Saros Confirms How to Get 48 Hours Early Access to Next Big PS5 Exclusive Game

Housemarque has revealed that players who purchase the digital deluxe edition of the upcoming PlayStation 5 exclusive Saros will be able to play the game a full 48 hours early on April 28. Saros is being developed by the same studio that launched the PlayStation exclusive Returnal in 2021. While Saros will utilize many of the gameplay features players experienced in Returnal, it isn’t a direct sequel to the 2021 hit.

Saros will follow the story of Arjun Devraj during his time on the evolving world of Carcosa, a setting that’s almost guaranteed to keep the player on their toes. Arjun is being portrayed by the actor Rahul Kohli, who some fans might know from productions like Midnight Mass, The Fall of the House of Usher, iZombie, and more. As Arjun, players will be tasked with hunting down a mysterious figure, though little is known about whom this person is or why Arjun will “stop at nothing” to find them. If Saros takes the same approach as Returnal, players can expect to see the story unfold slowly as they go out on runs. It’s a very different approach from other narrative-driven PlayStation titles like The Last of Us and God of War, but Housemarque has certainly found a formula that plays to the studio’s strengths.

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Saros’ Gameplay Overview Reveals Digital Deluxe Edition Perks

Full game digital download
Hands of Shore Armour (Pre-order)
Astra Armour
Onryo Armour
Midgard Armour

At PlayStation’s February 12 State of Play, Housemarque gave gamers a look at Saros’ gameplay and some perks that will come with the digital deluxe edition. In addition to receiving a full digital download of the title, players will be able to jump into the game a full 48 hours ahead of its launch on April 30, 2026. Saros‘ standard edition is priced at $69.99 on the PlayStation Store, while the digital deluxe edition comes with a price tag of $79.99.

Find all 10 pairs

Gamers who pick up the digital deluxe edition will also receive four sets of armor that pay homage to some of PlayStation’s other notable exclusive titles. For instance, the Hands of the Shore Armour (which can be attained by pre-ordering either edition of the game) appears to take inspiration from Death Stranding. Meanwhile, the Astra Armour is modeled after Selene Vassos’ outfit from Returnal. Ghost of Yotei fans might be eager to attain the Onryo Armour, as it features the bold black and yellow color palette of Atsu’s outfit from the hit samurai game. Finally, the Midgard Armour is modeled after Kratos’ iconic look from the modern God of War titles, giving Arjun a little godly flair to sport while surviving the harsh world of Carcosa.

Housemarque also gave players a fresh look at Saros‘ gameplay in the trailer shown at PlayStation State of Play, which highlights some of the ways the team has refined its approach to gameplay since the release of Returnal. For instance, players will now be able to teleport to any biome they’ve unlocked, allowing them to jump back into the action even faster than before. The trailer even showed off a Carcosa Modifiers menu that allows players to customize the game’s difficulty, but that doesn’t mean gamers will be able to trivialize Saros‘ many challenges. While players will be able to adjust things like enemy difficulty, the modifier menu will show a gauge that keeps players from breaking the game’s balance.

The gameplay overview also went over eclipse escalations, which transform Carcosa into an even more dangerous world. When an eclipse is active, the setting is distorted by corruption, impacting everything from enemies to environments to sound design. During an eclipse, players will need to pay close attention to how the biome’s properties have changed. For instance, in the Blighted Marsh, the water will come alive and burn the player during an eclipse. With everything that has been shown off, many gamers are feeling optimistic about Saros‘ launch on April 30.