When Serious Sam: Shatterverse was revealed during the XBOX Partner Preview back in March, the only launch detail Behaviour Interactive and Devolver Digital would commit to was a vague later-this-year window. We now have a date, as the five-player co-op roguelite FPS launches August 31 on PlayStation 5, XBOX Series X|S, and PC, and an open playtest is live on Steam right now for anyone who wants an early taste.
The premise is unchanged from the reveal: series villain Mental has fractured the walls between universes, and Sams from multiple dimensions must team up to repair the Shatterverse while hunting down his five lieutenants. Runs play out across procedurally shifted, hand-crafted arenas set in worlds the series hasn’t visited before, dotted with unstable anomalies, hidden portals, and high-risk opportunities that can supercharge a run or end it on the spot. The arsenal mixes classic Serious Sam guns with new weapons pulled from the Shatterverse, which the press release proudly describes as “big, loud, stupid and frankly irresponsible,” and permanent upgrades and unlockable modifiers carry your progress across runs. The hordes include both classic foes and fresh monsters under Mental’s control.
As I said when the game was announced, handing a 25-year-old franchise with such a dedicated fan base to a studio other than Croteam is a bold move, though Behaviour Interactive has been expanding aggressively lately after acquiring the 7 Days to Die team. We also noted that Devolver Digital has been on a great streak, with Ball x Pit landing among our favorite games of 2025, so the publisher’s involvement counts for something. My conclusion back in March was that the foundation sounds promising, and an open playtest means we can all give it a shot before committing.
Pricing hasn’t been announced yet, and with launch less than four weeks away, that detail should arrive soon. In the meantime, the playtest is open to everyone on the game’s Steam page, so you can judge for yourself whether Behaviour has captured the spirit of the series before spending a dime.
