Beginner's Guide
Permafrost Beginner's Guide (2026) – How to Start & Survive
Starting Permafrost means stepping into one of the harshest survival games of 2026. The Moon shattered. Earth is locked in a permanent ice age. You have no map, dwindling warmth, and a world that wants you dead before sunrise. This Permafrost beginner's guide covers everything a new player needs to know: how to start, what to do in your first 30 minutes, which survival priorities to tackle first, how to use your dog companion effectively, what to craft immediately, and how to approach co-op without holding your team back. Whether you're brand new to survival games or a veteran looking for Permafrost-specific tips, this guide gets you through your first sessions on the frozen Earth with your health intact. Bookmark it — it will be updated continuously from day one of Early Access 2026.
What is Permafrost?
Permafrost is a story-driven survival sandbox set on a post-catastrophe Earth. The Moon has broken apart, its fragments triggering tidal chaos, volcanic winters and ultimately a global ice age that ends civilization as humanity knew it. You are a survivor — one of very few — navigating a frozen landscape where every resource is scarce, every storm is potentially lethal, and every decision carries weight.
The core loop revolves around four survival meters: warmth, hunger, thirst and stamina. None of them can be ignored for long, and they interact in punishing ways — being cold makes you hungry faster, exhaustion slows your recovery, and dehydration dulls every other system. On top of these fundamentals, Permafrost layers a full crafting progression, structural base building, story-driven exploration and, uniquely for the genre, a dog companion that can hunt, track and warn you of danger.
The game supports solo play or online co-op for up to four players. Entering Steam Early Access on October 9, 2026, Permafrost is developed by SpaceRocket Games and published by Toplitz Productions. It rewards patience, preparation and deliberate play over impulsive exploration — and this guide will teach you to think exactly that way from the very first minute.
Your First 30 Minutes – Step by Step
The first 30 minutes in Permafrost set the tone for your entire run. Follow these steps in order and you'll end the half-hour with fire, basic tools, food and a fighting chance at night one.
- Get your bearings before moving. Scan your surroundings and identify three landmarks: a structure or ruin, the nearest tree cluster, and a high point or distinctive shape on the horizon. In a whiteout world where everything looks white, memorising two or three reference points before you wander is the difference between finding camp and dying lost.
- Check your starting inventory. Open your inventory immediately and note every item you have. Identify what you're missing — fire-starting tools, food, clothing — and plan your first foraging trip around those gaps rather than moving randomly.
- Gather wood first. Move to the nearest tree cluster and collect as much wood as you can carry. Fallen branches on the ground are faster to collect than actively chopping trees. Aim for at least 20 units before heading back to a base position.
- Pick up stone along the way. Loose rocks and outcrops appear near terrain changes, ridgelines and cliff bases. Collect 10–15 units during your wood run — you need them for tools and a firepit, and doubling up on one trip saves you a cold second journey.
- Craft a stone axe immediately. Open your crafting menu and build a stone axe as your very first item. It dramatically speeds up all future wood gathering, making every subsequent resource run shorter and less dangerous.
- Build a campfire or firepit. This is your single most important early structure. Place it in a sheltered spot — against a rock face, inside a ruin shell, or in a natural alcove that blocks the wind. Wind exposure makes open fires far less effective at warming you.
- Warm up fully before your next task. Stand near the fire and bring your temperature meter back to maximum before doing anything else. Trying to gather, craft or explore while cold accelerates every problem at once.
- Craft basic clothing if you have the materials. Even the most rudimentary fiber wrap or hide layer slows heat loss enough to meaningfully extend your safe time outdoors. If you have any animal fur from a starting kit or a quick early hunt, make clothing before exploring further.
- Locate a water source. Find a snow bank or frozen body of water. You can melt snow over your campfire into clean, drinkable water. Fill any container you have before your first night — dehydration creeps up fast when you're active and cold.
- Stockpile enough fuel before dark. Before the sun sets, gather enough extra wood to keep your fire burning all night. Always overestimate. Running dry at 3am with temperatures plummeting is one of the most preventable deaths in Permafrost.
The 5 Survival Priorities
When you're new to Permafrost, it's easy to get distracted by exploration, story beats and building ambitions. The five priorities below cut through the noise and keep you focused on what actually keeps you alive, in the order it matters most.
1. Warmth
Cold is the fastest killer in Permafrost and your dominant concern in every session. A warm body performs better across every other system — stamina recovers faster, crafting is uninterrupted, and you think more clearly. Prioritise fire and clothing above everything else in your first session, and treat every outdoor trip as a warmth-budgeting exercise: how long can I stay out before I need to get back to heat?
2. Shelter
A campfire in the open is a fraction as effective as a fire inside even a crude shelter. Walls block wind, concentrate heat, and give you a safe zone to sleep, recover and craft without passive temperature drain. Your first shelter doesn't need to be large or beautiful — three walls and a roof change your survival odds dramatically. Build small, get it sealed, then expand once you're stable.
3. Food
Hunger accelerates when you're cold and active. Cooked meat from hunted animals is your most reliable early food source — raw meat risks illness, so always process kills over a fire before eating. Berries, roots and foraged plants supplement your diet but shouldn't replace hunting. Build a small cooked-food reserve at camp so a bad day outdoors doesn't spiral into starvation.
4. Water
Dehydration in Permafrost slows stamina regeneration and compounds every other survival problem. The irony is that you're surrounded by ice and yet drinkable water still requires effort — melt snow, purify questionable sources and carry a container every time you leave camp. Never head out on a long foraging trip with an empty canteen.
5. Tools
Better tools cut your resource-gathering time significantly, which means less exposure to the cold per unit of material gathered. A stone axe alone can halve your wood-gathering time versus collecting by hand. Upgrade your toolkit as soon as materials allow, repair tools before they break rather than after, and always carry at least a basic weapon — you will encounter wildlife that wants to make a bad day worse.
Your Dog Companion – Don't Ignore It
From your first moments in the frozen world, a dog companion can join your journey — and you should let it immediately. Your dog is not a passive pet or an aesthetic choice. It actively scouts terrain ahead of you, alerting you when predators or other threats enter its detection range before you can see them. During hunts, it tracks and flushes prey, turning what would be a frustrating solo chase into a coordinated takedown. On long expeditions into unfamiliar territory, your dog's reactions are an early warning system that no crafted item can replicate.
To get the most from your dog, keep it fed and out of unnecessary danger. An injured or underfed companion loses its effectiveness quickly, and nursing it back to health costs time and resources you may not have. Think of the dog as a long-term investment: a healthy, well-maintained companion substantially improves both your hunting yield and your situational awareness every time you leave camp. Never head into unknown terrain without your dog if you can help it — and never pick fights that put it in harm's way when a smarter approach exists.
Basic Crafting – What to Make First
Your crafting queue should follow a strict priority order in the first session. These five items are the non-negotiable early crafts that every Permafrost beginner needs before pushing further into the frozen world. A full recipe breakdown covering all tiers is in our Permafrost crafting guide.
| Item | Materials | Why You Need It |
|---|---|---|
| Stone Axe | 3× Wood, 2× Stone | Cuts wood dramatically faster and yields more material per swing; the single most impactful early tool |
| Campfire | 5× Wood, 2× Stone | Primary heat source and cooking station; the center of your early camp and your most important survival anchor |
| Fur Clothing | 4× Animal Fur, 2× Fiber | Dramatically slows passive body heat loss; craft as soon as you have fur from your first hunt — night temperatures make this non-negotiable |
| Wooden Spear | 3× Wood, 1× Stone | Enables reliable hunting for meat and hide, and gives you a basic defense option against wildlife encounters near camp |
| Bark Canteen | 3× Bark, 1× Fiber | Lets you carry melted snow water on expeditions; dehydration creeps up fast when you're active in the cold, and an empty canteen is an avoidable problem |
Co-op Tips for Beginners
Joining a Permafrost co-op session as a beginner is one of the best ways to learn the game — provided you communicate and don't freelance. Before loading in with friends, agree on a base location, split gathering responsibilities and clarify who handles what. A team where everyone chases the same resources at once is no more effective than a solo player; a team that divides labour covers more ground, gathers faster and survives longer at every stage of the game.
As a new player in co-op, commit to your assigned role and resist the urge to wander off alone to explore. Let more experienced teammates handle complex threats early while you build your understanding of the core systems. Keep the shared fuel stockpile topped up, report low supplies before they become emergencies, and always tell the group where you're going and when to expect you back before heading out on any long trip. The biggest co-op disasters in Permafrost happen when players go silent. For a deep dive into team roles, base sharing and coordination strategy, see our complete Permafrost co-op guide.
⚡ 5 Essential Beginner Tips
- Craft clothing before your first night, even if it's just a basic fur wrap. The difference between clothed and unclothed survival time outdoors is enormous.
- Never let your fire go out. Stockpile more wood than you think you need every single session — running dry at 3am is one of Permafrost's most punishing and avoidable deaths.
- Memorise two or three landmarks near camp so you can always navigate home. A whiteout storm can make a familiar area completely unrecognisable in minutes.
- Your dog reacts before you see the threat. If your companion suddenly becomes agitated, stop moving, look around and prepare for an encounter before proceeding.
- Cook everything before eating it. Raw meat causes illness that stacks on top of cold, hunger and fatigue — compounding problems you're already managing is exactly how deaths cascade.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I stay warm in Permafrost?
Light a campfire and stand near it to restore body heat quickly. Craft fur or hide clothing to slow passive heat loss while you're outdoors. Build or find shelter to block wind, which dramatically accelerates how fast your temperature drops. Before any long trip, warm up fully at your fire so you start every expedition with a complete temperature buffer — never leave camp already cold.
What should I craft first in Permafrost?
Make a stone axe first, then build a campfire, then craft basic clothing from whatever hide or fiber you have. This order gives you faster wood gathering, a reliable heat and cooking source, and passive warmth protection — the three things that keep a beginner alive longest in the early game. Everything else builds on this foundation.
Can beginners play Permafrost in co-op?
Yes — and it's genuinely one of the best ways to learn. A more experienced teammate covers your knowledge gaps while you absorb the systems through play. Assign yourself a single role (gathering, hunting or base upkeep) rather than trying to do everything at once. Keep communicating, stay within range of the group, and avoid solo expeditions until you know the area well. See our co-op guide for full team strategies.