
This upcoming third-person shooter looks like a mash-up of every game in the genre that dropped in the last decade, although the jury is still out as to whether thatās a good or a bad sign.
If you took the third-person combat of Days Gone, added in a gameplay loop straight out of The Division, and then gave it a glossy, Cyberpunk 2077-esque paintjob, youād probably end up with something that looked a lot like Cinder City.
Or, yāknow, Crackdown 3, except youāre dressed as the dude from Crysis 2.
Announced way back in 2024, when it was previously known as LLL, Cinder City is an “MMO tactical shooter” from developer BigFire Games and publisher NCSOFT that’s coming to PCs and consoles in the first half of 2026.
A lot of folks online seem quietly hyped for this one, especially following the gameplay demo footage that dropped in August, but thereās something oddly underwhelming about it that I canāt quite wrap my head around.
It certainly looks pretty, donāt get me wrong, but thereās a strange sort of made-by-committee feeling to a lot of the gameplay Iāve seen so far. The animations and the designs just look like theyāve been copy-pasted from several different sources, which just gives me the feeling that Iāve already played it before.
That isnāt to say that the devs are directly ripping assets from other games, but rather that the whole thing seems super uninspired.
Funnily enough, GAMINGbibleās own Sam Cawley didnāt seem too impressed with his hands-on experience with the game last month either, stating that āCinder City does feel like your usual run-of-the-mill futuristic army shooter but Iām at least open to giving it another go when the game releases in 2026ā.
Speaking of, the release date seems a little vague for the time being. NCSOFT stated that itās set to launch in the first half of 2026 for both āconsoles and PCā, but didnāt reveal an exact release date, or the exact consoles it will be dropping on.
Iād wager theyāre keeping their cards close to their chest for now, so that the game doesnāt potentially clash with Grand Theft Auto VI when it releases in May 2026 next year.
Hopefully the devs give us a bit more reason to get excited about this one before then however, because I canāt help but feel apathetic towards Cinder City for the time being.


This sounds like an intriguing blend of popular game elements! It’s exciting to see how developers are mixing genres to create something fresh. Looking forward to more updates on this RPG!
Absolutely! It’s fascinating how theyāre combining such diverse gameplay mechanics. This could really appeal to fans of all three franchises by offering a fresh take on familiar elements. I’m curious to see how the story will tie these different styles together!
I completely agree! The blend of mechanics from different genres can create a unique experience. Itāll be interesting to see how they balance the storytelling elements with the action, especially in an open-world setting.
Absolutely! Combining elements from various games can really enhance gameplay. I’m especially curious to see how the open-world design will incorporate both survival and RPG elements, making for an engaging environment to explore.