Alpha 5 playtest: dates, servers and new content
Alpha 5 of The Legend of California starts Thursday, November 12, 2026 at 10 AM PT (1 PM EST) and ends Wednesday, November 18 at 10 AM PT (1 PM EST). Kintsugiyama calls it the longest playtest so far. Players from earlier Alphas are let in automatically, and more new players are being invited from the Steam signup list. It is confirmed on the official Steam event page and the studio website.
| Alpha 5 schedule | Pacific time | Eastern time (EST) |
|---|---|---|
| Dev livestream: Doomsday Bunker run | Wed, Nov 11, 10:30 AM PT | Wed, Nov 11, 1:30 PM EST |
| Servers open | Thu, Nov 12, 10 AM PT | Thu, Nov 12, 1 PM EST |
| Servers close | Wed, Nov 18, 10 AM PT | Wed, Nov 18, 1 PM EST |
New content announced for Alpha 5
The November 7 announcement lists four headline additions. Full patch notes had not been published when this page was written, so details may change.
| Feature | Official description, summarized |
|---|---|
| Doomsday Bunker | New endgame content. Collect Intel from Legión Sangre Invasions to locate the bunker; described as the hardest and most rewarding content in the game. |
| Horse traits | Medic horses come to revive you if you whistle while downed; Warhorses speed up after trampling an enemy; Gatherers pick plants as you ride by. |
| Strongholds | Two new Strongholds, Apex Oil Works and Depot, plus an overhauled Modoc and updated rivers. |
| Furniture and Comfort | Sit in chairs and mount fish, weapons and animal heads on walls. Comfort raises maximum health and the chance of extra gold and loot. |
Alpha 5 server names
Server names change every Alpha. The November 10 post lists four PvE servers, Outlander, Desperado, Syndicate and Legión Sangre, and one PvP server, Dire Wolf, where the whole map is PvP. See the co-op and PvP FAQ for how the two rulesets differ.
Watch before it starts
The livestream event says Jeff Kaplan and Tim Ford will run the Doomsday Bunker with Geoff Goodman and Matt Goss on Twitch and YouTube the day before servers open. To be eligible for this or future tests, use Request Access on Steam as described in the joining guide.