Mob Entertainment has launched Escape From Playtime, a co-op survival horror extraction game set in the Poppy Playtime universe, in Steam Early Access on PC, with room for one to eight players.
According to a release, the spin-off is fully canonical. It is set after the Hour of Joy but before the events of Poppy Playtime: Chapter 1, a stretch of the factory's history the series has not shown before. A launch trailer was released alongside the news.
Extraction games send players into a dangerous area to grab what they can and get back out alive; dying usually means losing the haul. Here, each run drops a team into a section of the Playtime Co. factory that changes every time.
Players control the Smiling Critters this time. The toy line, described in the release as ‘cute-yet-disturbing’, was first introduced in Poppy Playtime: Chapter 3. A mysterious Voice sends the Critters out to collect parts and resources for a sanctuary it has promised to loyal toys. Can it be trusted? That is the hook.
“With Escape From Playtime, we wanted to explore a lesser-known chapter of Playtime Co.'s history and give players a completely new perspective on this world,” said Brandon James, Game Director at Mob Entertainment.
James added that the team ‘deliberately made this an experience that newcomers can jump into and enjoy without knowing anything about Poppy Playtime’, while longtime fans get familiar faces and lore links. For new players, the studio has also put out a short “What You Need to Know” video with a timeline and lore overview.
How a run plays out
Rejected Playtime Co. creations stalk the halls, so teams have to search fast. They decide when to split up (or stick together) and when to retreat. Puzzles, clues, tools, hiding spots and alternate routes all feature. The release says the Voice ‘seems to be altering the factory's layout’; in practice, levels are procedurally generated and change with each run.
Proximity voice chat is part of the risk. Talking matters, but according to the release, ‘an irresponsible whisper’ can end a mission. A Mini Mode lets Critters crawl and climb through well-known Poppy Playtime locations at toy scale. Progress and rewards are tracked on an in-game Playtime Web Portal, through the Perm-A-Lounge computer.
What is in Early Access
All eight Smiling Critters are playable at launch, with four unlocked through progression. Support for up to eight players was expanded after community feedback during the Open Beta, the release says. For the first 30 days, players can also claim the Founders' Pack for free; it adds alternate looks for all eight Critters plus other rewards.
Mob Entertainment plans to keep adding areas, enemies, items, cosmetics and gameplay features through the rest of 2026 and into 2027. The roadmap will shift with community feedback.
Escape From Playtime costs $9.99 on Steam, with a 10% launch discount for a limited time. Owners of the free-to-play Poppy Playtime: Chapter 1 get an extra 10% off.
Mob Entertainment was founded in 2015 by brothers Zach and Seth Belanger. The studio created Poppy Playtime, a mascot horror series that debuted in 2021 and that the company calls a ‘multi-million-unit’ franchise. It now grows the brand through new games, original content, publishing, consumer products and live experiences.
The following was sent as a press release to Inven Global.
