Quick Answer

The Legend of California Alpha 4 is scheduled to run from September 17 at 10:00 AM PT through September 21 at 10:00 AM PT. The test is handled through Steam’s playtest Request Access flow: previous Alpha participants are announced to return automatically, while more new players are expected to be invited from the Steam signup list. Requesting access does not guarantee admission, and the reviewed official sources do not confirm that the test is free.

Alpha 4 dates and access

Kintsugiyama’s Alpha 4 announcement, published August 15, 2026, gives the current schedule:

  • Start: Thursday, September 17 at 10:00 AM PT
  • End: Monday, September 21 at 10:00 AM PT

The developer says anyone who played the previous Alpha is automatically welcomed back when the servers go live. It also plans to invite more new players from the Steam signup list.

How the Steam playtest request works

The current Steam page shows Request Access and says Steam will notify you when the developer is ready for more participants. That makes Steam the official route for a new-player request, not an automatic admission button.

The current official pages do not establish free access, a guaranteed invitation, a complete region list, or a specific selection method for Alpha 4. Treat any request as an expression of interest until Steam or Kintsugiyama confirms access for your account.

What Alpha 4 is testing

The announcement presents Alpha 4 as another development test, with more content and systems being worked on since the last Alpha. The notable changes include:

  • the new Rattlesnake Junction Stronghold;
  • rebuilt coastline stretches around Big Sur, Monterey, and Mendocino;
  • the start of some endgame systems, including item quality and new rare and legendary items;
  • Sangre Élite occupying Strongholds, including lower tiers;
  • additional clothing, furniture, and tent customization;
  • new Player Challenges, weather updates, mining improvements, and improved climbing; and
  • improvements to Build Mode and the player ping system, whose UI the developer still describes as temporary.

These are Alpha 4 test contents. They should not be read as a final feature list or a promise about launch balance, performance, or permanence.

Strongholds and early endgame systems

Rattlesnake Junction is the named new Stronghold. Kintsugiyama also says Strongholds can be invaded and occupied by Sangre Élite, while Outlaw Strongbox and Contraband Cache events can temporarily take over Tier 2+ Strongholds. Those details describe the Alpha 4 test environment; they do not establish a universal route or an optimal activity order.

The developer describes Alpha 4 as the start of some endgame systems. Item quality, improved endgame items, and new legendary and rare items are the specific examples listed in the announcement. A complete endgame specification has not been published.

Progress, reset, and what remains unknown

The current Alpha 4 announcement does not say whether progress will be wiped at the end of the test or carried into another test or the eventual launch. It also does not establish a full region, language, server, reward, or technical-access matrix for this test.

The Steam listing still marks the game Coming soon and describes an online multiplayer action-survival FPS in development. Alpha 4 is therefore not the final version of the product, and its systems may change.

Official access next step

Use the official Steam Playtest page to request access or check the current notification state. For schedule and feature changes, follow Kintsugiyama’s Alpha 4 announcement and official updates index.