Topstep has released Drop #005 in its Labs series: a limited $6K Challenge priced at $149 one-time.

The structure is simple and aggressive. Make $6,000 without exceeding a $2,000 static max loss. Then do it again on a fresh round with the same rules. Pass both and you keep the full $6,000. No daily loss limit, no consistency rule, no minimum trading days, no profit split, and a hard contract cap of 1 mini or 10 micros.

Josh Schwartzberg (Head of Innovation, Topstep Labs) posted the drop on 17 September. Official Labs page confirms limited availability and a max of 5 per trader. Earlier Labs challenges used the same two-round format at lower dollar amounts ($3K and $1.5K).

Community reaction is split. Some traders like the clean finish line and zero soft rules. Others point out the math is tougher than the older $49 / $3K version: the fee more than tripled while the drawdown-to-target ratio stayed 1:3 and the contract limit did not scale up.

What it means for traders

This is an experimental product, not a replacement for the regular Combine or XFA path. It is high risk relative to the fee because the $2,000 static loss has to carry two full $6,000 targets. If you already run Topstep accounts, the 5-per-trader limit lets you stack a few alongside normal evaluations.

Our Take: Clean rules are the appeal. The contract cap and price relative to older drops are the friction. Treat it as a short, high-variance experiment rather than a core funding path.

Gourang Parekh

I’ve been trading for over 5 years, mainly across Indian markets, futures, forex, crypto, and CFDs. Over the years, I’ve traded with a lot of different brokers and prop firms and spent a huge amount of time testing their rules, platforms, pricing, drawdown models, payout systems, and trading conditions.

I’ve been through plenty of failed prop firm challenges myself before eventually figuring out what works for me. That experience has given me a pretty practical understanding of what traders actually deal with when choosing a prop firm or trading platform.

Outside of trading, I work with financial content, SEO, and WordPress. I’ve built websites and tools around trading and finance, tested a wide range of trading tools, and even modified Pine Script indicators on TradingView as a hobby.

I write about prop firms, brokers, crypto platforms, and trading tools with a focus on the things that actually matter to traders, including rules, costs, payouts, and the overall trading experience.

Expertise: Prop Firms, Forex Brokers, Futures, Crypto, CFDs, Trading Platforms, Trading Tools, Risk Management

Prop Firm Trader