Masters of Albion: Release Date, Times, Pricing, and Everything You Need to Know

Masters of Albion is an upcoming god game from developer 22cans, helmed by legendary designer Peter Molyneux, the mind behind Populous, Black and White, and Fable. The game is set to enter Steam Early Access on April 22, 2026, for PC exclusively.

The game blends city-building, real-time strategy, simulation, and action-RPG elements into a core "Build by Day, Defend by Night" loop.

Players take on the role of a god wielding a giant floating hand, shaping villages, guiding or tormenting their inhabitants, and directly controlling heroes or animals when nighttime threats roll in. It is a concept that Molyneux has described as the culmination of his entire career in game design.

Image credit: 22cans

Release Times by Region

For those planning to jump in on day one, here are the confirmed unlock times globally:

• Los Angeles (PDT): 10:00 AM, April 22

• Mexico City (CST): 11:00 AM, April 22

• New York (EDT): 1:00 PM, April 22

• São Paulo (BRT): 2:00 PM, April 22

• London (BST): 6:00 PM, April 22

• Vienna/Montpellier (CEST): 7:00 PM, April 22

• Riyadh (AST): 8:00 PM, April 22

• New Delhi (IST): 10:30 PM, April 22

• Beijing (CST China): 1:00 AM, April 23

• Tokyo (JST): 2:00 AM, April 23

• Sydney (AEST): 3:00 AM, April 23

Pricing and Editions

Masters of Albion will launch at $24.99 USD, with a 10% early adopter discount available at launch.

Players who purchase and play within the first week will receive an exclusive Founders Paint Pack, a limited set of premium in-game colors only available to early supporters.

No Deluxe or physical editions have been announced at this stage. The game is available to wishlist on Steam right now.

Gameplay

The game runs on a day-night cycle that keeps things interesting throughout. During the day, players freely construct and customize towns with no wait timers attached. Housing, production chains, clothing, and weapons are all fair game. The iconic giant hand returns and lets you directly interact with, inspire, or torment your inhabitants.

A detailed factory system even lets you do things like substitute chainmail for chains of pork, dressing a villager in sausage armor if that is the kind of god you want to be.

The city-building layer is surprisingly deep. Buildings are assembled like blocks, and your design choices, including the color and shape of structures, actually carry consequences. One of those consequences, per the developers, is the arrival of a housing inspector.

"You want to be careful that you don't trigger the housing inspector, because when he comes and he doesn't like that you've created a slum where everyone's packed together... he does not like that sort of stuff," Molyneux said in an interview with IGN.

There are no construction timers in Masters of Albion. Everything works as you build it. As Molyneux explains it, "you can build anything you want, anywhere you want, and it works immediately. There are no wait timers. If you've got a farm and you've got a mill and you've got a factory, you can say, 'I'm just going to put them all into one building.' I really want it to feel more like Lego than anything else, that immediacy of what you are building."

At night, the tone shifts. Players defend their towns against threats (zombies) by possessing heroes or animals, using god powers, and engaging in direct combat and strategy.

Beyond the day-night structure, the game also features RPG-style quests, open-world exploration, and a moral alignment system where good and evil choices visibly reshape the world. "One of the things that we haven't done a good job of explaining is that there is a narrative story," Molyneux admitted. "It's a huge epic story that winds through the entirety of the game." Gold scrolls in the game mark main story quests, while silver scrolls are optional. Both feed back into the city-building side by rewarding players with currencies, new building blocks, or design parts.

The open-world inspiration comes from a familiar place. "We've been inspired by the open-world nature of Fable 2 and Fable 3," Molyneux noted.

Interestingly, the design ambition also pulls from outside the genre. According to Molyneux, the seamlessness of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom served as a key creative reference.

System Requirements

Minimum:

• OS: Windows 10 (64-bit)

• Processor: Intel Core i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 5 2600

• Memory: 8 GB RAM

• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, GTX 1660 Super, or AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT

• DirectX: Version 11

• Storage: 20 GB available space

Recommended:

• OS: Windows 10/11 (64-bit)

• Processor: Intel Core i5-11600 or AMD Ryzen 5 5600X

• Memory: 16 GB RAM

• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 or AMD Radeon RX 6600

• DirectX: Version 11

• Storage: 20 GB available space (SSD recommended)

Platforms

Masters of Albion launches exclusively on PC via Steam Early Access. Console versions for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S are planned for post-Early Access, though no firm dates have been confirmed.

As per the developers, the game is also Steam Deck Compatible, though it is currently awaiting official Valve verification.

FAQs

• Is there multiplayer or co-op? Not confirmed for launch. The focus is on single-player with emergent storytelling.

• Will it be on Game Pass or PS Plus at launch? No.

• Is it like Fable or Black and White? Yes, it carries heavy god-game DNA with moral choices, humor, and direct world interaction, layered with city-building and action elements. It is not connected to the Fable franchise.

• How long is the Early Access period? It starts with Chapter One of a planned trilogy. Updates will roll out based on community feedback.

• Is it replayable? Highly. Sessions can be as short as a single day-night cycle or stretch into long campaigns depending on your approach.

• What about console? Planned for post-Early Access. No dates yet.

• What is the expected age rating? Teen to Mature, given the violence, moral choices, and dark themes during night sections.

• Is there any demo available? No