Netherak Demons goes live in open beta on March 11, 2026. The dark fantasy onchain RPG developed by Netherak Entertainment will be accessible through the Epic Games Store starting at 2 PM UTC, giving players their first unrestricted access to the Web3 title. A prize pool, NFTs, and whitelist spots are confirmed as part of the beta reward structure, though specific breakdowns of how they will be distributed will be shared in the days ahead.

The announcement marks a significant milestone for the project, which had been building toward a February mainnet launch on Somnia Network before the open beta on Epic became the next major public touchpoint. The studio's tagline accompanying the news, "a reckoning rises against mankind," reinforces the game's lore premise: players take control of demons, not heroes, working to reclaim dominance over the ruined realm of Imuran.

Demons, Souls, and Onchain Gear

Netherak Demons is a dark action RPG where players take on the role of a rising demon, carving a path of destruction through cursed realms to reclaim a lost throne. The game features fast-paced, skill-based combat with two launch classes: the Ravager, a melee powerhouse, and the Soulbinder, a ranged summoner using fire magic. Chainplay Combat rewards timing and movement, with progression built around extracting resources from defeated enemies rather than standard loot drops.

Core resources like fear, pain, and tears are harvested from enemies and used to craft weapons, unlock new zones, and push deeper into hostile territory. Juice Gaming News Players build out their demon through armor sets, rare weapons, and skill trees, all of which evolve through direct gameplay. Cursed tomes scattered throughout the world unlock exclusive content and campaign chapters that deepen the lore of Imuran. Juice Gaming News As progression deepens, players gain access to forbidden zones, take on elite human champions, and participate in a player-run marketplace where every item is on-chain, earned, minted, and tradable.

Netherak Demons follows a free-to-play model and will launch with full marketplace functionality, with gear, cosmetics, and crafted items tokenized from day one. Juice Gaming News

Somnia Powers the Onchain Economy

The game is being built on Somnia, a high-speed Layer-1 blockchain launched in 2024 by the Virtual Society Foundation. The chain is backed by Improbable, known for powering large-scale multiplayer games with SpatialOS. Somnia claims to process over 1 million transactions per second with sub-second finality and negligible fees. Juice Gaming News

Netherak Demons joined Somnia's Dream Catalyst accelerator in April 2025, a six-month program run jointly by Somnia and web3 publisher Uprising Labs. The accelerator provides studios with funding, technical tools, mentorship, and go-to-market support. Sequence is also part of the infrastructure stack, handling smart wallets and Unity and Unreal SDK integrations for the project. The combination of these three partners gives the game a production-grade Web3 backbone without requiring players to manage complex wallet setups from the start.

The Epic Games Store listing confirms blockchain, NFT, and cryptocurrency integration, with all in-game transactions and marketplace activity handled by the publisher. In keeping with Epic's blockchain guidelines, the game will not use the platform's own payment system for any NFT or token-related purchases.

About Somnia and the Uprising Labs Ecosystem

Somnia's Dream Catalyst program has been expanding rapidly, with its roster including Maelstrom Rise, a naval combat multiplayer title published by Uprising Labs, as well as card game Dark Table and roguelite Masks of the Void. The accelerator was backed with $10 million to support game studios building on-chain experiences. Netherak Demons is among its highest-profile titles, combining a full standalone ARPG experience with onchain ownership layers rather than building blockchain mechanics as the central product.

Blockchain features like item ownership and marketplace support are integrated through Somnia, but the game works as a full standalone ARPG even without them. W3Gamer That approach, prioritizing playable depth first and Web3 features second, has been central to how Somnia and Uprising Labs have positioned their accelerator titles for mainstream appeal.

Post-launch, the studio has confirmed new acts, additional quest lines, new classes, and seasonal content updates. Console support is planned after the initial PC release. With the open beta now confirmed for March 11, players can download the game through the Epic Games Store and compete for the prize pool rewards from the first day the servers open.