Permafrost Beginner Guide: Survive & Build Your First Base

Short answer: Permafrost is a winter survival game from SpaceRocket Games, published by Toplitz Productions and in PC Early Access since October 9, 2026. A new player only needs four habits at the start — stay warm, scavenge, craft, build. This guide walks through the PC controls, your first 30 minutes, the exact material cost of a starter cabin, where each resource comes from, and how to get from a campfire to a copper ingot.

Official Permafrost artwork. Image: Toplitz Productions.

What kind of game Permafrost is

Permafrost is a story-driven winter survival game built by developer SpaceRocket Games and published by Toplitz Productions. It entered PC Early Access on October 9, 2026. You play as Rook, an engineer with little wilderness experience, exploring a frozen world, gathering supplies, crafting tools and raising shelter. It supports solo play or online co-op for up to four players.

The four things a new player has to learn first are warmth, scavenging, crafting and building. Resist the urge to sprint into the middle of the map in your first hour — read the on-screen quest prompt and keep an eye on your character's survival status instead.

PC controls at a glance

Placing a structure: press B, then right-click to choose a structural part, move your view to preview the placement, and left-click once the game allows it. Bindings can change between builds or with your own settings, so treat Settings → Controls in the game as the authority rather than this table.

Your first 30 minutes

Minutes 0–5: learn your inventory

Press Tab to see what you are already carrying, then gather the Wood and Stone lying around you. Open the crafting list and aim for early tools such as a Stone Axe and a Stone Pickaxe before anything else.

Minutes 5–10: deal with the cold

Watch for the body-temperature warning. Craft a campfire and look for a spot that is sheltered from the wind. When it is cold, do not sprint long distances to explore without supplies — warmth runs out faster than stamina.

Minutes 10–20: follow the main quest

Press J to confirm your current objective, then follow the quest path and search any container you can interact with. Carry only what you need and prioritise food, cloth and tool materials over hoarding.

Minutes 20–30: prepare for your first house

Keep pushing the opening quest and watch for landmarks such as Bone Cave. Once you finish the dog-related story beats you reach the New Home stage. The timings above are a suggested schedule, not a mandatory completion deadline.

Official Permafrost screenshot. Image: Steam store page.

The New Home quest: building your first cabin

After the prerequisite quests, lay a foundation on suitable open ground and build an enclosed wooden cabin. The order that works:

1. Gather wood first. Prepare roughly 36 Wood so you are not walking back and forth mid-build.
2. Lay two wooden foundations. B → right-click → Structures → Wooden Foundation.
3. Raise five walls. Choose Wooden Wall and leave a gap where the door will go.
4. Fit a doorway and a door. Wooden Doorway → Wooden Door.
5. Cap it with two roof pieces. Wooden Floor/Roof.

If a piece will not place, read the on-screen message: MISSING RESOURCES means you are short of materials, AREA OBSTRUCTED means something is in the way, FOUNDATION REQUIRED means you need a foundation underneath, and NO-BUILD ZONE means the spot is off-limits.

Official Permafrost screenshot. Image: Steam store page.

Bed, storage chest and workbench

Once the shell of the house exists, build the three things that make the survival loop stable.

• Bed — reference recipe 5 Wood + 5 Cloth. After placing it, use the interaction prompt to set it as your respawn point.
• Small Wooden Chest — reference recipe 2 Wood. Use it to store heavy ore and building materials.
• Workbench — reference recipe 10 Wood. Needed for flint tools and more advanced gear.

Build the bed and the chest first and add the workbench next. Early on there is no reason to chase floor area or decoration.

Screenshot: 80 Level. Shown to illustrate the setting; the interface may differ from the current build.

Where to find each resource

How do you mine copper? Craft a Flint Pickaxe first, then go looking for copper. Node locations and mining requirements can change between Early Access versions, so confirm them in your own build rather than relying on a map from launch week.

Official Permafrost screenshot. Image: Steam store page.

Stone Furnace and the Radio Station bench

Later in the New Home chain you need metalworking, and that means two more stations.

1. Press U and find the Stone Furnace in the Building category.
2. Prepare 40 Stone (the reference quest recipe) and build it somewhere convenient.
3. Smelt Copper and Coal into a Copper Ingot — reference recipe 3 Copper + 5 Coal → 1 Copper Ingot.
4. Use the workbench to turn ingots into Wire.
5. The Radio Station Bench — reference recipe 3 Wire + 10 Wood. Place it and interact to advance the communications storyline.

These are the reference recipes compiled from early quest guides; always check the in-game crafting interface before you commit materials.

The dog, exploration and practical tips

Once you complete the dog-related quests, the dog can travel with you and helps to some degree. When you head out, prioritise nearby landmarks, a safe route home and usable supplies over pushing blindly into the snow at night.

Beginner mistakes worth avoiding:

• Warm up before you travel; cold damage will derail a quest faster than anything else.
• Keep some Wood in reserve for fuel and for repairs.
• Set the bed as your respawn point — simply placing it does not always complete the setup.
• Upgrade your pickaxe before you go after higher-tier ore.
• Use storage chests to keep your pack light and avoid becoming over-encumbered.
• Check J regularly so you always know the next objective.

Official Permafrost screenshot. Image: Steam store page.

Beginner FAQ

How do you open the build menu in Permafrost? Press B to equip the building tool, then right-click.

How do you turn on the flashlight? L by default.

Why will a wooden wall not place? Check for a foundation underneath, an obstruction, your material count, and whether the spot is a no-build zone.

Where is copper? Look at nodes in the canyon toward Solar Fields and around Landscar Cave, and bring a flint pickaxe.

Is there co-op? Yes — solo or online co-op for up to four players.

The whole route in one line

Gather resources → craft basic tools → light a fire and warm up → follow the opening quests → unlock New Home → build a cabin → place a bed and a chest → build a workbench → craft a flint pickaxe → find copper → build the Stone Furnace and the Radio Station.

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