This 2026 Sci-Fi Game Is Made for Hardcore Fans

Science fiction and video games have gone together for years, and a new indie title slated for 2026 looks to be directed at hardcore fans. Throughout the history of video games, sci-fi has been a major player, whether gamers piloted ships to blast asteroids or they fought alien armies in the Halo franchise. Sci-fi is a common theme, but real science in science fiction games isn’t used as often. After all, physics can be limiting, as can the travel time it takes to fly between astronomical bodies, so games usually cut corners in realism to improve entertainment. This new game merges realism and entertainment into an exciting new adventure.

During the 2025 PC Gaming Show, indie developer Cognition dropped the reveal trailer for its 2026 title, Lunar Strike: Bring Down the Sky. The game is centered around Bo, a tech-augmented astro-archivist on a mission to preserve humanity’s lunar legacy. This is important, as the Moon’s survival is threatened by another astronomical body seen throughout the trailer. There are no enemies to combat, but time is a factor. This amps up the tension considerably as the player must navigate the Lunar surface and through various structures, focusing on survival, decision-making, and puzzle-solving to accomplish their goals.

Lunar Strike Is an Indie Game That Embraces Hard Science

The game is set in 2119 and is a single-player narrative and exploration adventure on the Moon’s South Pole. Bo is responsible for documenting humanity’s last lunar colony, so the player must scan and preserve any records they find. These include those related to science, culture, and the people who lived there. Sabotage transitions the game from archiving to survival, and every choice the player makes determines the game’s eventual outcome. It features no combat, archival-scanning tools, tactical survival mechanics, branching narrative outcomes, forensic reconstruction, interesting characters, and is grounded in real science.

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In terms of the real science used in the game’s development, every aspect of lunar knowledge that could fit inside Lunar Strike’s narrative is present. This includes the lunar environment and its regolith, orbital mechanics, and more. The footage and screenshots from Lunar Strike appear to show a massive asteroid close to the Moon. Bo will likely need to document what she can and escape before an impact destroys much of the lunar surface. That appears to be the time element that keeps the tension and action going as gameplay proceeds through the game’s narrative.

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Anyone with a passing fancy for science fiction and scientific realism will likely be drawn to Lunar Strike. Development used space researchers to ensure it was as realistic as possible. This includes programming the 1/6th lunar gravity and how it affects player movement and environmental elements. There’s also toxic Moon dust and real-world physics that have been studied on the Moon’s surface. Lunar Strike also remains true to real-life heritage efforts, emphasizing early lunar colonization and the desire to preserve knowledge before it’s lost. The game is slated for release in May 2025 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, but you can wishlist it on Steam now.

Are you excited to go to the Moon and document its final human colony when Lunar Strike is released in May 2026? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!