Frosthaven Early Access Preview

Taylor Rioux
4 days ago
5 min read

The cold isn’t the only thing you should fear.

By all metrics or definitions, I’m not a huge tabletop gamer. I went to my first Gen Con this year (it was sick), and I don’t have any ongoing DnD campaigns. I play in exactly zero weekly tabletop sessions, and I rarely make it to any of the local game store’s open nights. But even with that, I’ve still heard of Gloomhaven. So, having the opportunity to preview the digital version of Frosthaven (Gloomhaven’s sequel title) was both an exciting opportunity and a huge mystery. What is Frosthaven? How does it play? What is the structure?

I can safely say that some of this still remains a mystery to me, but through playing the digital version (early access), I do have a more clearer picture of it than when I started. And it is somehow both familiar and novel.

Publisher: Arc Games

Developer: Snapshot Games Inc.

Platform: Played on PC (Steam)

Availability: Released on July 31, 2025 for Windows PC (Steam).

Developed by Snapshot Games Inc., Frosthaven (digital version) attempts to convert the complex mechanics and deep world of the tabletop version into a video game format. With over 100 scenarios to play though and 17 starting classes on the tabletop version, it’s a tall task, but one they seem to be up for. That said, for the early access version, we “only” have about 30 scenarios to work through and 6 starting classes to choose from. How fulfilling that suite of choices is will vary from group to group, but as an early access product, it’s still a ton of content.

The starting class pool being so shallow is perhaps the most limiting factor in this version of the game, a problem that is most noticeable in 3 and 4 player groups. With only 6 classes to choose from, there’s a real “first come, first serve” aura to the character selection. Classes play so differently from one another, that anyone wanting to play a specific archetype might be out of luck if another player wants to also. Our group was also completely full of new players, so the varying complexity of the classes added another level of concern for the group.

That complexity is further exacerbated by the absurdly insufficient tutorial. The tutorial section only gives the player a short look at basic general mechanics, and even then only allows the player to control a single, specific class (Banner Spear). It hands you the bare minimum of rules and information, then just tells you how to read more. That lack of clarity makes the first scenario more of a learning experience than anything else. The game has enough moving parts that fully detailing every mechanic or interaction would be never-ending within a tutorial, which works well-enough, but more detail or emphasis on major system mechanics would have been nice.

A plethora of mechanics and systems are available to the player to mess with and master.

Thankfully, the first scenario presented to the player does a great job of giving the space to experiment and learn the mechanics on a more intimate level. With each character holding 12-ish cards at the beginning, and each of those having two sides to work with, there’s a lot to learn, even early on. And you will learn, or you will lose. This isn’t a game that holds your hand. In our first encounter, I was testing the waters on how the game works, and ran straight into a group of enemies, only to get blasted by four consecutive attacks. It not only gave me a great lesson in how devastating bad positioning can be (especially for squishier characters), but also just how necessary card management and resting appropriately are for each encounter. Just how crunchy the mechanics are really tickles me — there's so much room for optimization and planning. That said, Frosthaven does not require that type of perfection to advance on lower levels, as you can make it through the encounters without making every correct move.

Once that first encounter is over with, the game introduces you to the town management mechanics, known as the outpost phase. It’s here, in the downtime between combat scenarios, that you’ll use all of those resources you gather from mission rewards and loot bags on the field. In the town, you can build new buildings, such as a building to trade materials for gold or vice versa, or upgrade already existing ones. There is also a craftsman to trade materials to make equipment and an alchemist that uses your herbs to make potions. There’s not much you can do early on, as your resources are limited, but things ramp up quickly, with resources becoming more plentiful as you advance.

It not only gave me a great lesson in how devastating bad positioning can be (especially for squishier characters), but also just how necessary card management and resting appropriately are for each encounter.

Some events can crop up in between the combat scenarios and outpost phase. These events are semi-randomized encounters that offer the players a choice on what actions to take. For example, you might come across a spring, which would then prompt you to either leave the area or take a bath. The outcome of the choices is unknown to the player prior to making the selection, so on first runs things can be a bit of a surprise, but the arbitrary-seeming nature of those outcomes may be frustrating to some players. Generally speaking, there aren’t many context clues you could use to inform your decisions, so it’s all a bit up in the air. One neat addition during these encounters is the way it works in multiplayer — each player puts a vote forward toward their preferred choice, and the choice with the most votes wins (ties going to the host vote).

On the technical side, while there were reports of early multiplayer troubles, we have so far encountered very few across 4 different scenarios with my party. Our only issue thus far has been disconnection, but it is very infrequent and is easily and quickly solvable — there are no adverse effects for a player (other than host) dropping out and they can be brought back into the game easily. For an early access title, it does feel quite polished, as it’s mechanically well-balanced, visually solid, and (at least in our experience) mostly bug-free.

Verdict

Overall, I came away quite impressed with the depth and breadth of what is available to the player within Frosthaven. For an early access title, there are a large number of scenarios and events to engage in, as well as deep, complex mechanics to contend with. It’s too early to speak much on the overarching narrative, but early impressions are strong here, too, as the game is deftly written in the cutscenes and events throughout. If you have played the tabletop version, you’re getting more of the same, but this is a strong recommendation for anyone who enjoys tactical RPGs or tabletop RPGs at home.

Image Credits: Snapshot Games Inc.

Disclosure: We received a free review copy of this product from the publisher.