Sony kicked off its September 2025 State of Play by announcing a March 20, 2026, release date for developer Housemarque’s Returnal follow-up on PlayStation 5, Saros.
Creative director Gregory Louden talked fans through some of the changes to Returnal’s story-driven roguelike formula when the extended look at gameplay that premiered today. While the breakneck, bullet-hell action the original game is known for seems to be back for Saros, we also got to see new features, including the Second Chance feature, the Soltari Shield, and Power Weapons.
Louden took to the PlayStation.Blog to dive even deeper into the story of Arjun Devraj (Rahul Kohli) and how Housemarque has evolved Returnal’s gameplay. The creative director confirms that the footage was captured on a PS5 at 60fps using Unreal Engine 5. Saros is still in development, so Louden reminds fans to expect various tweaks and other changes before that March release date arrives.
The post describes Saros’ new setting, Carcosa, as a “shape-shifting, hostile alien planet.” That’s nothing new to players who ventured through Returnal’s Atropos, but this time around, Housemarque will try a new strategy when it comes to telling its story.
“Along with grounded voice-over, stunning cinematics, haunting audio logs, and conversations with our ensemble cast of NPCs,” Louden said, “there are also Soltari Holograms detailing what happened on Carcosa as you explore. If you choose to collect them, they are vital to discover what happened on this hostile planet.”
Music played an important role in Returnal, so it’s no surprise to hear Housemarque taking steps to do so again in Saros. Louden says the “dark-electronic meets drone-metal score” for the footage we’ve seen thus far was composed by Joker and Chernobyl’s Sam Slater. He’s also known for his work on 2021’s Candyman and Battlefield 2042.
Be sure to read up on everything announced at the September 2025 State of Play while we wait for more Saros news from Housemarque. You can also check out the project’s original reveal from earlier this year.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
