Questions and answers

Release, price and stores

When does Alchemess come out?

Thursday 17 September 2026, at 16:00 UTC. It is a full release rather than Early Access, and it arrives on Steam and the Epic Games Store on the same day, worldwide.

What time does it unlock in my time zone?

16:00 UTC on 17 September 2026 — 09:00 in Los Angeles, 12:00 in New York, 17:00 in London, 18:00 in Berlin and Paris, 23:00 in Bangkok, and 01:00 on 18 September in Tokyo, 02:00 in Sydney.

How much does it cost?

US$5.99, with a 10% discount during launch week. Regional pricing follows Steam's recommended matrix, so the price in your currency may differ.

Where can I buy it?

Steam and the Epic Games Store, both on launch day. The Epic page is not public yet. Buying on either store gets you the same game, and the two can play together.

Is it Early Access?

No. Alchemess launches as a finished, full release.

Playing it

What do you actually do in Alchemess?

You tidy an alchemist's potion shop. 2,080 numbered bottles are scattered across the floor, and each one belongs in exactly one of 26 themed shelves — read the label, find the shelf, set it down. Correct placements lock in permanently.

How long is it?

As long as you like. Clearing all 26 shelves is dozens of hours; most people tidy for an hour and leave the rest for tomorrow. The shop autosaves every ten seconds, so stopping costs nothing.

Can I lose?

Not in single-player or co-op. There is no timer, no score and no fail state, and a bottle in the wrong slot simply does not go in. The optional Sun vs Moon versus mode is the one place with a clock and a winner.

How many players does it support?

Two to four in co-op and in versus, online, on one screen, or a mix of both in the same session. Earlier material saying 1–2 players was wrong.

Can Steam and Epic players play together?

Yes, from day one, through Epic Online Services. No Epic account is needed on either side, and the same six-character room code works on both stores.

Does it work with a controller?

Yes, with full remapping in game — Xbox pads through XInput and PlayStation, Switch and Steam Deck controllers through Steam Input. In couch co-op, players 2 to 4 each need a gamepad; there is no second keyboard seat.

How many achievements are there?

25 on Steam, 2 of them hidden.

Technical

What do I need to run it?

At minimum, 64-bit Windows 10, an Intel Core i5-8400 or Ryzen 5 2600, 8 GB of RAM, a GTX 1660 6 GB or RX 5600 XT, DirectX 12 and about 3 GB of storage. Recommended is Windows 11, 16 GB of RAM and an RTX 3060 or RX 6600 XT.

How big is the download?

About 2.6 GB. The 20 GB figure in older material was an early estimate and is wrong.

Does it run on Steam Deck?

There is a dedicated Steam Deck graphics preset that the game applies itself on Deck hardware, but Valve has not rated the game yet, so it is neither Verified nor Playable at the moment. It runs through Proton; there is no native Linux build.

Is there a Mac or Linux version?

No. Alchemess is Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit only.

How does saving work?

The shop saves itself every ten seconds while you tidy and again when you quit, misfiled bottles included. There is one shop per account and no manual save slots.

Can I play offline?

Yes. Single-player needs no connection. Only co-op and versus go online, and those need no port forwarding.

The shop itself

How many potions are there?

2,080 bottles, built from 260 hand-written names in 8 vessel types. All 2,080 labels are unique and numbered from No 1 to No 2080.

How many shelves are there?

26: Alpha to Omega, plus Sun and Moon. Each holds 80 bottles — ten names across, eight vessel types down.

Can I play in my language?

The store lists nine languages: English, German, French, Russian, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Thai, Portuguese (Brazil) and Portuguese (Portugal). It is a full localisation rather than a translated menu — the potion names, the shelf titles and all 2,080 printed labels are re-set in each language.

Is any of it AI-generated?

No. Every piece of art, every potion name and all of the text in Alchemess was made by the two people who made the game.

Can I stream it or make videos of it?

Yes, including monetised video, and you do not need to mute the music: the soundtrack licence covers coverage of the game. The press kit says so in writing and has the media to go with it.

Launch time, zone by zone

Alchemess unlocks at 16:00 UTC on 17 September 2026. That is:

Still not answered?

The rules, the multiplayer details, the specs and the support page go deeper than this list does. For anything else, write to us.

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