Xbox Game Studios’ Towerborne moves from free-to-play to paid

Try before you buy?

Xbox Game Studios’ Towerborne will head from free-to-play to paid next month, also offering up a “massive” update, according to developer Stoic.

The side-scrolling action RPG brawler was first added to Steam Early Access in September 2024 before being added to Xbox Game Pass back in April 2025. The full access release of Towerborne comes with a $24.99 USD price tag, or $29.99 USD for its Deluxe Edition.

The new premium-priced title will offer up a big update at that transition point, 26 February, which adds “a complete story & final showdown” alongside a “fully reworked difficulty system”, new world map, new challenges, and more. Additionally, the title will also be available on PS5, in a first.

“With this full game update, Towerborne shifts from its original vision as a free-to-play, always online title into a buy once, offline game – you will own the complete experience permanently, with offline play and online co-op,” Stoic said in an update on Xbox Wire.

“We’ve removed ongoing monetization mechanics and focused on a rich, story-driven campaign plus re-playable co-op content,” Stoic continued. “After listening to our community during Early Access and Game Preview, we learned players wanted a complete, polished experience without ongoing monetization mechanics. Moving to a premium model lets us deliver the full game upfront—no live-service grind, no pay-to-win systems—just the best version of Towerborne.”

An associated FAQ asserted that those who’re playing the free-to-play release won’t lose any progress or in-game earned items, but also that players are encouraged to start a fresh save to experience the new content.

Towerborne is currently available on Windows PC, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Series X. It will add a PS5 release to that list from 26 February, when the game goes from free-to-play to priced.