Free Lives’ over-the-top physics brawler Stick It to the Stickman will exit Steam Early Access on September 23, 2026, bringing its satirical office-warfare sandbox to a full 1.0 release. The South African studio behind Broforce and Gorn launched the stick-figure combat game into Early Access in August 2025, and it has spent the past thirteen months layering in new jobs, weapons, and game modes shaped by community feedback.
The premise is deliberately absurd: players fight their way up a corporate skyscraper, battling waves of rival stickmen using an arsenal that ranges from staple guns and chainsaws to fireballs and jackhammers. Every floor introduces a different department — marketing, manufacturing, a science center — each with its own gameplay twists. The 1.0 update is expected to round out the remaining corporate divisions, including a doomsday bunker and a corporate-lobbying finale, completing the satirical climb from mailroom intern to corner-office supremacy.
What sets Stick It to the Stickman apart from other physics brawlers is its commitment to letting players experiment. There are currently twenty playable classes spread across four game modes, including solo runs, local couch co-op, and online co-op through Steam Remote Play. Each class brings a distinct set of attacks and abilities, and the roguelite structure means no two runs feel identical. The studio has leaned heavily on its Discord community and Steam forums to refine balance and introduce new content, treating Early Access as a genuine collaboration rather than a soft launch.
For Steam players who have been waiting for the full version, the September 23 date marks the end of what Free Lives described as roughly a twelve-month development window. The game is currently available at a thirty-percent discount during its Early Access sale, though the studio has noted that the price will increase as more content lands. If the studio’s track record with Broforce and Gorn is any indication, the 1.0 build should deliver a polished, chaotic experience that rewards both solo players and groups looking for something ridiculous to play together.
Stick It to the Stickman is available now in Steam Early Access, with the full launch scheduled for September 23, 2026.
Jordan Hayes covers PC gaming news, hardware, and the ever-changing Steam ecosystem for SteamGamer.net. He believes some of gaming’s biggest stories are hiding in patch notes, performance charts, and suspiciously quiet price changes. When he isn’t investigating what developers or GPU manufacturers are doing, he is probably starting another roguelike run he insists will be his last.
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