Saros, the spiritual successor to Returnal, has been shown off at PlayStation’s State of Play. The game keeps Returnal’s core mechanics and adds in a few new twists to differentiate itself from its predecessor.
Housemarque and Sony have showcased new gameplay footage for Saros, a game they announced earlier this year. It will launch on March 20 2026, and join Marvel’s Wolverine. That said, Wolverine isn’t scheduled to launch until fall 2026, so Saros has some time to establish itself as a proper PS5 exclusive.
Saros is, for all intents and purposes, a spiritual successor to Returnal. It uses the same engine and gameplay mechanics. The volley of intricately patterned bullet hell projectiles is here to stay, but this time, you get a shield to fend them off. As a result, there are now more projectiles than ever. Dodging will continue to remain your primary defence mechanism, though.
The sole weapon highlighted seems largely derivative, but the game gets a new UI. The trailer ends with what looks like a boss fight with a being that borrows heavily from Armored Core 6’s Balteus. However, Saros’ most significant change is ‘second chance’. It essentially gives you a one-time revive in battles. That is huge for a roguelike, as it gives you some wiggle room before being forced to rerun the entire area because you died.
Anil Ganti – Senior Tech Writer – 2711 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2019
I’ve been an avid PC gamer since the age of 8. My passion for gaming eventually pushed me towards general tech, and I got my first writing gig at the age of 19. I have a degree in mechanical engineering and have worked in the manufacturing industry and a few other publications like Wccftech before joining Notebookcheck in November 2019. I cover a variety of topics including smartphones, gaming, and computer hardware.
Anil Ganti, 2025-09-25 (Update: 2025-09-25)