The Expanse: Osiris Reborn Preview - A New Story in the Belt

A New Crew, Told Alongside the Story You Already Know

The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, developer Owlcat Games’ third-person shooter set in James S.A. Corey’s universe, got its first proper hands-on preview at Gamescom 2026 - and the early verdict is that this could be one of the better video game adaptations in years. You don’t play as Holden’s crew; instead you control a custom character and an identical twin partner, working alongside a Mass Effect-style squad through events that run concurrently with seasons 1-3 of the show.

Why It Matters for Dads

Licensed games have a rough track record, so it’s worth being specific about why Osiris Reborn reads differently. The combat is genuinely Mass Effect-style cover shooting - directing two squadmates through tactical repositioning - and reviewers who played it came away impressed by how punchy and responsive it feels. More surprising: the previewed mission, “Beetle in the Anthill,” spent over half an hour on Hitman-style problem solving (forging an invoice, hacking a terminal, scanning a shipping container) before any shooting started at all, which tracks with what The Expanse has always done best - politics and consequences over raw firepower.

The mission takes place on Ganymede, recreating the agricultural domes that anyone who’s watched The Expanse: Season 2 will recognize as the site of a major disaster - a detail the game plays with restraint rather than winking at the camera. If you want the book-side context for where this story sits, Leviathan Wakes and Caliban’s War cover the exact era Osiris Reborn runs alongside.

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The Expanse: Osiris Reborn (opens in a new tab)

Owlcat's Mass Effect-style third-person shooter set in The Expanse universe, alongside the events of seasons 1-3. Out spring 2027 on PS5, PC and Xbox Series X.

What’s Next

Full release is spring 2027 - still several months out, with no firm date yet. The bar for licensed sci-fi games clearing this well is genuinely low (see our thoughts on 007 First Light, one of the rare recent successes), and the previous Expanse Telltale series didn’t leave much of a mark - so Osiris Reborn has real room to become the franchise’s best game yet. We’ll cover it fully as release approaches.

When does The Expanse: Osiris Reborn release?

Spring 2027, on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X, from developer Owlcat Games.

Is The Expanse: Osiris Reborn like Mass Effect?

Very much so - third-person, cover-based squad combat directing two companions, plus dialogue-driven exploration between missions. An early hands-on preview at Gamescom 2026 confirmed the comparison holds up in practice.

Do you need to have read the books or watched the show first?

No, but it helps. Osiris Reborn runs alongside the events of seasons 1-3 (the Leviathan Wakes and Caliban’s War era) with an original cast, and knowing what’s coming - like the fate of Ganymede’s agricultural domes - changes how some scenes land.