Announced June 16, 2026: After nearly 5 years in secret development, Mike Hutchinson has released Gaslands: Third Edition (G3E) in a closed beta.
The G3E closed beta runs from June-August 2026. In summer 2027, players can expect a hardback rulebook from Osprey Games and a starter box from Planet Smasher Games.
Joining The G3E Beta
If you are a Bronze-tier (or higher) Patreon supporter for Planet Smasher Games, supporters can join the G3E Closed Beta by clicking through to this locked post.
What To Expect From Gaslands: Third Edition
Gaslands will be 10 years old in 2027. After compiling over a dozen expansions that have been released for the base game there were compiled in the previous hardback book, now the creator is revamping the overall rule for a more streamlined and exciting gameplay experience.
the overall objectives for the third edition include, but are not limited too:
- Reduce overall game time (my objective is around 45mins per player)
- Significantly reduce player downtime
- Provide a killer campaign experience
Mike Hutchinson has stated that the following principles will still be at the for front in the upcoming redesign:
Still Gaslands. Build on the setting, don’t break it. Keep everything that makes the game special. Keep all the hobby loops that make it fun.
What’s old is new again. The experience of playing the game on the table feels fresh again. There are fresh list-building challenges. It’s okay to break players’ current teams and ask them to re-form them, as long as they ‘feel’ the same.
No bloat. Avoid options that add additional horizontal or vertical complexity which does not provide significant incremental gameplay value. Find ways to fragment options rather than bloating the game. Don’t make me learn a billion options to play a game.
Reduce Page Flipping. Reorganise the rules so all related rules live together, rather than a ‘progressive’ rules structure. Trust my instincts. Find a layout that blends both on the same page.
Easy to teach. Make the demo/teaching/first-touch experience smooth and easy. Don’t put a bunch of rules exceptions in people’s first activations.
Inspire and reward kitbashing and terrain making.
Fresh Coat of Paint
I'm super excited for a new edition to Gaslands. From everything I have seen from Mike, he's made nothing but positive changes to the game.
Getting an official starter to the game will be an interesting change to Gaslands, because this is something that hasn't been done before. From everything said by the creator previously, he is a staunch supporter of third-party companies creating supplements for his game, which is fantastic. So, will this be a change to that philosophy, or just be another option for players to get into the game?
Teaching Gaslands can be quite a challenge for veteran players, since there is a steep learning curve for new players. From Skids and Slides to Wipeouts and Ammo Explosions, there can be a lot of game interactions to bog down a first game. So, if there is a designated demo mode to simplify the game for new players that would be a huge boon.
Keeping the game to a manageable length will also keep players coming back for more. This can mean quite a few things, such as cleaning up rules with easy-to-read clarifications or finding ways to speed up the set-up of the game. I'm sure they have many great ideas to test in the beta.
An interesting final nugget is that designer is rewarding kitbashing within the game. This statement is nebulous but is intriguing. Will you get extra bonuses in game if you have a WYSIWYG vehicle with all the bells and whistles, or extra Audience Votes for bringing a table-shaking piece of epic terrain? How this is implemented will be an interesting change to the game for sure.
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