Alarm at the station: Emergency Call – The Firefighting Simulation 3 is now in Early Access

Notruf 112 – Die Feuerwehr Simulation 3 was released for PC in Steam Early Access on August 5, 2026. The third instalment in the series is being developed by Crenetic, with Aerosoft once again serving as publisher. The regular price is €24.99. A ten percent launch discount applies until August 12, initially reducing the price of the game to €22.49. The official Steam page explicitly states that the game is still in the middle of development.

Anyone expecting an already fully developed sequel featuring numerous vehicles, a completed major city and every conceivable type of emergency at launch should therefore take a close look at the current scope. So far, the Early Access version only depicts part of the planned fire station and game world. Players can explore the fire protection hall, common rooms, a gym, the training ground and a breathing apparatus training course. The first training courses and exercises are also included.

A firefighting and rescue vehicle, known as an HLF, is available for the first emergency responses. It allows us to drive through a small part of the operational area and complete the first emergencies in the role of the fire attack crew. Other vehicles, additional roles and the complete operational area are not yet part of the current launch content. This is not a hidden limitation but is openly stated by Crenetic in the Early Access description.

The major difference lies in the planned structure of everyday life at the fire station. Notruf 112 3 is not intended to depict only the period between the alarm being raised and the end of an emergency. During a 24-hour shift, there is a changing duty schedule featuring training courses, exercises, physical training and routine tasks at the station. Additional qualifications are intended to be earned later through training, allowing us to take on further tasks and roles. Exercises involving equipment such as the Halligan tool or thermal imaging camera are intended to provide tangible benefits during emergencies.

The physical condition of the player’s own firefighter is also intended to play a role. According to the game description, regular physical training improves strength, stamina and recovery. These values can decline again over time. Better stamina is intended to help players complete tasks more quickly in an emergency. In this way, Crenetic is attempting to connect the quieter periods at the station with the subsequent emergency responses instead of completely separating the two parts.

However, the concept of a continuous shift is not entirely new to the series. Notruf 112 – Die Feuerwehr Simulation 2 already featured 24-hour shifts, roll calls and vehicle handovers. The third instalment is intended to expand this area significantly: training courses, physical development, exercises and everyday tasks at the station are now described as central systems rather than merely a framework for the next emergency.

The collaboration with the Mülheim an der Ruhr professional fire brigade is also continuing for the third instalment. Its practical experience is intended to have a particular influence on procedures, tasks and the depiction of the profession. At the same time, Crenetic wants to draw on the professional experience of the community earlier this time. With the two previous games, players from professional and volunteer fire brigades helped identify factual errors after release. For the third instalment, this exchange is intended to take place during development.

The Early Access phase is currently planned to last approximately twelve months. This is a plan and not a guaranteed date for the full version. Until then, additional emergencies, training courses and tasks at the station are expected to be added in particular. The content given priority will also depend on which requests and professional feedback are received most frequently from the community. The team considers a slight price increase for the full release likely.

Communication is intended to take place primarily through the official Discord server. In addition, the developers mention the Steam forums, social networks and a dedicated YouTube channel for insights into further development. Early Access therefore does not simply mean that content will be added later. Players are also intended to participate in decisions about which emergencies, training courses, improvements and potentially new features should be implemented first.

The long-term emergency response spectrum described by the developers includes rescue, firefighting, recovery and protection. Plans include an open operational area with different urban districts, changing weather and a dynamic day-and-night cycle. These points form part of the official description of the planned game. However, they must not be confused with the considerably smaller scope of the initial Early Access version. At launch, only a small part of this world can be explored using the HLF.

The current stage of development is also noticeable in the technical requirements. Steam currently lists 16 gigabytes of RAM and a GeForce RTX 2080 with eight gigabytes of video memory or a comparable AMD graphics card as the minimum requirements. The recommended specifications are 32 gigabytes of RAM and an RTX 3060 with twelve gigabytes or a Radeon RX 6700 XT. Crenetic points out that these requirements are based on the current state of the game and may change as optimisation progresses.

Some characters will also temporarily use AI-generated voices during Early Access. According to the official disclosure, these are placeholders. They are intended to be replaced by recordings featuring human voice actors during development and no later than the conclusion of the Early Access phase.

Notruf 112 3 therefore does not launch as a finished successor but as a playable beginning. The HLF, the role of the fire attack crew, the first training courses and the areas of the station that are already accessible demonstrate the intended direction. At the same time, large parts of the world, vehicle fleet and variety of emergencies are still missing. Anyone reporting for duty today is therefore explicitly purchasing an early development version rather than the eventual complete package.

This is precisely where the most important question for the coming months lies: Will Crenetic succeed in connecting the individual systems in such a way that training, physical exercise and routine tasks genuinely affect our emergency responses later on? Only then will the expanded everyday life at the station become more than additional time between two alarms.