Story

Touted as Housemarque’s “most story-focused game” yet, Saros is about Soltari enforcer Arjun Devraj (played by Rahul Kohli) and the crew of Echelon IV. They’ve been sent to Carcosa because of the resource Lucenite. Things take a turn for the worse, however, and the entire crew is now stranded on the planet, as it constantly reshapes, with seemingly no way to escape.

Carcosa

So what’s going on? The Eclipse, or rather, a solar eclipse where the sun “dies” and everything on Carcosa is twisted beyond repair. While Arjun is looking for a way out – and what happened to the previous Echelon crews – he also needs to deal with the demands of Soltari, his employer, and the mysterious civilization that seemingly existed way before. There are also hints that his own sanity is being affected with each run, as he stumbles further into the mystery of the Eclipse.

Characters

He won’t be alone throughout this journey, though. His commander, Sheridan Bouchard, rescues him from a crazed crew member, even if she’s unsure whether he can be trusted. Others have yet to be detailed, but don’t think for a second they’re always going to remain calm. As narrative designer William Shaughnessy explains, “The more the characters learn, the more the sense of dread grows. The friction within the crew increases, and each handles that in different ways.” To that end, you can expect way more cinematic cutscenes, although it’s possible to skip many of the interactions back at The Passage for the sake of diving back into Carcosa.

Spiritual Successor to Returnal

A cycle of death and rebirth, a mysterious shapeshifting planet where players must rush through biomes to discover answers – this may all sound a bit familiar to some players. That’s because Saros is a spiritual successor to Returnal, Housemarque’s last major title. How exactly their stories may connect (if at all) remains to be seen, but it even features Jane Perry, who played Selene, as Bouchard. Surely that’s not a coincidence.

Unreal Engine 5 and “Tentacle Tech”

Saros is developed on Unreal Engine 5, which shouldn’t come across as too surprising – Returnal was developed on Unreal Engine 4, after all. Stick with what you know and all that, but Housemarque is making some pretty notable improvements, including rigid-body particle simulation for bullets, enhanced environmental destruction and so on. It’s signature (and creepily named) “tentacle technology,” allowing for more “realism and unpredictability” courtesy of “hand-made animation with procedural systems.”

Rogue-Lite Gameplay and Returnal’s Influence

While it’s a “spiritual successor” to Returnal, Saros includes all of the essentials. Holding down L2 partially to activate alt-fire mode? Check. Accumulating Adrenaline by not taking damage and accumulating buffs like increased melee damage? Also check. Red shields that can only be destroyed with melee strikes? You know it. The story, characters, and setting are completely different, but it carries the same delightfully difficult gameplay loop.

Permanent Progression

So what sets it apart? It’s much more like a rogue-lite now. By accumulating Lucenite and interacting with the Soltari’s Primary in The Passage, you can now unlock permanent upgrades to improve Arjun’s stats, including Resilience (aka health), Command (or shields) and Drive (which affects Lucenite Gains). These go a long way to not only ensuring that Arjun survives through multiple excursions but that he’s becoming stronger with each run.

Carcosan Modifiers

Far be it from Primary to just let you walk into the world of Carcosa without any gimmicks, however. Before embarking on a run, you can select modifiers to change things up. Protections provide advantages, like easier perfect reloads, increased damage to hostiles, and so on, while Trials go the other way. Balance is the key here, but don’t worry – there are plenty of ways to up the difficulty, such as…

Second Chance

The other biggest change to the core gameplay is the new Second Chance perk. It’s unlocked fairly early on through Primary and gives Arjun the chance to return from death. No, not at the beginning of the cycle but immediately after taking a lethal hit, healing up most of his health in the process and clearing out any Corruption (which we’ll get into). It’s a game-changer in many ways, but if you’re seeking a greater challenge, there’s a Trial to turn it off.

The Eclipse

Far from a cycle that will annihilate Arjun at any chance it gets, the Eclipse is also risk/reward incarnate. By triggering it during a run, the world is completely changed. Think much more red hues, twisted audio, and just the overall impression that Carcosa is on the brink. Enemies become crazed, gaining new attacks, but you’ll also gain more Lucenite to invest in further upgrades. Also, tentacles. Many, many more tentacles.

Corrupted Weapons and Artifacts

Then there are the Corrupted weapons and artifacts. These offer unique benefits but with certain trade-offs – like a Corrupted Power Spike artifact that increases Command and adds to Power while reducing Drive. You also gain Pressure, which decreases damage if you’re low on health. Another option is increased Resilience for increased max health, but you’ll lose Lucenite whenever taking a hit.

Soltari Shield and Power Weapons

If you’ve played Returnal, you’re probably wondering what “shields” are. Arjun is equipped with a Soltari Shield, and it’s more than just defensive – it can absorb blue projectiles and fuel his Power Weapon. We’ve seen one thus far, Prominence, which deals explosive damage in a radius and scales on Power. So instead of constantly dodging projectiles, there are several that you would absorb instead for the sake of sending that energy back to an enemy. Be careful, though – it doesn’t last forever.

Corrupted Projectiles

Of course, this is a shoot ’em up, and such benefits don’t always come easy. During an Eclipse, enemies will shoot yellow projectiles that inflict Corruption. You can’t absorb these, and Corruption will reduce your max health. What you can do, however, is clear it by using a Power Weapon. So while that health won’t be immediately regained, at least you can heal it back up.

Runs in 4K/60 FPS on PS5

While a more detailed analysis is necessary, Saros runs at 4K/60 FPS on a base PS5. The footage thus far showed a satisfyingly consistent frame rate, even with dozens of effects and projectiles on screen at once. Housemarque has yet to detail PS5 Pro enhancements, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see it up the ante even further.

DualSense Features

The responsiveness of the adaptive triggers returns, providing a satisfying sound when alternate-fire mode is ready. You’ll feel it when Arjun dashes in a particular direction or when absorbing projectiles with the Soltari Shield, and much like with Returnal, loading times are near-instant thanks to the SSD. And then there’s the 3D Audio support, which is apparently recommended for experiencing the true dread of the Eclipse.

And while there’s always the possibility Sony changes course, it’s reportedly looking to solidify this stance soon. Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier said on Resetera that the company would confirm the same “at some point,” “whether it’s on a call with investors or maybe even when Housemarque starts doing press for Saros, and someone asks if they have plans to bring it to PC and they say no.”

Given how Returnal, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and other high-profile ports have performed on PC, it’s somewhat understandable that Sony is pulling back. Of course, there’s also the possibility that it doesn’t want to make future titles playable on Microsoft’s Project Helix, the next-generation console that will play both Xbox and PC games.

Which isn’t to say that no PlayStation Studios titles will ever launch for the same – see Horizon Hunters Gathering, coming to PS5 and PC. However, Sony is seemingly aware of the value its single-player titles bring, especially when they’re console-exclusive.

As always, we’ll need to wait for official confirmation, so stay tuned. Saros launches on April 30th for PS5, followed by Marvel’s Wolverine on September 15th.

Which is interesting because Sucker Punch’s title was originally planned alongside other “internally developed” titles. Those alleged plans were scrapped, even as those “familiar with the company’s plans” told Schreier that Sony’s strategy could always change. And while there’s no concrete information on why the company is pulling back from PC, Schreier noted that a “faction within PlayStation” was hesitant to bring its first-party titles to PC.

They were reportedly concerned that it would not only affect sales for the PS5 but also successive consoles and damage the overall brand. Of course, you also have to consider the lackluster sales of recent titles and the inconsistent release cycle of ports. Interestingly, Schreier speculated another possible reason: the rumored next Xbox’s increased PC focus, which may have caused leadership to avoid future single-player titles releasing on the same.

Marathon, Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, Horizon Hunters Gathering and other multiplayer titles will still launch on day one for PC and PS5. However, Sony has toned down its live-service output in recent years owing to numerous failures, so it remains to be seen how many others could make their way to PC.

Whereas Saros is confirmed to be getting a “new look” at the event, there has also been speculation about a PC version of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. Industry insider Shinobi602 has taken to the ResetEra forums to suggest that Sony has even more planned.

While they didn’t reveal much in the way of details, they instead offered a cryptic message: “[Sony] do seem to love the show don’t they?” referring to Sony’s presence at The Game Awards 2025. While what this means for Sony’s plans will ultimately only become clear once the event itself airs later this week, that hasn’t stopped speculation about other potential appearances.

The biggest source of speculation has been the presence of a strange statue that seemingly has some importance for The Game Awards 2025. This statue was first spotted thanks to event host Geoff Keighley posting a photo of it with the words “regal.inspiring.thickness.” Since this post, there have been many gamers trying to guess what this tease might be about.

Since the tease, a post by Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier indicated that the statue has nothing to do with a rumoured expansion for Diablo 4. He also indicated that he was aware of what the tease was about, but had no plans on reporting on what it is. “This statue is not teasing the Diablo 4 expansion,” wrote Schreier. “I don’t currently plan on reporting what it is, sorry, but it’s a good one.”

Cory Barlog has also confirmed that the tease doesn’t have anything to do with God of War. He did this by showing up in the live chat of a recent stream of gaming YouTuber Luke Stephens. “Cory Barlog was just in chat on my stream and confirmed this is NOT God of War related,” posted Stephens, who also went on to joke that, since Barlog said that “no, it’s not gow,” he could have been referring to Gears of War.

As for what other games could be making an appearance during The Game Awards 2025, rumours have pointed to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic’s remake making an appearance. There haven’t just been rumours about the show, however. Some companies have outright confirmed that they will be showing up at the event. Among the games confirmed to be showing up at The Game Awards 2025 are Resident Evil Requiem, Phantom Blade Zero, and LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, among others.

Interestingly, new trademarks have been spotted that indicates that Larian might be working on a new game in the Divinity series. One of these trademarks was of an image that had a striking resemblance to one of the symbols in the statue tease, which might indicate that the Baldur’s Gate 3 developer is getting ready to unveil its next big project.

The usual running, gunning and dashing are in place, but there’s plenty new, including the Soltari Shield, where holding R1 creates a barrier to block projectiles. Absorb enough and you can hit back with your Power Weapon. Players will learn more about other lost Carcosa members in Holotag Caches, though battling through the tougher enemies, including a flying foe that rains down projectiles, can prove challenging.

Second Chance allows for reviving if you go down, allowing Arjun to “come back stronger.” It’s unlocked through the game’s progression system, which means, like Hades’ Death Defiance, you need to unlock it first. The trailer ends against the same multi-arm threat that dominated the first trailer.

Saros launches on March 20th, 2026, for PS5 and will support PS5 Pro. More details will be revealed at launch regarding the NPCs and story, so stay tuned for further updates.

A new trailer for Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Yōtei could also premiere, since it’s out on October 2nd for PS5. The real question is whether we’ll see Haven Studios’ Fairgame$, especially following the departure of founder Jade Raymond. Director Daniel Drapeau has also seemingly left the studio, according to a LinkedIn update.

Rumors of the next mainline God of War have recently circulated, so perhaps a reveal, or at least confirmation of its development, is in the cards. Of course, we can’t discount a new Resident Evil Requiem trailer, which could finally reveal Leon S. Kennedy. Stay tuned for details and live coverage tomorrow.

Studio head Ilari Kuittinen told Eurogamer during the studio’s 30th-anniversary event, “Our philosophy is that [our games] are an experience for a certain time of your life, and you experience that within a few days or weeks, or whatever.” They’re comparable to “movies or TV series,” available during a certain “phase.” “And I believe that’s really cool. You don’t need to spend the rest of your free time on our games.

“It’s a unique experience. You have it, you get something out of it. Maybe you come back to it. But you don’t need to play it for the rest of your life.”

Housemarque is “fully focused on single-player and premium” titles, which includes the upcoming Saros. Kuittinen also wants to ensure the studio continues making “amazing games” for another 30 years. “You just need to keep creating special games.”

Brand director Mikael Haveri added, “We are only as strong as our latest game.” “It’s almost like a responsibility. We’re very lucky to be in the position we are in, and we should keep pushing the medium, keep showing what we can do, keep pushing our gameplay, our story and our technology, and just keep growing. That’s the future for the next 30 years – it’s just creating better.”

Saros is currently in development for PS5 and stars Rahul Kohli as Arjun Devraj, who ventures to the Carcosa and ends up trapped in a loop reminiscent of Returnal. After each death, he awakens on the planet and must deal with its transformed environment. And that’s all before talking about the towering multi-armed figure and the solar eclipse.

Arjun is searching for someone, and by gathering resources, he can unlock permanent upgrades between runs to become stronger. Weapons and suits will also evolve throughout the experience, potentially opening up more options.

Saros launches in 2026 and will receive an extended gameplay reveal later this year. Stay tuned for more details until then.

Launched in April 2021 for PS5 before coming to PC in February 2023, Returnal is the story of Selene, whose ship crashlands on a mysterious planet called Atropos. As she investigates a signal known only as the “White Shadow,” she experiences surreal flashbacks to her life. Death isn’t an escape, fitting the rogue-like structure while influencing the narrative.

Returnal received extensive critical acclaim at launch for its combat, visuals, and plot, to say nothing of the incredible boss fights. Check out our reviews for the PS5 and PC versions. Housemarque is working on Saros, building on the same rogue-like fundamentals while introducing a new protagonist and world. It’s out in 2026, but more details, including gameplay, will debut later this year.

Those are some of the mysteries players must solve, not unlike Returnal. While it’s also a rogue-lite, the most significant change from the developer’s previous title is permanent progression. As outlined on the PlayStation Blog by creative director Gregory Louden, you’ll discover resources that carry over between deaths, even as the levels change.

Interestingly, players can also select and “permanently upgrade” their loadout from an “evolving set of weapons and suit upgrades.” Compared to Returnal, which equipped you with a basic sidearm and a random item, Housemarque definitely adapts the elements of a more traditional rogue-lite.

If that wasn’t enough, Louden also revealed that Devraj will encounter other NPCs as part of an ensemble cast. Saros is out in 2026 for PS5, with more details to be revealed in the coming months.

Saros is another sci-fi roguelike third-person shooter, much like Returna, though obviously not connected to it in anyway. The game will see players playing as Soltari Enforcer Arjun Devraj (played by Rahul Kohli) on Carcosa, an off-world colony. Unfortunately, terrible things are happening, as evidenced by an ominous eclipse and a dangerous figure.

Housemarque says the game will feature permanent progression mechanics that allow players to strengthen Arjun with each death. Check out the trailer below for a glimpse at what it’ll have in store. 

Saros will launch in 2026 for PS5, and will also be PS5 Pro Enhanced. Stay tuned for updates, and in the meantime, check out our PC review for Returnal.