Owlcat Games announced in June 2025 that it was developing a new roleplaying game set in the universe of The Expanse novels and TV series titled The Expanse: Osiris Reborn. For a studio best known for painstaking, isometric tactical RPGs like Pathfinder and Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader, this is a significant departure. For Owlcat, this project is more than just another RPG; it's the studio's first foray into a true third-person action RPG.
You'll be stepping into the boots of a mercenary for Pinkwater Security. What starts as a half-baked downtime on the asteroid Eros suddenly becomes turbulent with madness. You find yourself ensnared in a ghastly lockdown and caught up with a conspiracy that's really above your pay grade, spreading across the galaxy. The premise feels deliberately Mass Effect-like, which makes sense given what Owlcat is doing with the game's social and companion systems.
The real draw here isn't the firefights themselves. Your companions are characters with backstories and loyalties. Some want redemption, others want the secrets they hold to remain hidden. How you guide and what choices you make will either win their applause or invite contempt. Inside the ship, group dynamics will be fundamental: your companions will have backgrounds, opinions and personal stories that you can decide to deepen or ignore.
Combat itself balances cover-based shooting with ability use, but the tactical layer comes from your squad. The fluid combat system allows you to issue commands to squadmates during battle, directing their movements and target priorities. Players typically adventure with two companions alongside their character. Others can chip in from afar; one companion, for instance, can disable enemy systems or provide cover fire.
Zero-gravity combat, a hallmark of The Expanse universe, plays a significant role. Characters can use magnetic boots to traverse any surface, and environmental destruction creates tactical opportunities. This isn't window dressing. The game leans into Expanse specifics: exploration will take you to travel throughout the solar system aboard your ship, visiting places such as the Moon, Mars, Ceres and Iotag. In these locations you will find real social hubs where you can walk, meet new characters in bars or shop to improve your equipment.
One detail worth noting: Owlcat Games has confirmed that iconic characters from the TV series will be voiced by their original actors, maintaining authenticity and continuity with the source material. That's a deliberate choice for a studio working with licensed IP. It signals commitment to the source material in a way that can either feel respectful or cynical depending on how well the game actually uses those characters.
The release schedule has not been nailed down yet, but The Expanse Osiris Reborn shall arrive on PC (Steam, GOG, and Epic Games Store), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S|X.