Read This First: The Sea Is the Timer
Escape the Flood! has no published XP table or level cap. Progression is the escape itself — and the character editor’s levels that unlock new styles — so this guide teaches the race, not a grind, and says plainly where no number has been published.
Escape the Flood! is a first-person co-op survival crafting game from Platuro and Orys, published by Frosthain. It entered Steam Early Access on November 11, 2026, with a 15% launch discount running through November 26, 2026, per the launch coverage.
You wash ashore with up to nine friends — one to ten players in total — and the sea is already climbing. Split up, gather what you can, craft a raft and get everyone on board before the water takes the last hill, per the Steam page. Or play solo, and the whole boat is yours.
The Flood: Beach First, Highest Hill Last
The beach floods first and the highest hill floods last, per the Steam page — so the map itself tells you how much time is left. High ground is safety and low ground is a deadline: plan your gathering route uphill, and never let the crew scatter so far that the last stragglers cannot reach the boat.
Weather and surges complicate the clock, and sharks patrol the water around the sinking island, per the Steam page and the MMODude game page. Staying in the water too long gets you targeted, so the flood is not the only reason to stay dry — the escape is a race against the sea and everything in it.
Gathering and Crafting: Wood, Fiber and Coconuts
Gather first, build second. Grab driftwood, logs and palm fronds, per the Steam page, and fell trees for more wood — tree felling, coconuts, swimming and diving are all in the Early Access build, per the store page. Palms carry coconuts: knock one down, crack it into a Broken Coconut to eat and heal, or craft coconuts into Fiber, per the developer’s update notes.
Fiber is the early bottleneck the notes describe — on the starting island, coconuts are where your Fiber comes from. Crafting, sailing and rowing are in, and the character editor has levels that unlock new styles, per the store page — but no XP table, level list or cap has been published, so the levels are a side track, not the goal.
The Escape: Two Islands, One Boat
There are two islands in the Early Access build, each generated from a seed and played in order, per the store page. A full run is playable from start to finish: gather, craft, build a boat and reach the open sea before each island floods — and escaping the first island unlocks the second.
The crew systems decide whether the boat leaves full. Revives with ghosts and shrines work in multiplayer, proximity voice chat keeps the crew coordinated, friendly fire is always on, and a captain system organises the boat, per the store page. Difficulty levels and controller support are in, and you can play in first or third person. Our Escape the Flood! Farming Guide covers the resources worth grabbing first.
Common Mistakes
- Gathering on the beach after the water has started climbing — the beach floods first.
- Forgetting coconuts: on the starting island they are the source of Fiber, and a Broken Coconut is also food.
- Lingering in the water — sharks patrol it, and staying in too long gets you targeted.
- Scattering the crew so far that stragglers cannot reach the boat in time.
- Chasing a published level cap or XP table — none has been published; the escape is the progression.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many players can play Escape the Flood! together?
One to ten players in online co-op through Steam or on a local network. You wash ashore with up to nine friends, and the Early Access build has two islands to play on.
Are there sharks?
Yes — sharks patrol the water around the sinking island, so the escape is not just a race against the rising sea. Staying in the water too long gets you targeted.
When did Escape the Flood! enter Early Access?
November 11, 2026, on Steam, with a 15% launch discount through November 26, 2026. How long Early Access lasts depends on what the developers learn from players, so no end date has been given.
Sources
Checked November 12, 2026. Game systems change with patches, so confirm numbers in game.
- MMODude: Escape the Flood! (EA Nov 11, 2026, 1–10 players, two islands, sharks, no verified listing)
- Steam: Escape the Flood! (two islands in order, tree felling, coconuts, revives, captain system, full-run playable)
- GameSpark: Escape the Flood! ~Flood Survival~ Hits Steam Early Access (Nov 12, 2026, 15% off to Nov 26)
- SteamDB: Escape the Flood! (release Nov 11, 2026, Early Access, app 4981810)