Masters of Albion Opens Closed Beta Signups Ahead of Its April 22 Steam Launch
Peter Molyneux’s next god game is moving into its final pre launch stretch. Independent UK studio 22cans has opened registrations for the Masters of Albion closed beta playtest, with signups running through 6:00 PM GMT on Wednesday, March 25 through the game’s official Discord. The studio is using the test to gather player feedback before the game’s planned Steam launch on April 22, 2026. That release date is also listed on the official Steam page, which currently describes the game as not yet available and scheduled to unlock in about 4 weeks.
Masters of Albion is being positioned as a modern return to the god game formula that Molyneux helped define with classics such as Populous and Black & White. On Steam, 22cans describes it as a reimagining of the genre that blends strategy, simulation, town management, and tower defense, while giving players full freedom to build, customize, and directly influence the world of Albion.
The setup is one of the more interesting parts of the pitch. During the day, players use a god hand to shape towns, assign work, design buildings, and manage production across a developing settlement. At night, the tone shifts as monsters attack and the game becomes a defensive survival experience built around walls, turrets, heroes, and god powers. The official Steam description also confirms that players can possess villagers, heroes, animals, and other units to explore Albion at ground level, search for treasure, fight enemies, and tackle quests from a more direct perspective.
That mix of systems is clearly part of what 22cans wants to stress test before release. PC Gamer reports that players interested in the beta need to join the Discord, visit the closed beta channel, and answer a few questions before the March 25 deadline. The same report notes that the game is launching in Early Access on April 22, which means this beta is arriving very close to release and is likely intended to help polish balance, usability, and core systems rather than radically reshape the game.
For players thinking about signing up, the hardware requirements are already live on the Steam page. The minimum and recommended specifications are as follows.
| Specs | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows® 10 (64-bit) | Windows® 10 (64-bit) |
| Processor | Intel® Core™ i5-4670 (quad-core) / AMD® FX-Series™ FX-4350 (quad-core) | Intel® Core™ i5-7600 (quad-core) / AMD® Ryzen™ 3 2200G (quad-core) |
| Memory | 8 GB RAM | 16 GB RAM |
| Graphics | NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1050 (2 GB) / AMD® Radeon™ RX 460 (4 GB) / Intel® Arc™ A380 (6 GB) | NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 (6 GB) / AMD® Radeon™ RX 580 (8 GB) / Intel® Arc™ A580 (8 GB) |
| DirectX | Version 12 | Version 12 |
| Storage | 10 GB available space | 10 GB available space |
From a genre standpoint, Masters of Albion is one of the more closely watched strategy releases on the near term calendar because it carries both the promise and the baggage of Molyneux’s legacy. The game is trying to combine god level control, village management, direct possession, combat, and narrative progression into one package. That is ambitious, and this closed beta now becomes an important checkpoint in showing whether 22cans can turn that ambition into something cohesive before launch. That last point is an inference based on the game’s official feature set and the timing of the beta.
Are you planning to sign up for the Masters of Albion beta, or are you waiting to see whether this really can deliver a true modern god game comeback?
