Owlcat Games has decided on a release window for its large-scale action RPG The Expanse: Osiris Reborn — an ambitious project on the universe of “Space” will reach the shelves in the spring of 2027. The developers do not hide their sources of inspiration: we are waiting for a dense sci-fi atmosphere in the spirit of the classic Mass Effect trilogy. And although the full launch is still far away, the game will be tested very soon — the closed beta test will start next month.
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Closed beta date and terms of access to The Expanse: Osiris Reborn
The closed beta of The Expanse: Osiris Reborn is scheduled for April 22. Testing will take place simultaneously on all target platforms — PC, PS5 and Xbox Series. However, not everyone will be allowed there. To evaluate the novelty from Owlcat Games before the others, you will have to fork out: access is guaranteed to the owners of the Miller’s Pack edition for $ 80 or an impressive “collector’s item” worth $289.
A nice bonus for subscribers of Microsoft services is that the studio has confirmed that the game will be added to the Game Pass Ultimate catalog upon release.
Gameplay of The Expanse: Osiris Reborn — Beta mechanics and similarities to Mass Effect
Within the boundaries of the test build, players will be offered to complete a second story mission. According to the plot, the main character, along with his brother or sister, have already left the dying Eros and acquired their own ship. Judging by the latest gameplay trailer, the parallels with Shepard’s adventures are visible to the naked eye — there are positional shootouts using shelters, giving orders to teammates, and cinematic dialogues.
What is available in the test version:
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Character Editor: Choose from several unique backstories and classes;
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Combat system: tactical battles with an emphasis on the abilities of party members;
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Exploration: Walking around the space station, including zero gravity sections using magnetic boots;
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Leveling up: The basic upgrade system for equipment and skills.
Instead of “biotic magic,” developers rely on solid science fiction and realistic technology — this is an important feature of James Corey’s world.
And in the gameplay of The Expanse: Osiris Reborn itself, the developers do not plan to deviate from the canons of “hard” sci-fi — the fresh trailer reveals in detail exactly how everyday life in deep space is arranged.
Gameplay trailer for Osiris Reborn: Unreal Engine 5, Zero Gravity and MetaHuman
The new The Expanse: Osiris Reborn video is not just a slicing of beautiful frames, but a detailed demonstration of the capabilities of Unreal Engine 5. The camera lazily slides along the hull of the ship, picking out the smallest details of plates and rivets, and the Lumen global lighting system paired with volumetric shadows creates a truly oppressive atmosphere in the cramped corridors of the station. But the picture is just the tip of the iceberg. You can see how gravity changes during docking, the interface trembles, and NPCs react realistically to maneuvers.
Special attention was paid to battles in zero gravity. The hero and his squad actively use magnetic boots, but they can turn them off at any time, for example, to fly through a dangerous shooting area by inertia. The enemies don’t stand still either: they cling to handrails, use maneuvering packs and cables. The shooting itself is similar in dynamics to Mass Effect 3, however, adjusted for realistic ballistics and tangible returns in low gravity conditions.
The role—playing system, the “heart” of any Owlcat Games project, has also received its share of screen time:
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Interactive dialogues: in the scene of an argument with a UN official, the hero’s relatives (brother or sister) are dynamically connected to the conversation, and the crowd’s reaction in the background changes depending on your words.
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Replica system: the answer options are provided with icons (aggression, diplomacy, pragmatism), familiar to fans of the genre.
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Facial technology: the facial expressions of the characters are based on MetaHuman, which provides live microanimation of eyebrows and lips — and for both Russian and English voice acting.
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Non—linearity: A short clip shows how one choice opens up a trip to a bar, and the other opens up an inevitable run-in with security.
The character development system was only glimpsed for a moment, but the structure is clear. Instead of rigid classes, The Expanse: Osiris Reborn features archetypes: tactician, pilot, engineer. Leveling is divided into three branches: personal talents, perks for the entire crew, and equipment modifications. By the way, some of the skills in the interface are marked with the “beta” bar — it is their balance that the developers intend to polish first.
The video ends with a demonstration of technical features: the explosions are not just for beauty, they highlight the silhouettes of enemies, and the tracers indicate the direction of fire. A nice detail for our region is that Russian is explicitly present in the language selection menu, and it will be available in the April beta.
How to get access to the closed beta and what the developers will check
You can’t just “walk in from the street” to test The Expanse: Osiris Reborn — entry is strictly by pass. To book a place in the closed beta, you will have to pre-order the Miller’s Pack ($80) or the hefty Collector’s Edition ($289). An important caveat: the keys are linked to a specific platform (Steam, PSN, or Xbox), so you won’t be able to migrate between versions during the test.
The goal of beta is not to show the whole plot, but to conduct a rigorous stress test of mechanics. Players will be locked up as part of the second storyline mission, giving them relative freedom of action on the station and at the docks. This is enough to check:
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Combat AI: how partners and enemies behave in three-dimensional space.
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Progression: how well the first perks and upgrades of the trunks work.
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Behavioral analysis: The game will collect statistics on which builds are popular, where players die most often, and what decisions are made at key points.
Speaking of solutions, saving from beta will transfer your “story flags” to the release version. Owlcat Games wants to see how the audience copes with the corporate gray morality of “Space” and how convenient it is for players to use the dialogue wheel on gamepads. Feedback will be the main measure of success: the client has a built-in reporting tool that allows you to flag bugs right during cut scenes or fights. Plus, there are traditional Discord and Reddit branches for those who like to analyze damage figures down to hundredths.
Why was the universe of The Expanse entrusted to Owlcat Games?
At first glance, the choice of studio seems unusual, but if you think about it, it’s the perfect match. The Pathfinder authors have long proved that they are able to work with “heavy” ENT and political intrigues. There is no unequivocal good or evil in James Corey’s world — there are interests of Earth, Mars and the Belt. Owlcat has already gotten its hands on similar conflicts in Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader, where every decision had long-lasting consequences.
The Expanse: Osiris Reborn is built on compromises and deals, not on the pretentious salvation of the galaxy. The studio’s expertise in creating extensive quests is critically important here. In addition, the transition to Unreal Engine 5 provides the very cinematography that isometric projects lacked. In fact, Owlcat is almost the only developer today who is able to produce a deep system RPG without losing visual quality and respect for the original source.
System requirements of The Expanse: Osiris Reborn on PC — minimum and recommendations
The technological leap has its price — the system requirements of The Expanse: Osiris Reborn bite. To simply run the game on a PC, you will need at least a Ryzen 5/ Core i5 and an RTX 3060 graphics card. This will provide 1080p with an active Lumen, but you will most likely have to resort to upscaling.
For a comfortable 1440p game at high settings, appetites grow to the RTX 4070 or Radeon RX 7800 XT. The game actively uses Nanite to draw geometry and advanced texture streaming. It is worth freeing up about 80-100 GB on an SSD in advance — high-quality assets and cut scenes require space. At the same time, the developers promise to leave the game open for modding by making some of the configurations available in files — the community will clearly appreciate the opportunity to tweak the UI for themselves.
Pre-orders and prices for Osiris Reborn editions: what fans think
The Expanse: Osiris Reborn line of publications is aimed at a loyal audience. The basic version is just a game, but Miller’s Pack for $80 already gives access to beta and a pack of unique cosmetics for the crew. The collector’s item for $289 is a choice for hardcore fans: there’s a ship figurine, an artbook, and a soundtrack.
There is cautious optimism in the community (especially on Reddit). Fans are pleased that the masters of old-school RPGs took over the “Space”, and not a novice studio. Yes, there are concerns that switching to third-person action could simplify the game, but Owlcat’s reputation as creators of deep mechanics still outweighs skepticism. Most agree: if anyone can capture the spirit of the books and the TV series with their complex politics, it’s the team that went through the harsh Pathfinder school.
Why does a single RPG need closed beta testing and what is the project team?
For many, the tactics of Owlcat Games seem strange, but for the Cypriot studio it is a base. Design Director Leonid Rastorguev and producer Yulia Chernenko emphasized at a press briefing that feedback is critically important for polishing systems. A similar scheme was tested on Pathfinder: Kingmaker, Wrath of the Righteous and the recent Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader.
Speaking of scale: The Expanse: Osiris Reborn is being created on the Unreal Engine by a team of 200 people. This is the studio’s most ambitious project with an over-the—shoulder view, while about 70 more employees are hard at work on the sequel to Rogue Trader, the Warhammer 40K: Dark Heresy game. Trust in the studio in the RPG segment is huge, so the credibility of Osiris Reborn is solid. Let’s see if they can beat BioWare in their own field.
