Fans hoping to get their hands on The Long Dark, a much-anticipated survival game, should be pleased to hear that the game will be available this September on Steam Early Access.

Early Access players will get to try out the game’s Sandbox mode, although the Story mode will be reserved for the full release some time in the future.

The Episodic Story mode tells the story of bush pilot Will Mackenzie, who crash lands deep in the Northern Canadian wilderness in the aftermath of a geomagnetic disaster. He has to survive long enough to understand the profound ways in which the world has just changed. This episodic story experience is layered atop the rich simulation found in the Survival Sandbox.

In order to preserve the quality of the Story mode game experience, and to avoid spoilers, we’re holding off on releasing the first Story Mode episodes until the game’s proper launch. But the Sandbox Mode is a great place to start playing around with the game’s Survival mechanics, and to see what kind of a survivor you’re going to be.

You can learn more about The Long Dark at www.intothelongdark.com