One of the earliest and best demonstrations of the potential of the PlayStation 5 console was 2022’s roguelite shooter Returnal. Housemarque‘s mastery of the movement and combat made the experience an intense and satisfying one, and now, the studio has announced its next title at State of Play, Saros, which is set for a 2026 release on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro.
A familiar face also adds to the intrigue, with Rahul Kohli taking on the role of Arjun Devraj, a Solatri enforcer who is seeking answers on the unknown and mysterious planet of Carcosa. What that entails remains a larger mystery, and if the storytelling in Returnal was any indication, we could be prepared for even more fantastic lore and plot developments in Saros.
According to creative director Gregory Louden, this new adventure will be the “ultimate evolution” of the gameplay-first formula from Housemarque, and will continue to build on the third-person action foundations of Returnal.
“After Returnal we knew we had created something special and award-winning, but we also knew we wanted Returnal to stand on its own. With this in mind, we decided to create a new IP which evolves our deep third-person action and mysterious storytelling,” said Louden.
“A key gameplay distinction between Saros and Returnal is permanent resources and progression making every death valuable. After every death you will face a changed world, but in Saros you will be able to choose and permanently upgrade your loadout from an evolving set of weapons and suit upgrades to ‘come back stronger’ to overcome the challenges you face on Carcosa,” added Louden.
The idea of permanent progress is definitely going to make things more interesting. Housemarque has promised to share more details, including gameplay footage, in the near future. Saros is scheduled for release in 2026 for the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro.
