The Guild – Europa 1410
The Guild – Europa 1410 — now officially titled The Guild 1 Remake: Europa 1410 — is a medieval economic simulation and dynasty-builder, the reboot of THQ Nordic's long-running The Guild series from developer Ashborne Games. It opens in Steam Early Access on 17 September 2026 — pushed back from 16 July — with a free demo on Steam right now. You found a fledgling dynasty with only a modest business, master trade and production, and climb the social ladder through a city's politics and intrigue. This page tracks everything confirmed so far — the release date, the demo, the Early Access roadmap, the six cities and eight professions at launch, and the core gameplay — for both longtime fans of the series and newcomers to the genre.
Overview
The short version: The Guild – Europa 1410 is an immersive economic simulation and life sim set in a single 15th-century city in medieval Europe. You don't command an army — you run a household and grow it into a dynasty.
The core gameplay loop is easy to describe and deep to play. You pick a profession and start a business, then trade and produce goods to build wealth. As money comes in you marry, raise children and found a dynasty — a family line you steer across generations. To bend the city's rules in your favour you climb the social ladder into political office, using strategic alliances, open rivalry, clever schemes, and sometimes outright crime. When your character dies, an heir takes over and play continues.
It should suit fans of simulation and strategy games — and management or "tycoon" players who like deep systems — while the demo and a gentle opening aim to welcome newcomers. What makes it notable is the pedigree: an anticipated reboot of The Guild, drawing inspiration from the 2002 original Europa 1400, built around personal, intimate play rather than grand conquest.
Fast facts
Updates
Six days before launch, Ashborne Games has published the Early Access roadmap it promised back in July. The build that opens on 17 September starts with eight professions — Smith, Tailor, Joiner, Stonemason, Priest, Innkeeper, Alchemist and Perfumer — and six cities: Kuttenberg, Graz, Nuremberg, Wrocław, Freiburg and the tutorial city Landsfort Herle. You can play in English or German, and text localisation for French, Spanish, Czech, Polish, Russian and Simplified Chinese is confirmed for later. New in the Early Access build is a first take on automation: make a family member the master of one of your businesses and it runs production for you. Three big updates follow, none of them dated yet. The Stabby Update adds the Thief, Robber and Guard and overhauls combat and duels. The Backstabby Update brings multiplayer for up to 12 players, rivalries and alliances, a deeper city economy and a new city picked by community poll. The 1.0 release adds the Moneylender and the Trader, a brand-new map, guild gameplay and one more voted-in city. The game has also passed 300,000 wishlists. One loose end: the Early Access FAQ on the Steam page still says “4 cities and 11 professions” — the roadmap is the newer statement. Still missing: a price and a launch hour.
The Early Access date is holding — Steam reads 17 Sep, 2026 and the store counts down about three weeks — but three things Ashborne said would land before it still have not. There is no price: the store carries no price entry at all, and the Early Access FAQ only promises “during Early Access, we will offer the game at a discount. The price will increase for the final version of the game.” The store still lists English as the only language for interface, audio and subtitles, while the July update promised “Support for several languages, some text only, some including voice-overs” — and the studio has separately confirmed that Aart Veder returns as the German narrator, so at least one voice track is planned. And the roadmap Ashborne said it would publish “before the Early Access release” is not out. What has landed: full system requirements (a Core i5-10400 or Ryzen 5 3600 and an RTX 2060 at minimum, 16 GB of RAM either way) and confirmation that the demo will be brought up to the Early Access build on the 17th.
THQ Nordic has finally put a day on it: Early Access opens on 17 September 2026, four weeks after the announcement. The game picks up a new name at the same time and is now called The Guild 1 Remake: Europa 1410. The demo gets updated on the same day, so its content matches the Early Access build.
THQ Nordic and Ashborne Games released a new overview/gameplay trailer at the THQ Nordic Digital Showcase. Early Access remains set for September 2026 (no exact day yet), still Steam-only.
On 22 July, Ashborne Games shipped the demo’s first major update. It adds a new onboarding map — Herle, in Brabant — with a guided, goal-based tutorial for newcomers, plus reworked building-highlight overlays and filters and new worker animations.
Ashborne Games and THQ Nordic moved the Early Access launch back after demo feedback, taking extra time to develop the game further. The September build adds a new city that doubles as a tutorial area, UI improvements, better animations for workers and citizens, and support for several more languages — most of it landing in the demo at the same time. No exact day in September has been given yet.
THQ Nordic confirmed its Digital Showcase returns on 7 August 2026 at 21:00 CEST, streaming on YouTube, Twitch and Steam, with The Guild — Europa 1410 among the confirmed line-up alongside Titan Quest II, Wreckfest 2, Fatekeeper, Expeditions: Samurai, The Eternal Life of Goldman and Way of the Hunter 2. The publisher is skipping gamescom 2026 altogether: a spokesperson said on 8 July that it lacks “showable titles” for a booth, pointing out that The Guild is already reachable through its demo and, soon, Early Access. That makes the August showcase the most likely place for the exact September date to land — though nothing has been promised.
A free demo launches as part of Steam Next Fest: June 2026 Edition. It drops you into Kuttenberg with one of three professions — alchemist, smith or innkeeper — for a short, capped run, a first taste of the Early Access build. It is English-only for now.
THQ Nordic and Ashborne Games confirmed the Early Access launch for 16 July 2026 on PC via Steam, and announced the demo for 15 June. The launch build covers four cities, eleven professions and the dynasty and politics systems.
A cities dev diary and a Cities & Environment trailer introduced the four launch cities — Kuttenberg, Nuremberg, Graz and Wrocław — and how each is split into districts and quarters you develop over time, from city walls and gates to marketplaces and fountains.
A dev diary laid out the dynasty systems: courting a spouse with gifts and charm, marriage, raising children as heirs and naming a successor so the game continues across generations after your character dies.
A dev diary covered the law as both threat and tool — the Treasurer office that sets taxes and fees, the Inquisitor that pursues crimes like kidnapping and blackmail, and a court where you can use evidence, frame rivals or buy absolution.
A dev diary walked through the eleven professions — including the Joiner, the eleventh — and the lawful and criminal ways to make a fortune. It also announced the first closed gameplay test.
The first developer diary, "From Craftsman to Tycoon," set out Ashborne Games' pitch for the reboot: a return to the personal, one-family-in-one-city feel of the original rather than another empire builder.
THQ Nordic revealed The Guild – Europa 1410 at its 2025 digital showcase, a reboot built by Ashborne Games that goes back to the roots of the original Europa 1400: The Guild. The game went straight onto Steam for wishlisting.
With those milestones in mind, here's everything confirmed for the Early Access build.
The Guild 1 Remake: Europa 1410 screenshots
Screenshots via the game’s Steam store page · © their respective rights holders.
What's confirmed
Everything below is what THQ Nordic and Ashborne Games have shown or stated for the Early Access build that opens on 17 September 2026 — a guild game built to keep offering engaging gameplay to both longtime fans and new players. Anything they haven't pinned down sits under "not confirmed yet" at the end.
A dynasty, not an empire
A dynasty is your family line — the heirs you raise and the succession you secure across generations. You begin at the head of a fledgling dynasty with only a modest business, and your journey begins there. As the years pass and your enterprise grows, you expand your family's influence and secure a succession so your legacy endures for future generations. The Guild has always been about a single family — its family members, its rivalries, its dynasty's future — in one city rather than painting a map, and Europa 1410 leans back into that.
A return to the 1400 roots
Ashborne Games describes this as drawing inspiration from the 2002 original, Europa 1400: The Guild, rather than continuing from The Guild 3. As in every The Guild game, craft and trade stay among the core pillars, while the studio layers in innovative new features for both longtime fans of the guild series and newcomers — offering engaging gameplay either way. The setting is medieval Europe: the 15th-century Holy Roman Empire, the year 1410 placing it on the cusp of a turbulent, revolution-shadowed era, rendered as a living historic city in Unreal Engine 5.
Six cities to rise in
Early Access opens with six cities: Kuttenberg, Nuremberg, Graz, Wrocław, Freiburg and Landsfort Herle, the tutorial city. Each one has its own properties and challenges depending on your profession, and two more are planned on the way to 1.0 — both picked by community poll. Each historic city is divided into districts — its neighbourhoods — and those into smaller quarters that grow over time; a district can begin on the outskirts and gain its own walls and gates, and as you invest, the landscape transforms with new districts, bustling marketplaces and ever more intricate architecture. Holding the relevant office lets you shape that growth, building walls, fountains, marketplaces and pillories, while a quarter's reputation, crime and filth have a significant impact on daily life. The most prestigious and powerful offices place you among the other office holders who steer the city.
Eight trades at launch, more on the way
A profession is the trade your household runs — its building, its busy workshops and its income. Each profession offers its own upgrades and a unique gameplay experience as you master trade and production and push your business growth toward becoming the city's most influential magnate. Eight are fully playable from the first day of Early Access, and five more are on the roadmap:
- Smith, Stonemason and Joiner — metal, stone and woodwork
- Tailor and Perfumer — clothing and scents
- Alchemist, Priest and Innkeeper — potions, the pulpit and the tavern
- Coming with the Stabby Update: Thief, Robber and Guard — the underworld, and the law that chases it
- Coming with 1.0: Moneylender and Trader — loans, currency exchange and long-distance trade
Early Access also brings a first take on automation: make a family member the master of one of your businesses and it handles production while you collect the profits — as long as that relative has joined the guild of your trade. Once the Stabby Update lands, players who prefer alternative ways to make money get a more thrilling path: criminal action such as cart robberies, scouting buildings for valuable loot, pickpocketing unsuspecting citizens, even kidnapping people for ransom — high risk for great rewards.
Politics, from burgher to prince
Money alone won't give you a voice in the town hall. Political offices are the posts you can hold — from local roles up to the highest offices — and they let you set the rules others live by. To climb the social ladder you have to engage the intricate political landscape — a complex web of relationships with your fellow citizens — pairing business success with strategic alliances, open rivalry and clever schemes. Players rise through eight social titles, from Burgher to Prince of the Empire, where law abiding citizens and schemers alike vie for the same offices. Your own actions, lawful or not, can significantly advance a dynasty — or undo it.
Crime, courts and the law
The law is a tool as much as a threat — sometimes it's just the tool you need. Hold the Treasurer's office to set taxes, rents and fees, or the Inquisitor's to maintain order and pursue crimes such as kidnapping and blackmail. Crimes leave evidence that can be used in court, and you can drag a rival before a judge, plant evidence, charm the bench, or simply buy your way to absolution.
Solo or with friends
You can build a dynasty alone or share a city with others: online multiplayer will support up to twelve players, competing or working together. Note the timing — the Early Access launch is single-player, and multiplayer arrives with the second big update, the Backstabby Update, together with rivalries, alliances and new victory conditions. Either way, Europa 1410 is at heart an immersive economic simulation where the aim is to found a dynasty and, in time, dominate history.
The road to 1.0
Ashborne published its Early Access roadmap on 11 September 2026. Regular patches with fixes and balancing run throughout, but three big updates change how the game plays — none of them has a date yet, and the full release is still targeted for summer 2027.
Early Access
17 Sep 2026 · 8 trades, 6 cities
Stabby Update
Thief, Robber, Guard · combat
Backstabby Update
Multiplayer up to 12 · new city
1.0 release
Moneylender, Trader · new map
The Stabby Update also adds more dynasty customisation and lets you rename children and buildings; the first extra languages are planned for it too. The Backstabby Update pairs multiplayer with a bigger economy built around the city's needs. The 1.0 release adds guild gameplay and improvements to crime, punishment and family life.
Is it for you?
A quick read on who this Early Access build is likely to land with, and what is still an open question before you decide to buy.
- Early access on 17 September 2026, PC via Steam
- Free demo live now in Kuttenberg, three professions
- Six cities at launch, incl. Freiburg and the tutorial city Landsfort Herle
- Eight professions at launch and eight social titles
- English and German at launch, six more text languages planned
- Single-player at launch; multiplayer for up to 12 in a later update
- A published roadmap: three big updates on the way to 1.0
- Dynasty, marriage and succession over generations
- Price
- Full 1.0 release date
- Console versions (PlayStation, Xbox, Switch)
- Mac or Linux support
- How long early access will run
- Dates for the three roadmap updates
- The launch hour on 17 September
Still weighing it up? The questions players ask most are answered below.
FAQ
When does The Guild – Europa 1410 release?
It enters Steam Early Access on 17 September 2026 for PC — moved back from 16 July 2026, which the studio announced on 9 July. No launch hour has been announced. A full 1.0 release is targeted for summer 2027 but is not locked in; Early Access is meant to tune the trade, politics and family systems with player feedback first.
What kind of game is The Guild – Europa 1410?
It's a medieval life-and-business game — an immersive economic simulation in the long-running guild series. You begin a fledgling dynasty with only a modest business, master trade and production to grow it, and climb the social ladder toward the city's most prestigious and powerful offices.
Is there a demo, and what's in it?
Yes. A free demo is live on Steam. It launched for Steam Next Fest: June 2026 Edition and has stayed up since. It lets you pick one of three professions — alchemist, smith or innkeeper — and play a short, capped run in the city of Kuttenberg. It is English-only for now. (THQ Nordic's own pages have given the turn limit as both 14 and 17.) The studio has said the demo will be updated to match the Early Access build on 17 September.
What platforms is it on?
PC (Windows) via Steam is the only confirmed platform. Console versions may follow later, but nothing has been announced.
What languages will it support?
At launch you can play in English or German — the Steam store lists full audio for English and interface and subtitles for German. The 11 September 2026 roadmap confirms text localisation for French, Spanish, Czech, Polish, Russian and Simplified Chinese during Early Access, starting with the Stabby Update, though the studio won't promise all of them arrive at once. The demo is English-only.
How much will it cost?
No price has been announced yet for either Early Access or the eventual full release — as of 11 September 2026 the Steam store still lists none. The studio's Early Access FAQ only says the game will be discounted during Early Access and cost more at 1.0.
Is it a sequel to The Guild 3?
Not exactly. It's a reboot of the guild series, drawing inspiration from the original Europa 1400: The Guild rather than continuing from The Guild 3, and it's made by a different studio, Ashborne Games.
Who is making it?
Czech studio Ashborne Games is developing it, with THQ Nordic publishing. The same team previously made Last Train Home.
Can you play it with friends?
Not at launch. The Early Access build that opens on 17 September is single-player. Multiplayer for up to twelve players — competing or playing together — arrives with the Backstabby Update, the second of three big Early Access updates, which has no date yet.
What's on the Early Access roadmap?
Three big updates on the way to 1.0, none dated yet. The Stabby Update adds the Thief, Robber and Guard and overhauls combat and duels. The Backstabby Update adds multiplayer for up to 12 players, rivalries and alliances, a bigger city economy and a new city chosen by community poll. The 1.0 release adds the Moneylender and the Trader, a brand-new map, guild gameplay and one more voted-in city. Smaller patches ship in between.
Last updated 11 September 2026. Sources: the official The Guild – Europa 1410 Steam store and demo listings, the Steam roadmap post “The Road to 1.0” (11 September 2026), THQ Nordic's official game site and developer diaries (professions, crime & law, dynasty, cities), the Steam Next Fest schedule and THQ Nordic / Ashborne Games announcements. We list only what the studio and publisher have stated; open questions stay under "not confirmed yet."