# Raft

> A student survival prototype became a Steam game with a reported 101,096-player peak.

- Owner: Redbeet Interactive
- Kind: Game
- Sector: Gaming
- Seed date: 2016-10-17
- Peak date: Week of Jun 26, 2022
- Date basis: Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.
- Spread Score: 52 (Notable), v1.2
- Mechanics: Creator relay, Underdog, Maker origin, Platform jump, Press loop

## Summary

Three Swedish students released Raft publicly, then added an itch.io build that YouTubers played. The prototype led to a Steam release. The Final Chapter brought a later audience peak, with press reporting over 100,000 concurrent players.

## Timeline

- 2016-10-13 — Redbeet Interactive (Open web) — The students opened a development blog to market their survival game and attract players.
- 2016-10-17 — Redbeet Interactive (Open web) — The students made their first playable Raft prototype available for public download.
- 2016-12-16 — Redbeet Interactive (Open web) — The team released an itch.io build with an attacking shark, barrels and graphical changes.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/raft

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “Raft.” Case HIS-00470. Spread Score v1.2: 52/100. Updated 2026-10-14. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-00470