Ratatan finally leaves Early Access on 15 October
The rhythm roguelike has spent a year in Steam Early Access; version 1.0 arrives on 15 October with the last two episodes, the final boss and console pre-orders open at 10% off.
Ratatan has a finish line. The rhythm roguelike will leave Steam Early Access with version 1.0 on 15 October, its developers said in an announcement on the game's own Steam page, nearly a year after the early access build opened on 18 September 2025.
Version 1.0 is the one that ends the story. The update adds episodes 3 and 4, takes the campaign to its final world and the fight against the final boss, and rounds up every Dark Ratatan introduced in dribs and drabs across the early access run. The orchestral recording promised during the campaign is also in, with the full release notes due when the patch goes live.
Pre-orders, and what the versions cost
Digital pre-orders opened on 15 September for Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, discounted 10% for the pre-order window. The standard edition is $34.99 cut to $31.49, and it includes the base game plus a pre-order bonus weapon, the Legendary Weapon Spirit Sword Banbansord.
The Digital Deluxe Edition is $39.99 cut to $35.99. On top of the bonus weapon it adds a special weapons and accessories set, a Cobun set and an upgrade materials set, which is aimed squarely at anyone who wants to skip some early grinding.
Existing players are not being asked to buy the game again. Anyone who owns the Steam early access version gets the pre-order bonus weapon automatically when 1.0 launches, and the Deluxe Edition extras go on sale separately on Steam from release day.
What *Ratatan* actually is
It is a rhythm action roguelike: you keep time with the soundtrack to march your Cobun troops across side-scrolling battlefields, and the game supports online co-op for up to four players with more than 100 characters in the roster. Steam lists TVT Co. Ltd. and Ratata Arts as the developers and Game Source Entertainment as the publisher, with full controller support and the current early access build priced at 24.50 euros.
The game is also getting one last run at a live audience before launch. The developers confirmed a playable demo and giveaways at the Game Source Entertainment booth at Tokyo Game Show, with numbered tickets possible if the queue gets long.
Our opinion
A year in early access that ends on a scheduled date with the story completed is not the industry norm, it is the exception, and the part worth noticing here is the honesty of the finish line. Episodes 3 and 4, the final world, the final boss and every Dark Ratatan were all listed as release notes rather than promised as a roadmap slide, which means the content is in the build rather than on a slide. The orchestral recording being delivered at all is a small point of honour in a business that quietly drops its stretch goals.
The pricing says something about who the studio thinks its audience is. Ten per cent off for pre-ordering a game that will be reviewed on day one is a bet that the people buying already decided during early access, and giving Steam owners the bonus weapon for free while selling the Deluxe extras piecemeal is the right way to avoid charging your earliest supporters twice. Twenty-four euro early access to thirty-one dollar launch is a real increase, and the four-player co-op is what will decide whether the higher price is worth it.