The Expanse game gets a sad release date update — and a demo

The Expanse: Osiris Reborn is getting a closed beta ahead of its 2027 release The Expanse: Osiris Reborn will be released in 2027, developer Owlcat Games announced Thursday during Xbox's Partner Preview showcase with a trailer that showed an in-depth look at new gameplay, looking more than ever like a Mass Effect successor. And that's not all: a closed beta for the game will be playable next month. Thursday's gameplay trailer showcased the deepest look at gameplay yet, including segments of cover-based shooting and space-flight. It also offered a glimpse of the notorious "Hybrid" and showed characters walking through key locations from Expanse's setting. Announced in 2025, The Expanse: Osiris Reborn is based on James S.A. Corey's series of popular sci-fi novels set in the near future, when Earth, Mars, and the colonies of the asteroid belt ("Belters") are locked in political struggle over the solar system's resources. If you've watched the TV adaptations, it's set during the first two and a half seasons, as Polygon learned during an August 2025 preview event. And yes, actors from the show will appear in the game in some capacity. Even so, you don't play as James Holden or anyone of