Horrendous marketing aside, GTA-alike MindsEye seems like the perfect tonic to tide you over before stepping back into Rockstar’s modernised vision of Vice City next year. And whilst, yes, in many ways MindsEye does appear spiritually linked with Grand Theft Auto there is more than meets the eye in this thematically dense sci-fi tale. Here’s fifteen things to know before you buy MindsEye.
Developed by Build a Rocket Boy
A household name Build a Rocket Boy is not. However, the studio’s founder – Leslie Benzies – near-enough every gamer on the planet is aware of; the legendary games he produced whilst working at Rockstar very much are household: Red Dead Redemption and the eternal cash cow Grand Theft Auto V both radiate Benzies’ DNA. Following his split from Rockstar, he, and numerous alumni relocated to Edinburgh and formed the new studio under Leslie’s leadership. MindsEye is its first game.
What is MindsEye?
Given Benzies’ pedigree, it’s perhaps unsurprising the immediate resemblance MindsEye shares with Grand Theft Auto. Sunlit streets of a caricatured American city, gun-toting protagonists who’re ostensibly good between all their murdering, themes of crime, greed, and corruption, the similarities go on. Yet, MindsEye isn’t cookie-cut out of Rockstar’s blueprint though. No, MindsEye is a more focused action-adventure thriller, presenting awestriking cinematic set pieces between linear mission design and tightly curated narrative delivery. Oh, and there’s a distinctly sci-fi, Cyberpunk edge to the experience; themes which GTA has never tackled.
What’s the story?
MindsEye follows the story of Jacob Diaz, an elite former soldier with that tried-and-tested video gamiest of things: amnesia. Embedded with a neural implant – dubbed a MindsEye – he travels to desert city Redrock haunted by visages of his former self, of covert missions, and instances which he believes changed his life forever. His mission to uncover answers leads to discoveries of corruption, greed, militaristic control, and the freewheeling power of disingenuous government.
Who is Jacob Diaz?
The origin of Jacob’s neural implant is a mystery to be unravelled by the player. Somehow this skull-mounted device is fracturing his memories, with flashbacks of an especially haunting mission tormenting him daily. Motivated by righting corporate wrongdoing, Diaz feels unemblazoned by the anonymous source of his implant, so using skills from his past-life as a solider – his weapon handling, combat manoeuvres, stealth capability, tactical acumen, and vehicle control – he confidently charges headfirst into the city of Redrock, unsure of the scale of enemy which awaits. However, recent reports indicate that driving mechanics feel stiff, so that’s something to keep in mind.
What kind of city is Redrock?
A scorching hub of blue-chip tech, Redrock’s near-future visage of optimism and wealth is nothing but a desert mirage. Corporate oppression and artificial intelligence define its denizen’s everyday lives, exemplified most negatively in the city’s over-exuberant automated robot police force. Redrock’s political governors are entangled with the nefarious tech mogul at the helm of this AI police corp too, with their joint corruption steering Redrock – and, presumably, the world at large – towards a new, unfounded phase of human evolution. However, according to recent reports, the game is riddled with bugs, so let’s hope those will be ironed out by the time the game launches.
NPCs influence the story
There’re countless other inhabitants nestled within Redrock’s streets, all following their own motivations, and most harbouring dark secrets. These tertiary characters Jacob encounters along the way are working to solve their own predicaments, so for Jacob – and thus you the player – trust is a major factor. Who exactly are Jacob’s allies? Whom should he watch from the shadows? In a way, the relationship Jacob has with the people he meets is an allegorical microcosm to what’s happening in the city at large; can anyone – AI included – be trusted? Where is the dividing line between human betterment and totalitarian control?
Combat overview
There’s an element of GTA influence in MindsEye’s combat sure, but there’s a tactical depth here more than Rockstar has ever attempted. The environment, for example, plays a large part in how Jacob approaches encounters. Utilising surroundings, reaching elevated vantage points, and seeking environmental exploits are crucial to gaining the edge in battle. Enemies portray a range of tactics and learned behaviours, so tactically the player must always think dynamically and be prepared to change their strategy. Weapon-wise, the usual fayre of pistols, shotguns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, rocket launchers, et cetera, along with a few mystery prototype weapons, are in Jacob’s expert hands, but this being a near-future timeline – with neural implant tech a reality – expect to see some Cyberpunk-esque modifications make their way to Jacob’s arsenal too. However, according to recent reports, enemy encounters lack depth, with foes simply charging at the player.
High-tech gadgets and neural-related abilities
The poster child for Jacob’s high-tech gadgetry is his drone companion which we see numerous instances of him launching from his backpack, presumably the hovering machine folded up neatly like a parachute prior. The drone assists in scanning, exploring, and stealth, as well as lending a helping hand in combat. The drone is upgradeable too, with manoeuvrability expanding its usefulness as Jacob burrows deeper down the rabbit hole. Neural hacking is also a thing for Jacob, giving him ability to tamper with electronic systems from afar. Augmented vision is a third ability Jacob possesses, giving him a fresh perspective on the world. All in all, this raft of weapons and gadgetry should give players numerous ways to approach any given situation.
MindsEye’s themes
Benzies has been clear to point out that MindsEye’s story is heavy on thematic elements, and we’ve touched upon numerous of those themes in this feature already: corporate dominance, the trepidation inherent in AI over-reliance; technological dependence and its impact on freewill and over-surveillance. Corruption, power, greed, lies, morality; MindsEye’s world is shaped by repression, a promise of security mired by political overreach. These themes are prescient to the real-life of today but pushed to the extreme. It’ll be interesting to see just how believably MindsEye’s themes land.
Faux Open World
Redrock is a sprawl; a diverse metropolis divided up into distinct districts which players are free to explore with Jacob. Numerous factions operate throughout the city too, some NPCs keen on furthering the city’s tech-reliant future, whilst others are underground resistance forces hellbent on exposing corporate greed and corruption. Mission structure is said to be linear, and narrative design is promised to be tight; how this fits in with the faux open world – one that’ll feature interactive elements and an evolving landscape – is hard to know. One interesting feature is Arcadia, a content creation mode accessed through a portal, available only on PC at launch, which allows players to develop encounters across the map.
Cutting-edge cinematography
Build a Rocket Boy are super focused on delivering a genre-defining cinematic experience with realistic character animations and emotionally dense storytelling. It isn’t just about lifelike camera angles – although grounding the experience with true-to-life vantage points is important – but portraying complex emotions and character development earnestly.
15-hour runtime
It may surprise you to learn that completing MindsEye’s main campaign will only set you back approximately fifteen hours. This comparatively streamlined runtime reinforces the studio’s dedication to crafting a tightly choreographed story, rather than allowing players to dictate the pacing or structure through branching or nonlinear narratives. The net result is the team should hopefully balance tension building moments with bombastic set pieces effectively.
Release date, platforms, and price
MindsEye is releasing to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam on 10th June 2025, and is priced at $59.99 / £54.99. Post-launch content is a little hazy at the minute but there is speculation that DLC expansions including a potential multiplayer mode are coming.
Pre-order for deluxe content
Pre-orders are live now, and should you pull the trigger prior to MindsEye’s release then you’ll get your hands on a ton of deluxe content. Deluxe weapon skins, and “future” skins for Jacob’s vest, his Sedan, and drone companion. Also bundled in is a premium pass which includes an “exotic” pack comprising “exotic” versions of those just-listed skins, plus an intriguing horde mode mission and access to seasonal content as it comes later on in the year and into 2026.
PC requirements
Official requirements to run MindsEye on your rig at a minimum include an Intel Core i5-12400F / AMD Ryzen 5 5600X, Nvidia GeForce GTX 2060 / AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT 6GB VRAM GPU, and 16GB RAM. For the recommended settings, it is confirmed that you’ll need Intel Core i7-13700K / AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 / AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT 8GB VRAM GPU and 16 GB of RAM. 70 GB of storage is expected.