Returnal developer Housemarque has revealed the first look at gameplay of its next PS5 game, Saros. Alongside the gameplay reveal, Housemarque has confirmed that Saros will launch in the first quarter of 2026.
Earlier this year, Housemarque showed up at PlayStation’s February 2025 State of Play and announced Saros, a brand-new IP that builds upon the acclaimed roguelike systems of Returnal. Saros stars Midnight Mass and Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun actor Rahul Kohli as Arjun Devraj, a Soltari enforcer (some form of futuristic soldier) who finds himself on the mysterious planet of Carcosa searching for someone. Though Saros was initially announced by way of a CGI trailer, Housemarque did promise a gameplay reveal later in 2025.
Saros is Coming to PS5 in March 2026 With New Gameplay Features
The studio stuck to its promise and debuted over five minutes of Saros gameplay and in-engine footage as the show-opener for the latest September 2025 State of Play. As expected, Saros very much carries the Returnal DNA, with kinetic movement, futuristic weapons, wide combat areas, Lovecraftian creatures, the familiar dash mechanic, and of course, an overstimulating amount of bullets and projectiles on screen. However, Saros also brings a few nifty gameplay additions of its own, chief among which is the new Soltari Shield. Holding down R1 deploys a temporary energy bubble around Arjun to protect him from projectiles, affording the player a few seconds to get their bearings and strategize should they be in a pickle.
Interestingly, the Soltari Shield absorbs power from enemy projectiles and uses it to charge up Arjun’s weapon, which can then be explosively unleashed by fully depressing L2. There’s also a new mechanic dubbed Second Chance, which, as the name suggests, revives Arjun after he takes one too many bullets. Second Chance is part of Saros‘ permanent progression systems, though it’s worth noting that the revive mechanic will unlock later in the game. Players will be able to upgrade Arjun’s Soltari combat suit and abilities for easier progression too. At the very end of the trailer, Housemarque revealed that Saros will launch exclusively on PS5 on March 20, 2026.
With Saros looking to be the inaugural PlayStation first-party game for 2026, more details about Housemarque’s new adventure will likely follow in the coming months, perhaps even a dedicated State of Play early next year. The gameplay reveal trailer also hinted at Housemarque placing a much greater emphasis on Saros‘ storytelling and characters, with an “ensemble” NPC cast and holograms at various points in Carcosa that detail what happened to the planet.
- Released
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March 20, 2026
- ESRB
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RP – Rating Pending
- Engine
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Proprietary
