Action · February 15, 2023
Returnal™ (2023)
Break the cycle as this award-winning third-person shooter brings bullet hell action to PC. Selene’s roguelike odyssey arrives with a suite of arresting graphical and performance-based enhancements to ensure an unforgettable journey. This includes the full Returnal™ experience, complete with Suspend Cycle, Photo and Co-op Modes, as well as the Tower of Sisyphus included from day one. BACKGROUND: After crash-landing on this shape-shifting world, Selene must search through the barren landscape of an ancient civilization for her escape. Isolated and alone, she finds herself fighting tooth and nail for survival. Again and again, she’s defeated – forced to restart her journey every time she dies. Through fast, relentless gameplay, you’ll discover that just as the planet changes with every cycle, so do the items at your disposal. Every loop offers new combinations, empowering you to push your boundaries and approach combat with a different strategy each time. Brought to life by stunning visual effects, the dark beauty of the decaying world around you is packed with explosive surprises. From high stakes, bullet hell-fuelled combat, to jaw-dropping twists and turns set across stark and contrasting environments. You’ll explore, discover and fight your way through an unforgiving journey, where mystery stalks your every move. Designed for extreme replayability, the procedural world of Returnal invites you to dust yourself off in the face of defeat and take on new, evolving challenges with every rebirth. The complete PC experience Includes support for achievements, complete with an in-game progress tracker. Five graphical pre-sets have also been included, alongside in-game performance metrics, including an FPS counter, a gauge for GPU and CPU usage and a latency tracker. Savour a dazzling visual experience 16:10, Ultrawide (21:9) and Super Ultrawide (32:9) aspect ratios offer an expanded field of view throughout Atropos – with wider aspects adding additional options for cinematics and the user interface. All this in stunning 4K. (1) On high-specification PCs, experience deeper immersion with ray-traced reflections and shadows, adding a whole new layer of lighting options – all customizable through various sliders. Performance enhancing technologies such as NVIDIA’s DLSS and NVIDIA NIS, as well as AMD’s FSR (2) , are also available. 1 Compatible PC and display device required. 2 Compatible PC and graphics card required for enhanced graphics. Feel sensory overload, first hand Play with the DualSense™ controller to experience haptic feedback and dynamic trigger effects. (3) Alternatively, choose mouse and keyboard or other controller inputs – all with fully customizable button prompts. Expanded accessibility options have also been added, including an alt-fire crosshair charging notification, alongside a Co-op ping system. Added support for Dolby Atmos, as well as the option to select type of 3D Audio support. (4) Hear sound all around you with pinpoint accuracy, bringing environments to life and helping improve your reactions. 3 Wired connection required to experience the full range of in-game controller features. 4 3D Audio modes require stereo headphones or compatible speaker Co-op Mode: In Co-op Mode, share your journey through the shifting labyrinth of Atropos with another PC player. (5) The hostile nature of Atropos will remain unwavering, but the possibility of teamwork adds a whole new dimension and means of survival. Each player controls a different version of Selene, from different cycles. Using the Chronosis device located in each biome, the host player summons a friend or is matched with another random online player. The progress of the host determines the available item pool for the duration of the multiplayer session. Tower of Sisyphus: Next time you wake at the crash site, look up. You should be able to see a gate towards the Tower of Sisyphus, accessible as long as you’ve unlocked the Icarian Grapnel. (5) In this Tower, prepare for a new kind of challenge. It’s a nearly endless ascending gauntlet with a pure focus on combat, how high you build up your score and progress, exclusive items, Scout logs and as-yet unseen fragments from Selene’s story. 5 The Tower of Sisyphus, House sequences and Challenge Mode are not available in Co-op Mode. Cross-play with players on PlayStation®5 consoles is not supported. INTENSE COMBAT - Fight to survive in this third-person roguelike shooter. - Take on ruthless enemies in explosive, bullet hell-fuelled combat. THRILLING EXPLORATION - Manage equipment and resources carefully – every time you die, you restart from the beginning. - Scavenge alien tech for upgrades to enhance your abilities in future cycles. HAUNTING NARRATIVE - Piece together fragments of Selene’s memories as she seeks out answers. - Forge a personal connection with the planet as you explore its constantly evolving and decaying terrain.
Action releases from 2023
223 Action titles launched in 2023 — top 6 by review volume.
Localization Coverage
Interface / Subtitles (12)
- English volume_up
- French volume_up
- Italian volume_up
- German volume_up
- Spanish - Spain volume_up
- Arabic volume_up
- Danish
- Dutch
- Finnish
- Japanese volume_up
- Korean volume_up
- Norwegian
Full audio (12)
- English
- French
- Italian
- German
- Spanish - Spain
- Arabic
- Japanese
- Korean
- Polish
- Portuguese - Portugal
- Portuguese - Brazil
- Russian
Peer Action titles
Comparable titles in the same genre and review-volume band — ranked by Steam positive percentage.
Community Tag Signals
Tag weights reflect how many Steam users voted each descriptor — larger pills = stronger consensus.
- Action · 114
- Bullet Hell · 104
- Rogue-like · 97
- Singleplayer · 97
- Co-op · 96
- Female Protagonist · 94
- Online Co-Op · 84
- Action Roguelike · 83
- Third-Person Shooter · 83
- Space · 78
- Shooter · 64
- Sci-fi · 63
- Multiplayer · 58
- Difficult · 49
- Rogue-lite · 45
Position in Action
| Metric | This title | Genre position |
|---|---|---|
| Review volume | 8.4k Steam reviews | Top 44% in Action |
| Positive rating | 82% positive | Genre average: 83% — this title sits in top 64% |
| Metacritic | 85/100 | Genre average 77 — top 19% of Action titles |
| Engagement hours | 17 h average | Top 29% for session depth among Action |
Features & Capabilities
Multiplayer
- Multi-player
- Co-op
- Online Co-op
Community
- Steam Achievements
Accessibility
- Adjustable Text Size
- Color Alternatives
Input & Comfort
- Full controller support
- Camera Comfort
- Custom Volume Controls
- Stereo Sound
Other
- Single-player
- Save Anytime
Reception Metrics
Steam community
82%Mostly Positive · 8.4k reviews
6.9k positive · 1.5k negative
Metacritic
85/100 critic aggregate
Metacritic user score
7.2/10
Curator recommendations
5.5k
Engagement Profile
All-time avg
17h
moderate (15–40 hours)
Median
13h
Typical completion time
2-week avg
2h
Current engagement
Achievements
38
Steam unlocks available
Release & Availability
| Release date | Feb 15, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Developer | Housemarque, Climax Studios |
| Publisher | PlayStation Publishing LLC |
| Base price | $23.99 -60% |
| Required age | 13+ |
| Platforms | Windows |
| Estimated owners | 1M–10M |
| External links | Official site · Support |
Editions & Packages
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