Soulframe
About the game
Soulframe is Digital Extremes' new project — from the studio behind Warframe — a free-to-play, open-world action RPG with a fantasy setting that leaves its sibling's sci-fi behind to build a world of nature and old magic. The story unfolds in Alca, a living land ruled by the spirit of nature and the ancient magicks of the Fey, now threatened by the Ode, a technological force that razes everything in its path. This isn't Warframe with a new skin: they share a studio and some action DNA, but the tone, pacing and world aim at something far slower and more grounded.
Envoys, pacts and combat
You play an Envoy wielding a Pact Arm, a magical limb bound to a pact with different creatures of the world. Each Pact effectively works like a class: it brings its own movement and combat style, and is unlocked by completing quests that give it a backstory — so progressing through the game also means getting to know the beings you ally with. Combat is melee, with a soulslike streak of weighty blows and enemy reads, closer to measured swordplay than to Warframe's shooting festival.
Around the combat sits a game that insists on calm: unhurried exploration, mounts to roam Alca, animal husbandry and everyday world activities that aren't filler but part of the tone. One thing that sets Soulframe apart is its strong emphasis on music as a storytelling device — not as background scoring, but as something you interact with that pushes the story forward. All of it can be played solo or co-op.
What you pay for and what you don't
Soulframe is free to play. During development, access is free but for now limited: you get in through a closed-access system with roughly 2,000 weekly invites, via Twitch Drops, or directly if you signed up at the studio's event before the cutoff date. Paid support is optional and comes via the Founders Pack (PC only): it grants immediate access plus exclusive pacts, weapons, skins and cosmetics, and is available for a limited time. The premium currency is Arcs, bought with real money. There's still no store or defined monetization for consoles. You can check the current terms on the official site.
Where the game is right now
Soulframe is in a pre-alpha phase called "Preludes", PC only and developed in the open alongside the community. Digital Extremes ships major updates every four to eight weeks; the latest big one to date is Preludes 15: Gods & Ghosts, with a loot rework, a trading system and new content. At its 2026 convention the studio confirmed mounts for the second half of 2026 and a Warsongs Fable quest for the fall, voiced by Ben Starr and Jennifer English. There's no Early Access or global launch date: the official line is to finish the Preludes milestones first. The PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions are planned for the full launch, not during Preludes.
Is it for you?
Soulframe will land well with anyone after a fantasy ARPG with calm exploration, weighty combat and a world with personality, and with anyone who enjoys watching a game grow live, patch by patch, without waiting for the finished product. It's also a natural entry point for Warframe fans curious about something more intimate and less frantic. But it's worth being honest: it's pre-alpha, it's incomplete and changes often, access still runs through invites or paying for the Founders Pack, and for now it's PC-exclusive with no release date. If you want a finished, polished game with a firm roadmap, Soulframe isn't that yet. If the idea of following the process and trying a world that's still coming together excites you, it's one of the most distinctive things in the genre right now.