Returnal is hands-down one of my favorite games for PlayStation 5. Developed by Housemarque, the rogulike third-person shooter combined an intriguing psychological sci-fi story with an incredibly polished and engaging gameplay loop. The bullet hell gameplay was certainly challenging but rewarding at the same time, and the roguelike elements meant even in death, you were gaining valuable experience and improving.
It's been almost four years since Returnal was first released for the PlayStation 5 and Housemarque has finally revealed what they've been up to. During today's State of Play from Sony, the developer announced their newest title, Saros, coming to PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 pro in 2026.
"Saros is the ultimate evolution of the Housemarque gameplay-first experience," Housemarque Creative Director Gregory Louden said on the PlayStation Blog.
Accompanying the announcement was a cinematic trailer that sets the stage for the Returnal successor. While not actually a sequel to Returnal, Saros can be viewed as the next evolution in the core gameplay loop that it inroduced.
"After Returnal we knew we had created something special and award-winning, but we also knew we wanted Returnal to stand on its own," explained Louden. "With this in mind, we decided to create a new IP which evolves our deep third-person action and mysterious storytelling."
One of he key gameplay differences between Saros and Returnal, as detailed by Louden, is "permanent resources and progression making every death valuable." Like Returnal, Saros will feature a gameplay loop in which every day will result in a changed world; however, following each death you will be able to choose and permanently upgrade your loadout from an evolving set of weapons and suit upgrades. Returnal sort of had a system like this, but it sounds like Saros will refine it and address some of the criticisms that Returnal received for its repetitiveness.
"Saros is an action game with the haunting story of a lost off-world colony on Carcosa under an ominous eclipse. You play as Arjun Devraj, a powerful Soltari Enforcer who will stop at nothing to find who he is looking for," he detailed. "Our goal is to create an emotional and powerful character study that explores the cost it takes to create a new future."
The character of Arjun is brought to life by Rahul Kohli (Midnight Mass, The Fall of the House of Usher) who was praised by Louden for his "stunning performance." Although the trailer puts the spotlight on Arun, he is not the only character you'll encounter on Carcosa. Louden hinted at a "fantastic ensemble npc cast," with more details and story information coming later.
Saros is set to release in 2026 with the promise of a first look at extende gameplay coming later this year. The game will be released for PlayStation 5 consoles exclusively, and could possibly come to PC at some point down the line as well.