The Expanse: Osiris Reborn Looks Like The Best Video Game Adaptation Ever

At Gamescom 2026, a 90-minute hands-on demo of The Expanse: Osiris Reborn showcased a highly detailed and faithful adaptation of the sci-fi franchise. Developed by Owlcat Games, the upcoming third-person shooter is set in the complex universe created by James S.A. Corey. The game is scheduled to launch in spring 2027 for Windows PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X. It is expected to offer approximately 30 hours of gameplay, depending on individual playstyles.

One notable detail observed during the mid-game demo is the inability of characters to jump. While a producer present at the demonstration would not officially confirm or deny the lore implications of this design choice, it aligns with the universe's setting. Because most scenes in the franchise take place on space stations, spaceships, or lunar ports with variable gravity, characters wear magnetized boots to stay grounded, making jumping impractical. This mechanical constraint mirrors the original Mass Effect trilogy, a series to which Osiris Reborn is frequently compared.

The narrative of Osiris Reborn runs concurrently with the events of the first three seasons of the television show, or the novels Leviathan’s Wake and Caliban’s War. Players do not control James Holden or the crew of the Rocinante; instead, they create a custom protagonist. This main character is joined by an identical twin named J and a diverse crew of companions. While major canonical figures like Holden do exist in the game's world, they did not appear during the preview session.

The demo featured a mission titled "Beetle in the Anthill," which occurs roughly 10 hours into the campaign, following the destruction of Eros Station. In this segment, the player's party is employed by the Pinkwater paramilitary organization on Ganymede station. The objective is to gather compromising data on Protogen, a rival paramilitary group. The mission highlights the game's dual nature, balancing intense combat with slower, investigative gameplay that emphasizes the political tension central to the franchise.

Combat in Osiris Reborn is punchy, responsive, and highly tactical, requiring players to utilize cover and direct two squad mates in battle. However, the game also supports non-lethal, immersive-sim approaches to objectives. During the demo, accessing a locked storage container required a multi-step process: scanning a container to find its serial number, hacking a computer terminal to obtain an invoice template, and presenting it to a shipping officer, rather than simply engaging the guards in a firefight.

The environmental design of Ganymede station features meticulous details, such as the massive agricultural domes known from the second season of the show. The demo concluded with a high-stakes sequence where the player's crew is pursued through tunnels by a Protomolecule Hybrid. Players are forced to make a critical decision regarding which crew member to assign to rescue civilian scientists and who should hack an escape route, hinting at consequential choice-driven outcomes later in the game.