New free-to-play souls-like online co-op game lands on Steam with "Mostly Positive" reviews

On January 10, 2026, developers Advance Garde and Main Leaf officially moved Rogue Masters out of early access. This is the game’s 1.0 release and a big pivot to a free-to-play model. The title, which initially debuted in early access in late 2023, is a high-occupancy horde survival experience that uses deliberate, high-stakes combat mechanics commonly found in the "souls-like" subgenre. While the core premise of fighting back "Entropy" in forgotten civilizations is still the narrative anchor, the technical execution of its full launch shows a lot of mechanical polish.

The gameplay is defined by its six-player cooperative framework, which is somewhat different from standard three or four-player alternatives in the market. Players utilize a "Willpower" resource to manage combat against waves of corrupted enemies, culminating in Champion encounters that require a lot of coordination. A critical high point for the title is its weapon viability and deep customization; user feedback consistently shows that nearly all weapon archetypes are viable in the current meta, supported by a comprehensive transmog system that lets users extensively customize the game (visually) without impacting their combat stats. However, the reliance on peer-to-peer connections rather than dedicated servers means that latency will be a common point of friction for players during high-intensity waves.

From merely an analytical perspective, Rogue Masters has faced a lot of scrutiny regarding its visual and technical origins. Looking at early community discussions, a lot of them are centered on the alleged use of character rigs and animations derived directly from the Dark Souls series. This claim is fueled by the identical timing and specific combat moves observed in trailers. While the developer has expanded the content library to include six-player co-op and online PvP, the engine still lacks support for 4K resolutions, which is kind of iffy for a 2026 release that limits its appeal on high-end hardware. Furthermore, while the game has achieved a "Playable" status on the Steam Deck (curr. $795 on Amazon), it requires manual configuration to set native display resolutions, and some UI elements will still be undersized for the handheld's eight-inch screen.

As of the launch, Rogue Masters holds a "Mostly Positive" rating on Steam, with 71% of its 223 initial reviews being positive. The transition to free-to-play has grealy lowered the barrier to entry, though it places a fair amount of pressure on the game's long-term sustainability through its non-monetized or gameplay-acquired item systems. You can check out Rogue Masters' Steam page here.