The Expanse: Osiris Reborn Preview

Not only am I a big sci-fi buff, but I’m also a massive fan of The Expanse, be it James S. A. Corey’s enthralling books or the excellent TV show adaptation; it’s one of my favorite pieces of sci-fi out there. Evidently, I’m also a huge fan of BioWare’s Mass Effect series, so hearing that Owlcat Games is working on an Expanse RPG that takes heavy inspiration from Mass Effect almost sounded too good to be true.

At Gamescom 2025, I was treated to a sit-down with Alexander Mishulin (creative director) and Leonid Rastorguev (game design director) for a hands-off with The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, a game that, so far, is looking to live up to my early excitement.

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Our hands-off with The Expanse: Osiris Reborn took place on a space station.

Before the hands-off began, I was given a bit of backstory on how character creation would work; you can be any gender and choose from one of three backgrounds for your hero: Earth, Mars, or a Belter. Owlcat is looking to be true to the source material here, so if you’re from Mars, expect to have more of a military background, while if you’re a Belter (someone who was raised in space, usually on mining rigs), you’ll be both taller and thinner, due to the difference in gravity. It’s an early example of how Owlcat looks to have roleplaying elements really impact the story of Osiris Reborn.

You’ll also get the chance to choose from a preset for your hero’s starting abilities, of which I was shown two, although Owlcat promises there are a lot more in the full release. You’ll also have a twin created at the same time, this will be of the same background and sex as your hero, and is named J, acting as your first companion (more on that later).

For those familiar with The Expanse, Osiris Reborn is looking to tell its own story with its own characters, rather than following the path of James Holden. Taking place during the events of the first two seasons of the TV show (or Books 1 and 2), Owlcat says that your own personal journey takes place during the events during that time period, although we have been told that you will run into characters from the TV show and even that some actors will reprise their roles from it (but not who, unfortunately).

The hands-off begins with us on a space station, following the events of the previous mission, where you’ve commandeered a ship via salvage. You’ll get the chance to look around, speak to people, and soak in the atmosphere of your current location. There are quests you can pick up, and crafting to be done, and you’ll immediately notice that Osiris Reborn is a bit further advanced than at the same point in the TV show. This, as the developers explain, is due to the TV show back then not having the budget to truly showcase the universe, and something that Owlcat is adding to their take on it.

Once you’re ready to continue, though, you’re off to report the situation of your previous mission when you quickly discover that the space station is boarded by Protogen, a mercenary group that is here for the ship you took, and it’s here that I get an early look at how choices play out in Osiris Reborn.

It’s clear to see that Protogen means business, and you either have the choice of having the whole space station take up arms and help defend it, at the potential cost of life, or choose to escape on your own, back to the ship. I like keeping people alive where possible, so I chose the second option, but we’re told that missions can and will play out differently based on these choices.

Not long after our gallant heroes make their way through the space station, they eventually run into a combat encounter, and here we get to see a brief look at what to expect. As mentioned at the top, Osiris Reborn takes heavy inspiration from Mass Effect, such as using cover and abilities to take out your targets. J’s abilities let him use the environment to his advantage, while you can destroy cover with the gadgets you wield. I’ll need to see a lot more on this before I can have a decisive take on it, but as an early glimpse, it looked very inspired by Mass Effect.

I shortly see one example of my earlier choice too, due to the space station standing down, an armory our hero comes across remains completely stocked, allowing him to prepare better for the battle that follows. I’m also introduced to another one of our companions, who is on the bridge of the ship we stole. It’s here where the developers touched on how companions work in Osiris Reborn.

They begin by telling us that no companions will feel “left behind”; anyone you don’t take on a mission (you can take two with you at any time) will still be involved, be it in a supporting role from the ship (such as in this case), leading a second squad, or more yet to be revealed. I also just had to ask about whether romance would play a part in the game, and was reassured that yes, that is something you can pursue. I also tried to learn about whether any of the companions were optional or not, but this isn’t something Owlcat was willing to reveal just yet.

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The locales look beautiful and true to the source material.

The final section of the hands-off sees an example of a Zero-g (zero gravity) shootout as our hero uses his mag-boots, a series staple, to walk on the outside of the station as you make your way to the ship while under fire. The muffled sound design helps sell it, and the glorious visuals make it a delight. I was told that while the first few missions in Osiris Reborn follow on from each other, you soon get the ability to freely explore the solar system. What’s more, you’ll play a huge part in the politics, another staple of this hugely popular IP.

This was just a small taste of what to expect in The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, but I was already relieved to see that the developers “get” the source material, and what’s more, keep the RPG elements that Owlcat Games are becoming so renowned for. If this is only our first look at the game, I can’t wait to get my hands on it as the team continues to work away at it.