Independent studio Yee-Haw Monster Trucks is opening the next wave of its closed beta for Citadel, a gunship sandbox MMO that combines ship customization, extraction combat and persistent progression in a desktop web browser. The new wave opens in November, following strong demand for the first wave, which launched on September 30. No download or installation is required.
The expansion comes as browser-based games and shorter session formats draw renewed interest from players and developers. Citadel aims to bring the depth of a sandbox MMO to that format, with sessions designed to fit into a normal day while players keep their ships, inventory and progression between runs.
“We’re longtime MMO players, and EVE was a big influence on us. We loved the depth, the economy and the stakes. What we didn’t love was needing a free evening just to log in,”
said William Sanford, Game Design Director at Yee-Haw Monster Trucks.
“Citadel brings that depth into focused sessions you can play in a browser tab, whether you’re a veteran of sandbox MMOs or trying one for the first time.”
The First Wave
In the first 120 hours of closed beta, from September 30 to October 5:
- 402 pilots entered the game
- Players launched 6,875 distinct breach runs, excluding reconnects
- 90% of recorded breach endings resulted in successful extraction
- More than 600 ships were lost
The studio is using the closed beta to test and refine the game’s core systems. Broader faction-war and player-market features are in development as Citadel expands its persistent world.
How Citadel Works
Set inside a vast ancient megastructure torn apart by civil war, Citadel puts players in command of gunships they fit, fly and can lose. Players arrange modules on a spatial grid, balancing slot types, heat, signature, weapons and cargo protection before entering Breaches, timed multiplayer zones where they fight hostile NPCs and other players, mine and recover resources. Players who extract keep their haul. Ships destroyed in a Breach leave recoverable wreckage that other players can claim, using each ship’s harpoon to retrieve loot and tow objects.
Between Breaches, players return to a shared hangar where they can meet up, duel, manage their stash, manufacture equipment and refit their ships. The game draws on EVE Online’s economy and sandbox PvP, Diablo’s loot and customization, and FTL: Faster Than Light’s ship building.
Players can watch the announcement trailer and join the official Discord at https://discord.gg/thecitadel to secure a spot in the next beta wave.
About Citadel:
Citadel is a gunship sandbox MMO developed by Los Angeles-based independent studio Yee-Haw Monster Trucks. Played in a desktop web browser, it combines ship fitting, PvP and PvE extraction combat, resource recovery and persistent progression inside an ancient megastructure.
Learn more at thecitadel.com
Contact
Media Representative
Jamie Kingsley
Yee Haw Monster Trucks
j.kingsley@theprgenius.com
