Monsters and Memories early access release date, and what to expect in 2026

Monsters and Memories revealed that they have an early access release date coming in 2026, which is something to be excited about in the coming year. For those not familiar, this retro MMO has DNA in the earliest days of MMOs. It’s got the vibes of EverQuest, as well as perhaps the older, text-based MUDs, where I spent most of my time in the early 2000s. It’s a game not just for those of us who remember the old days fondly, but for those who missed out, and want to see what games felt like back then.

There was just something special about those early MMOs, and while they may lack the technical power and quality-of-life features modern games have, they were important games that helped inspire future online gameplay. We do know that you can likely expect Monsters and Memories to be playable in 2026, so here’s what we know so far.

When is the Early Access release date for Monsters and Memories?

According to the Monsters and Memories 2026 roadmap, early access will begin on June 1, 2026. They’ve got a really bold plan and vision for a team that is all volunteer workers, but I’d love to see it come to life. However, before that Beta can begin (much less early access), there’s a significant amount of work that still needs to happen, first.

These dates are subject to change but right now, here's where we're at (Image via Niche World Cult)

The game is already in its Alpha, as we reported on earlier, which will extend through January and February 2026. From here, they will determine month to month what is going on, but right now, the target for early access of Monsters and Memories is June 1, 2026.

What awaits gamers in Monsters and Memories in 2026? Roadmap revealed by developers

This is only part of what's going on in the Trello (Image via Niche World Cult)

Before early access can begin for Monsters and Memories, there’s a Beta Test slated to begin on March 1, 2025. That will run through March and April, where the game will be locked down afterwards. That way, developers will have time to fix any critical issues, and tweak the game for the slated June launch.

Throughout this time they will also be working on Module 1 (likely the first major update) and the Early Access updates/content. Perhaps one of the best things is that you can track the game’s progress through their public Trello. It has, in addition to a look at everything in development, links to each update they’ve already published on their website, so it’s easy to see what’s going on.

If you want to know exactly what’s expected for the game to move on to Beta and beyond, the aforementioned Trello will certainly help. If everything goes well, and the Beta, as well as Beta cleanup/fixes goes smoothly, it sounds like we’ll have Monsters and Memories to look forward to in June 2026, when Early Access kicks off.

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Edited by Jason Parker