Frostpunk 2's beta hits on April 15

Frostpunk 2's beta will release in the next couple weeks, available from April 15-22 for people who've pre-ordered the Digital Delxue Edition of the upcoming survival city-builder.

"Return to the unforgiving Frostlands and experience a glimpse of our ambitious sequel in which, among the need to survive, you'll face a new and deadly threat: human nature and its insatiable thirst for power. The Beta features a part of the sandbox mode called the Utopia Builder Preview," said 11 Bit Studios.

Frostpunk 2 will revisit the same setting of the first game some 30 years later, after humans have been surviving the horrific conditions that came on during the first game for some time—and have transitioned their society to oil, rather than the coal-based technology of Frostpunk.

"The game takes place 30 years after the apocalyptic blizzard that has taken place in Frostpunk. Earth is still overwhelmed by the neverending frost and harsh, icy climate. You play as the leader of a resource-hungry metropolis where expansion and internal conflicts are an unavoidable reality. It’s up to you to make decisions about your City’s future and face their consequences," says developer 11 Bit Studios.

We've been impressed by teasers for Frostpunk 2 over the years, noting last year just how much larger your metropolis can get over the first game.

This beta period comes about two months before the game properly releases in July, and focuses on the sandbox mode rather than the survival campaign that most people will consider Frostpunk 2 proper.

You can find Frostpunk 2 on Epic, GOG, and Steam.

11 Bit Studios previously posted the minimum and recommended requirements for the beta, noting that they "might change before the game's full release."