Do You Need to Watch The Expanse Before Osiris Reborn Comes Out?

I recently got some hands-on time with The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, and while it was only a short play session, I still walked away with the sense that it could finally fill that Mass Effect-sized void in my soul. Since the original Mass Effect trilogy concluded over a decade ago, I’ve been waiting for something similar that I could sink my teeth into, and I genuinely feel like Osiris Reborn could be that and more. But the best part about all of it is that I’ve never read The Expanse books or watched the TV series, and yet, my brief preview of the game had me invested in the characters and the world—so much so that I still want more of it.

That doesn’t automatically mean Osiris Reborn is going to make sense to non-fans of The Expanse, though. My time with the game was short, not to mention the fact that I played the beta of a game that won’t launch for maybe another year, so it’s safe to say I didn’t get a complete idea of how extensively it will explore the universe of The Expanse, nor how much exposition there will be to ensure I understand it all. That being said, my hands-on preview of Osiris Reborn did hinge on the most pivotal event in the series’ overarching narrative, so, to me, there’s enough evidence to suggest it won’t make The Expanse required reading.

The Expanse: Osiris Reborn’s Greatest Strength Already Outdoes Its Biggest Weakness

The Expanse: Osiris Reborn shines where it matters most, though one core pillar still has ground to make up before launch.

Osiris Reborn Doesn’t Seem to Make The Expanse Required Reading

Again, going into my preview of The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, I had no idea what kind of universe I was getting into. I’ve heard of The Expanse—primarily the TV show—but despite being a massive sci-fi fan, I’ve never watched the show, and I’ve never read the books the TV series was based on by James S. A. Corey (Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck). And while sci-fi can be confusing and a bit difficult to follow at times, especially if you’re stepping into a franchise at any point beyond its origins, I was able to comprehend the events that took place ahead of and throughout my time with Osiris Reborn with ease.

The Expanse: Osiris Reborn Hinges on the Series’ Most Important Event

But I’m confident that Osiris Reborn won’t require players to watch or read The Expanse before they jump into the game, as it has been confirmed to start with what is widely considered the most important event in the series’ history: the Eros Incident. While I didn’t get to see it firsthand during my preview of the game, the characters did mention and explain enough about what happened on Eros that, as long as I was taking in every word and not allowing my mind to wander, I got a firm grasp on the incident and why it’s so important to The Expanse lore.

I’ve never read The Expanse books or watched the TV series, and yet, my brief preview of the game had me invested in the characters and the world—so much so that I still want more of it.

The Eros Incident is where things in The Expanse escalate fast, taking things from political tension to something more unsettling. What starts as a crisis on a single station turns out to be the result of a secret experiment involving the protomolecule, an alien substance that infects and consumes the population of Eros. The station essentially becomes ground zero for something no one fully understands, and the fallout reaches far beyond just one location. It exposes a deeper conspiracy, raises the stakes across every faction, and introduces a threat that changes the direction of the entire story. Even without seeing it play out firsthand, Osiris Reborn gives just enough context through dialogue to make it clear how much of a turning point what happened on Eros in The Expanse really is for everything moving forward.

Stepping into Pinkwater Station during the preview, there was even a news broadcast that explained some of the events that led up to that point in time, referencing the destruction of an ice hauler, James Holden’s public accusation against Mars, and the immediate fallout across the Belt. It talked about disrupted water shipments, riots breaking out on stations like Ceres, and security forces locking down entire sectors as things spiraled out of control, all of which ties directly back to how fragile life in the Belt really is when supply lines break down. The broadcast functioned more as background ambiance than a direct dialogue exchange, but it’s a clear indication that, as long as you use your eyes and ears while playing Osiris Reborn, you should feel like you’re getting the full scoop on The Expanse.

There are also datapads players can find as they explore the world in Osiris Reborn, which offer lore tidbits and interesting knowledge about characters and events in The Expanse universe.

The Expanse: Osiris Reborn Is Clearly a Standalone Adventure

But even apart from what the game outright tells you about The Expanse, it’s being built as a standalone adventure, and that’s clear for a number of reasons. Firstly, there’s the fact that developer Owlcat Games is intentionally making The Expanse: Osiris Reborn to be a Mass Effect-like experience. This means player choice is at the center of gameplay, and you simply can’t have that if everything is nailed down too tightly to the characters and the minor, non-lore-altering events of The Expanse. That alone positions Osiris Reborn as a game that can be played without first familiarizing yourself with the source material, and it implies that Owlcat will do its due diligence to ensure players understand enough about the universe that reading the books and watching the show will not be necessary beforehand.

That also means The Expanse: Osiris Reborn is telling its own story—one that is adjacent to the main narrative rather than relying on it. In this way, the game uses The Expanse as a backdrop that contextualizes the events of its own parallel story. Sure, Osiris Reborn takes place during the timeline of major Expanse events, like the Eros Incident, but because it follows different characters and perspectives, it can’t depend entirely on what has already been written.

As long as you use your eyes and ears while playing Osiris Reborn, you should feel like you’re getting the full scoop on The Expanse.

Still, there is a clear “bonus layer,” if you will, for fans of The Expanse, as they will encounter familiar factions like the Outer Planets Alliance, politics, and possibly even characters that can make the game feel like a service to them. So, while you don’t need prior knowledge, going into Osiris Reborn as an Expanse fan can deepen the emotional impact of its narrative.

Watch or Read The Expanse At Your Own Risk

While Osiris Reborn doesn’t seem to make The Expanse required reading, there is still the question of whether you should watch the show and/or read the books, not so you can better understand the game, but so you can better appreciate it. However, I would caution you here, as doing so could potentially ruin Osiris Reborn for you. If you’re like me, and you’re just looking for a Mass Effect-like game that feels like BioWare’s iconic sci-fi trilogy, you may be better off avoiding the source material.

That’s not because Osiris Reborn changes Expanse lore or anything like that, but because the general rule of thumb with any adaptation or tie-in is that, if you’re a die-hard fan of the novels they’re based on, for example, you’re more than likely going to take up issues with the adaptions. There will almost always be something about the TV show, film, or video game that doesn’t quite line up with what you imagined in your head when you first read the books, or what’s shown on screen won’t accurately depict the author’s original description. In fact, some fans of The Expanse have already been discussing how Osiris Reborn is already disappointing them.

Even so, the developers at Owlcat Games likely know how seriously Expanse fans are going to take the game, and how much they will scrutinize it in turn, so there’s little reason to believe Osiris Reborn will deviate too far, if at all, from the source material. All of this to say, if you plan to play Osiris Reborn, read or watch The Expanse at your own risk. It doesn’t seem necessary to do so, but there could be a benefit to it if you approach it carefully. At the very least, next year, we’ll finally be getting an RPG that looks like a genuine spiritual successor to Mass Effect.