A Familiar Universe, A New Story

Role-playing games live and die by their choices, and in Owlcat Games’ The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, those choices promise consequences that ripple through every encounter. Demonstrated in a hands-off demo at Gamescom 2025, the role-playing game offered a glimpse of just how brutal a single decision can be.

Given the option to surrender peacefully to a Protogen boarding party or rally a space station to resist, our group of journalists chose defiance. The cost was steep: blood spilt, lives lost, and a new path carved by consequence.

Set between the first two novels — or roughly the first two and a half seasons of the television series — the game follows a pair of twins working as mercenaries for Pinkwater Security. Their discovery of Protomolecule experiments on Eros propels them into a dangerous struggle against Protogen, sparking a journey across political fault lines and factional rivalries. For fans, the timeline offers rich connective tissue; for newcomers, it’s an accessible entry point into the universe.

RPG Systems With Player Agency

Character creation in The Expanse: Osiris Reborn allows you to shape both twins’ appearance, gender, and backstory, influencing how factions perceive you. Early choices define equipment, but Owlcat stresses that these are not rigid “classes.” Instead, they serve as starting points for extensive customisation as the story unfolds.

Exploration is central. The demo’s space station brimmed with environmental detail: NPCs with nuanced gestures, cultural quirks, and dialogue options revealing side quests. One Belter, Larry, towered above others, his height and gesticulation lending authenticity to his heritage. Conversations matter, and paying attention can unlock alternative routes through quests.

Combat on the Edge of Space

The decision to resist Protogen shifted the demo into the cover-based firefights that will be a staple. While Owlcat is not mimicking Mass Effect, there are echoes: companions provide tactical abilities, the environment can be weaponised, and battles ebb and flow as allies lend support. Twin J’s knack for using surroundings to his advantage, alongside engineer Zahar deploying station defences remotely, showcased how teamwork expands strategy.

Concerns remain over enemy durability — bullet-sponge foes risk slowing combat’s pace — but the mechanics already feel robust. Outside the station, low-gravity skirmishes brought variety: muted audio, shifting perspectives, and reliance on magboots created encounters that were visually arresting and mechanically distinct.

Building an Expansive Future

Between firefights, exploration offered resources, lore objects, and glimpses of broader world-building. Side quests emerged naturally, dialogue hinted at faction politics, and environmental storytelling made the setting feel alive. And while this demo only teased the beginning, it hinted at a story branching through difficult decisions, with victories tinged by loss.

By weaving in political intrigue, factional drama, and morally complex choices, Owlcat Games is aiming for more than a sci-fi skin on a traditional RPG. Instead, The Expanse: Osiris Reborn could become the series’ definitive interactive adaptation — one where the weight of your decisions lingers long after the firefight ends.

The journey begins not with an open battlefield, but with a choice that shapes everything to come. And in that choice lies the hallmark of a true RPG. I cannot wait to find out more.

The Expanse: Osiris Reborn will release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. A release date has not been announced yet.