You are a Prospector based aboard Prospect Station, sent by its factions to Fortuna III. Choose your gear and destination, then take on missions and search the planet for resources and valuable loot. Explore three maps while hostile wildlife, other Prospectors, and a radioactive Storm threaten each expedition. You can play solo or in a group of up to three, and decide when to fight, avoid danger, or make for extraction. Escape with your loot to keep it; if you are eliminated, your gear and collected loot are left behind. Back at the station, use resources to craft or buy equipment and improve your quarters. Completing faction jobs raises faction levels and unlocks better gear; weapon attachments let you tailor your arsenal, while faction campaigns unlock access to Tharis Island.
Drop onto alien Fortuna III to gather loot, face monsters and rival Prospectors, and escape with your haul intact.
The Cycle: Frontier is a free-to-play PvPvE Extraction Shooter driven by suspense and danger. Prospect for resources and other riches on an abandoned alien world ravaged by a deadly storm, inhabited by monsters and other ambitious Prospectors.
You are a Prospector based aboard Prospect Station, sent by its factions to Fortuna III. Choose your gear and destination, then take on missions and search the planet for resources and valuable loot.
Explore three maps while hostile wildlife, other Prospectors, and a radioactive Storm threaten each expedition. You can play solo or in a group of up to three, and decide when to fight, avoid danger, or make for extraction. Escape with your loot to keep it; if you are eliminated, your gear and collected loot are left behind.
Back at the station, use resources to craft or buy equipment and improve your quarters. Completing faction jobs raises faction levels and unlocks better gear; weapon attachments let you tailor your arsenal, while faction campaigns unlock access to Tharis Island.
In the supplied reviews, players often fondly recall the tense mix of gathering loot, fighting alien creatures and other players, and trying to extract safely. They also praise Fortuna III’s atmosphere, maps, and sound, along with combat and movement that many found enjoyable and approachable. Cheaters and the game’s shutdown recur as sources of frustration; some reviewers also point to balance, content, or progression concerns.
Full Game Details
From the Devs
THE CYCLE: FRONTIER WILL SHUT DOWN ON SEPTEMBER 27, 2023.
Making this decision was very difficult for us, but ultimately it was a necessary one. You can find more information about this, as well as refunds, our final patch, and any questions you may have in the Steam announcement section.
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You’re a Prospector living aboard Prospect Station orbiting the dangerous alien planet known as Fortuna III. The powerful factions running the Station often send you on missions in search of resources and precious loot. Choose the gear and weapons best suited to your goals, pick your destination and within mere seconds you’re dropping down onto the surface, ready for adventure. Be prepared for Prospectors like you out there, with their own goals and agenda.
GREATER RISKS YIELD GREATER REWARDS
Which jobs to tackle and where to explore is entirely up to you but keep your guard up: Fortuna III is a dangerous place! Your goal is to survive and escape to the station with whatever loot you’ve managed to acquire, picked up from the ground or taken by force. The risks are yours to take. Falling prey to the planet’s dangers will see your body encased in protective foam, with your loot and equipped gear left behind – but should you manage to escape, ka-ching!
Other players will also be wandering each of the three available maps. They have their own agendas and are likely armed to the teeth. Fights are tough and can end quickly, so be sure to trust your eyes and ears, use the terrain and pick your fights carefully – sometimes it’s best to talk your way out of a sticky situation. Other players aren’t the only threat though, as packs of hostile aliens and a supercharged radioactive Storm try their best to bring your forays to a premature end.
A WORLD OF TREACHEROUS BEAUTY
Three locations are currently available in-game, each with their own rich environment, dangers, and secrets to discover. Bright Sands is where most Prospectors will earn their first stripes. Many abandoned human structures found there can be searched for crafting materials and other loot. The local fauna is aggressive but not quite as dangerous as in other locations.
Crescent Falls is the largest map, with very diverse biomes ranging from desert to jungle. The wildlife is considerably more dangerous, but the valuable loot makes it all worthwhile. This is also where higher level missions happen, which include calling a giant laser drill for big profit and, for the dungeon-delvers among you, exploring the Crusher Caverns.
Tharis Island is the newest map introduced with Season 2. It’s a small remote island host to labyrinthian cave systems, full of secrets, highly valuable materials and, of course, highly dangerous wildlife. Expeditions to the island are no walk in the park and players will have to gain experience first and unlock access through the faction campaigns. The depths of Tharis Island offer the most tense and challenging version of The Cycle: Frontier yet – the highest risks for the highest rewards!
PROSPECTING ISN'T EVERYTHING
Whether in an escape shuttle with a backpack full of riches or covered in foam and bare of your belongings, each trip to the surface will see you back home – Prospect Station. This is where all that precious loot can be put to good use: buying and crafting better gear and upgrading your private quarters. New jobs and missions from the three factions are also available. The more of those you complete, the higher your faction levels, giving you access to better gear. Special faction campaigns are a great way to learn more about the world of The Cycle: Frontier – especially after a significant expansion in Season 2.
In addition to the standard issue Co-Tec weapons, you can unlock more powerful gear from the faction arsenal over time, all the way to legendary weapons like the infamous Zeus Beam. You can further modify weapons with a variety of attachments to fit your needs and play style. These range from a simple flashlight, to expanded magazines, armor penetration mods and more. Finally, a new way to add powerful perks to your weapons and equipment lies buried in the depths of Tharis Island, waiting to be discovered!
WHAT'S NEW IN SEASON 3?
The latest season for The Cycle: Frontier comes with an array of changes and additions. Keep an eye on the skies as the monstrous Howler makes a landing on Fortuna III and steel yourself for a tough fight as the factions ask you to face the new threat head-on and explore their nests. Wander the streets of an updated Prospect Station and fill your arsenal with a collection of Mk 2 weapons. Finally, advance your prospecting career in an environment where every choice and action matters in the long run. After all, mandatory wipes are a thing of the past!
FEATURES
Challenging, high stakes PvP encounters
Tense extraction gameplay – players lose loot and gear on “death”, but keep all loot on successful extraction
Three unique playable maps to explore
Play solo, as a duo or in a squad of three
Near-instant matchmaking thanks to persistent map instances
Multi-faceted progression system
Elaborate gear customization system
Deep material and crafting system
Season pass with free and premium levels (Fortuna Pass)
In-match Voice chat
Cross-play between Steam and Epic Games Store
Back of the Box
Platforms
Windows
Age ratings
USK 16
ClassInd (Brazil) L — Violência fantasiosa
KGRB 18 — 폭력성 (Violence)
Steam (Germany) 6 — Fantasy-Gewalt
Players
1–3
Play modes
Online co-op
Online PvP
Persistent world
Drop-in/drop-out
Other modes
Solo play
Duos
Three-player squads
PvPvE extraction matches
Persistent map instances
Cross-play between Steam and Epic Games Store
In-match voice chat
Multiplayer
The game supports online multiplayer with PvPvE extraction gameplay on persistent map instances. Official text states players can play solo, as a duo, or in squads of three, indicating 1 to 3 players per party. Steam lists both Online PvP and Online Co-op, and the game includes cross-play between Steam and Epic Games Store plus in-match voice chat.
Multiplayer & mods
No multiplayer mod support is described in the provided official text. A user review references unofficial projects after shutdown, but this is not official evidence of supported modding.
Controller required
No
DRM / EULA
Incorporates 3rd-party DRM: BattlEye
Requires agreement to a 3rd-party EULA The Cycle EULA
