And when I say a lot, I mean it. What’s ComingBuild ALMOST ANYWHERE. One of the most highly requested features! Construct barricades, fortify doors & garages, and honestly, why stop there? Build an entire town with your friends if you want. ORMOD is meant to be a true sandbox after all!A COMPLETE early game overhaul. A massive upgrade to the density of buildings & size of towns, the loot found within them, and unique advantages to many POIs, such as planter beds or megaphonesDozens of new items & features. The…
- Playtest 5 Announcement! What's Coming - 9 September 2026
Hey Everyone!THE TIME HAS COME!We’re right back from Gamescom & getting ready to open the doors for ORMOD: Directive Playtest #5, and this one brings a pretty substantial batch of new systems, content, and improvements to the game. Here’s some of what you’ll be able to check out: New Structure Fortification - More work is going into making structures in the world much more meaningful places to discover, use, and potentially even call homeMore Automation - More crafting, more expansionNew Mechanoids - New mechanoid threats are entering the world, including some that can drop Amber Fuel Cells when destroyedBuildable ATV - Build your own ATV and use recovered Amber Fuel Cells to keep it running as you travel further across the mapPlayer Built Vehicle Workshop - Players can now construct a vehicle workshop as part of their base and use it to support the new vehicle gameplay loopPOI Improvem…
- ORMOD: Directive is Heading to Gamescom 2026! - 26 July 2026
ORMOD: Directive is Heading to Gamescom!We’re excited to announce that ORMOD will make its FIRST public appearance at Gamescom, Cologne, 26-30th August, 2026.If you’re heading to Germany next month, come visit us and be among the first people in the world to go hands-on with an exclusive Gamescom build featuring a sneak peek at what’s coming at launch. Here’s What You’ll Find At The Booth:An exclusive Gamescom demo featuring brand new content and features not previously available in our playtestsGamescom-exclusive merchandise, including shirts, stickers, mousepads, keychains, tote bags, lanyards, pins, and more! (*Available while supplies last*)The team behind ORMOD: Directive! Riley and the crew will be there all week and would love to chat, answer questions, and hear your feedback What to Look Forward to If You Can't Make It!Of course, only some of you can actually make it to the even…
- Playtest 4 Closes, Stats & What's Next - 13 July 2026
Playtest #4 Has Now Closed!We have been having an incredible amount of fun playing, watching & listening to all of you! Everyone has been providing some absolutely incredible feedback & ideas, we're really excited about everything there is to come!Some Fun Stats!During the playtest weekend, we had:65,000 total players10,000 daily active players35,000 new wishlists2,500 new Discord members112,000 total hours played210,000 items placed1,500 bases built34,000 kills on servers16 golden sticks foundThe richest player had $15,000, the most XP collected was 22,000 & the longest play session was 24 full hours! Also, we’ve achieved the monumental milestone of 300,000 wishlists! Thanks so much for your support.What’s to ComeWe’ve already been reading through all the excellent, detailed feedback and will be incorporating it into our upcoming development plans. Over the next while, we will be looki…
- Playtest #4 Live Now! New Features, & Details - 9 July 2026
Playtest #4 Is Now Live!This week’s playtest is easily the biggest and most challenging yet! With improved AI, new Mechs, a new mobile base, and better server optimization and support, we’re expecting this playtest to be next-level!60,000 people already have access, and we plan to invite *50,000-100,000* new players for this playtest.Remember: this is a playtest! Things may break, bugs will exist, and your feedback is incredibly valuable as we continue building ORMOD together.How To Get AccessAnyone with access to a previous playtest will automatically have access to this playtest.Amber/Steel Patreon Supporters and ORMOD Creators already have access.Discord sign-ups will receive a key and access information via email from the ORMOD team.Steam sign-ups will be granted access ***RANDOMLY*** via Steam and will receive a notification email from Steam. *This access will be granted in waves t…
- Playtest #4 Is Coming - The Biggest Update Yet - 22 June 2026
Playtest #4 Is Almost Here!The wait is almost over. Our 4th playtest is taking place from July 9th to 13th, and it’s easily the biggest ORMOD update & playtest yet. Over the past few months, we’ve been rebuilding and refining huge portions of the game based directly on player feedback. This playtest introduces massive improvements across nearly every aspect of the game, from smarter enemies and redesigned interiors to a brand-new mobile base, upgraded systems, and significant performance optimizations. THE BIGGEST ORMOD UPDATE YET!!!These are only a few of the new additions. There are 100sCompletely redesigned interiorsNew tutorial systemsNew mobile baseRedesigned UI, inventory systems, and upgraded crafting mechanicsNew Mechanoids!Completely overhauled Mechanoid AI & Hordes (they can now hunt, search, retreat, stalk, evade, and work together more intelligently!)New Mechanoid types and…
- 250,000 Wishlists, New Teasers & Playtest - 1 June 2026
250,000 Wishlists + 10k Discord MembersA quarter of a million of you is absolutely mind-blowing. Words cannot describe how incredible the ongoing journey is with all of you as ORMOD continues to build & grow. It only inspires working even harder. Much more to come! New PlaytestDetails for the new playtest will be announced in the coming weeks! We’ve been absolutely smashing through all of the bugs reported & reading all the feedback from absolutely everyone. Won’t be far away! New TeasersAs a thank-you to all of you, we wanted to give some sneak peeks into what's coming. We have some absolutely massive changes coming next week that are going to completely transform ORMOD for the better! Mechanoid AI is being completely redesigned from the ground up to be more interestingMechanoid hordes & raids will make the environment feel much more dynamic & add a new level of danger to avoidMultiple…
- Playtest #3 Has Concluded & What’s Next - 17 May 2026
Our Biggest Playtest Yet Has Concluded!Our third playtest was a big success! I personally had so much fun playing with everyone & getting into some pretty intense fights.Over 80,000 players total were invited, with 40,000 playing for a combined total of 85,000 hours during the week.We’ve enjoyed seeing people explore the world of ORMOD and appreciate your feedback. These playtests are a **HUGE** help in improving the full game & making it as polished & issue-free as possible.To note: (despite our best efforts to let as many people in), there are still well over 100,000 people waiting for the playtest. It is completely random who gets picked, more access will come!Development Plans!We will continue to read **ALL** feedback and continue improving ORMOD to make it the survival experience you’ve been craving. The main issues from this playtest that will be addressed first include: A total o…
- Playtest #3 Is now live! - 13 May 2026
ORMOD Playtest #3 is live now!Who's getting access!Amber & Steel Patreon supporters and approved ORMOD creators have been granted access for the past 24-48 hours.We’re inviting other Patreon tiers, Discord sign-ups, and thousands of Steam sign-ups in waves over the next few days.Everyone who had access to a previous playtest automatically has access to this one.New Discord sign-ups will have a Steam key sent via email very soon. Check junk/spam folders! Steam sign-ups are granted access directly through Steam and should receive a notification email upon approval. We’re aiming to invite 50,000+ players to this playtest NOTE: We will be approving 10s of thousands of people per-day & steam approvals are randomly selected, so if you don't get in immediately, just hang tight! Other ways to get accessPatreon membership is still always open! All tiers will receive a Steam key & Ambers can requ…
- 200k Wishlists | Playtest #3 Info | What’s Next - 3 May 2026
Hey Everyone!The May 14th playtest weekend is fast approaching, so it’s time to share details about content and timing. To celebrate hitting the amazing milestone of 200,000 wishlists, we’re making this the largest playtest yet! We’re planning to invite 50,000 - 100,000 players, in addition to the 15,000 who already have access.Playtest #3 Dates & ContentPlaytest Schedule:Playtest Start Times:- Patreon Amber Supporter Early Access: May 11th at 4pm UTC- Patreon Steel Support Early Access: May 12th at 4pm UTC- Creator Program Early Access: May 12th at 4pm UTC- General Playtest Access: May 13th at 4pm UTCPlaytest End: May 18th at 4am UTCMight go longer or end earlier, depending on playtest stability!Content:Today we're showing off some new content including: - Improved tutorial & user interfaces (general UI & quests)- Better nighttime lighting & graphics- New radio & team system- New survi…
- Next Playtest Date, Community Voting & 175k Wishlists - 20 April 2026
Hey everyone! Playtest #3 Date + 175k Wishlists! The next playtest will take place in 3 weeks, beginning on May 14th As a massive thank you to all of you for waiting and providing so much valuable feedback last time, the playtest will be live for even longer this time around! On another note, reaching 175k wishlists is absolutely unreal and it just encourages me to work harder than ever. 200k up next! Who's Getting AccessThere are currently 120,000 people waiting for playtest access!! Following the trend of every playtest being bigger than the last, we will be granting access to 30-50 thousand more people right here on Steam! Maybe even more if things go well!Once again, Patreon supporters & approved ORMOD Creators will be given early access before everyone else. If you’d like to support us, check it out hereAll Discord sign-ups will also receive guaranteed access.We will also be contin…
- Playtest #2 Has Concluded & What’s Next - 30 March 2026
The Second Playtest Weekend Concluded!Thanks so much to every single one of you for trying out the playtest, we had a lot of fun & enjoyed hearing all the super helpful feedback. These playtests are a huge help in improving the full game. Expect many changes and improvements as I continue development.If you didn't get in this time around, don't worry! The first playtest had 300 invites, this playtest had 15,000 invites, and the next playtest will be absolutely MASSIVE!35,000 Wishlists Over The Weekend!Thank you so much to all of you for sharing ORMOD with your friends, being excited for the playtest, & getting involved with the community! Because of your support, we’re getting super close to **150,000** wishlists, helping ORMOD reach the *top 500 wishlisted globally*! This is the largest bump in wishlists over a single weekend since ORMOD was announced in late November! Just 4 months ag…
- ORMOD: Directive Second Playtest Weekend Live Now! - 27 March 2026
ORMOD Playtest #2 Is Live Now!We will be moving full steam ahead with the playtest! Storm or not, ORMOD comes first! In the meantime, here are some reminders and important deets:Who's getting access!Amber & Steel Patreon supporters and approved ORMOD creators have been granted access for the past 24-48 hours.We’re inviting other Patreon tiers, Discord sign-ups, and thousands of Steam sign-ups in waves.Patreon and Discord sign-ups will have a Steam key sent via email. Check junk/spam folders! Steam sign-ups are granted access directly through Steam, and should receive a notification email upon approval. NOTE: Not all Steam sign-ups are getting access this round! Steam randomly selects Approvals. We just choose how many invites to grant in each wave. We plan to approve around 5,000 (out of over 60,000 sign-ups!!) for this playtest. We’re gradually ramping up the number of invites for each…
- 100k Wishlist Milestone, New Features & Next Playtest Anouncement! - 15 March 2026
100,00 Wishlists! First off… 100,000 wishlists! WOW. Thank you all for the incredible support!! It has been absolutely mind-blowing taking ORMOD from 0 to all of this in just the last few months! Thank you so much for wishlisting, following, and telling your friends about ORMOD. Much more to come! The Next Playtest! The next playtest begins March 27th at 4PM UTC!We’re Inviting 5,000-10,000 PlaytestersThe ~300 people who had access to the first playtest automatically have access to this one! We will also be inviting a bunch more people to participate in this one, as follows: All Patreon supporters will receive early playtest access 48 hours before it begins. Remember if you would like to support us, you can find it here! https://www.patreon.com/House16SoftwareAll Discord sign-ups will receive Steam keys closer to the playtest start time.All approved creators in the official ORMOD Creator…
- 85,000 Wishlists | First Playtest Weekend Concludes | What’s Next! - 24 February 2026
85,000 Wishlists!Wishlist and community growth have remained steady since our initial announcement in late November. Just over this past weekend, we skipped past the 80,000 milestone and hit 85,000! Over 45,000 people signed up for the playtest, and we now have nearly 2,200 excited Discord members. We thank each and every one of you for continuing to support ORMOD throughout its development, with much more to come! First Playtest Concludes!It has been an absolutely unreal weekend filled with lots of chaos, fun, and feedback! It was awesome to see so many people with very high play times during the playtest! It was open for only 60 hours, yet we saw many people hitting above 30 hours played!! Wow. This first playtest went very well! Aside from some server hiccups, which will be ironed out before the next playtest, the overall experience was positive for most participants. The bug reports…
- Playtests, Priority & Polls - 31 January 2026
Hey Everyone, How’s it going? The time has finally come to share an important update about the upcoming playtest and development plans for ORMOD! Playtest Date UpdateOur first playtest has been moved from February 6th to February 20th!This wasn’t in the slightest an easy call, but a necessary one.I honestly wasn’t expecting 30,000+ signups, and I need a bit more time to prep the build so the first test is stable and actually useful. The pressure is 100% on, I just want to deliver the best game physically possible. We were rushing things as I just want to get the game out to all of you ASAP, quality must come first & it allows us more time to add some cool community decided things! The good news… it’s only a 2-week delay.How the First Playtest Will WorkSince this is the first time the community will be getting access, we’re keeping the first wave small and controlled so we can test stabi…
- 55k Wishlists | 20k Playtest Sign-Ups | Official Creator Program - 22 January 2026
55,000 Wishlist Milestone!55,000 is honestly wild. That’s a huge number of people, and we can’t thank you enough for following ORMOD’s journey. Thanks for sharing the game, talking about it with your friends, and cheering us on across socials. The support has been unreal, and things are still moving fast. It doesn’t look like we’ll be slowing down anytime soon!20,000+ Playtest Sign-upsWe opened playtest sign-ups less than 1 week ago and have already hit over 20,000 sign-ups on Steam, plus 600 sign-ups on Discord, which is absolutely incredible. That response completely blew us away.More info on upcoming playtests & access will be coming in the next update.The best place for news & updates is our Discord!1,200+ Discord MembersOur Discord has grown to over 1,200 members, and it’s quickly become the heart of the community. Thanks to everyone who’s been active, supportive, and full of great…
- 20k Wishlists in under a month! - 15 December 2025
THANK YOUI appreciate every single one of you who made this first month possible!It’s been non-stop action since I announced my game just weeks ago! It's been great meeting so many new, amazing people & making ORMOD into the best possible game it can be.AMAWe will also be hosting an AMA on r/Games Tomorrow, the 16th at 22:00 UTC. Get your questions answered!DISCORDRemember to hop in our Discord to stay up to date with the latest updates, roadmap, playtesting, demos & release dates!https://discord.gg/ormoddirectiveThanks again so much for making the reveal of ORMOD such a welcoming experience for this solo dev. I look forward to seeing this community continue to grow!
- Thanks for 10k Wishlists in the First Week & What's Next - 30 November 2025
THANK YOUWe have to give our utmost & absolute gratitude & thanks for supporting the project & our small team, it means everything. It's been amazing talking to & meeting so many new people. Much more to come!WHATS NEXTContinuing development & keeping the community in the loop Looking towards giving the community access to playtesting & listening to feedbackBringing a solid roadmap & feature plan leading up to & after release soon!This is only the start, much more to come very soon!DISCORDIf you haven't already, definitely check out our new Discord Server, that's where we are most active. All people getting in early will also be granted the ORMOD: Founder role.Thanks again so much, Everyone.
- Blending classic survival games with automation - ORMOD: Directive sounds interesting - 24 November 2025
ORMOD: Directive is a very interesting recent announcement that blends classic action survival gameplay mechanics with automation. Read the full article here: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2025/11/blending-classic-survival-games-with-automation-ormod-directive-sounds-interesting/
