Old-School Open World Fantasy RPG Of Ash and Steel Gets New Demo and November 6 Launch Date
Developer Fire & Frost and publisher tinyBuild have officially announced the release date for their upcoming old-school open world fantasy role-playing game, Of Ash and Steel. The game will launch for PC on November 6, 2025, and will be available on both Steam and GOG.
Ahead of its release, fans can now experience a brand-new demo on Steam, which features the opening chapters of the protagonist Tristan’s journey. Players can freely explore the game’s starting region for several hours, complete story quests and side activities, and interact with various characters in the town and surrounding wilderness.
The demo allows players to experiment with skill trees, professions, and early gameplay mechanics. Highlights include exploring the lumberjack camp, assisting workers with daily tasks, and teaming up with the companion character Fox to investigate an abandoned village on the way to the harbor.
In addition to story exploration, the demo introduces a special Arena Master Mode, a dedicated challenge arena for players seeking fast-paced combat and skill testing. In this mode, Tristan can earn experience, gold, and fame by defeating waves of enemies. Players are encouraged to upgrade their weapons and armor, master new combat techniques, and strive to become the most renowned gladiator in Grayshaft.
While anticipation is growing for the full release, early feedback from the July demo highlighted that Fire & Frost still had work to do to refine the gameplay experience. Wccftech’s Francesco De Meo noted that while the earlier build had several issues, the foundation showed promise:
“Being a playtest version, it was expected that this early version of Of Ash and Steel wouldn’t be perfect, but from all its issues, it’s clear how Fire & Frost still has a very long journey ahead of them to make the game one worth playing. Still, the game definitely has some potential in some of its features, so I hope the studio will be able to polish the experience up and improve what doesn’t currently work to make traversing and shaping Grayshaft with Tristan’s choices an enjoyable experience.”
The November release will show whether the team has successfully refined those elements, as Of Ash and Steel aims to capture the charm of classic fantasy RPGs with modern mechanics and player-driven exploration.
Will you be trying out the new demo of Of Ash and Steel? Do you think this old-school fantasy adventure can deliver on its promise?
