Developer Grey State Studio and publisher Tencent Games have announced a new free-to-play horror-themed tactical shooter, dubbed Rules of Engagement: The Grey State. The title doesn’t yet have a full release date aside from a 2026 window, and is being developed for PC. It will be available in China through WeGame, and in the rest of the world through Steam and Epic Games Store. Check out the trailer below.
The official reveal trailer doesn’t really reveal much in the way of gameplay. However, it does give us a look at the general tone that Rules of Engagement: The Grey State will be going for, with players making use of realistic weapons and equipment took take on otherworldly horrors that have been inspired by a wide range of works from the genre. It is slated to be a co-op title for up to three players, and while the trailer doesn’t give any indications of PvP, the title has been confirmed to be a PvPvE extraction shooter.
The wide range of enemies that players will undoubtedly have to deal with throughout their time with Rules of Engagement: The Grey State range from cosmic horror entities that were seemingly inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft, to more modern, industrial beings that are a strange fusion of flesh and metal. Grey State Studio has described the title’s primary setting as being set in a “unique Horrorverse”, which indicates that no horror inspiration will be left untouched by the game.
Even the description of Rules of Engagement: The Grey State indicates that the “Horrorverse” of the title will involve nightmarish creatures adapted from movies, books, and even creepypasta. “This isn’t just one horror story, it’s all of them,” wrote the developer.
As for the story, players are put into the shoes of a Strider – an elite operative that has been hired by a secretive organisation to set out into The Grey State, which has been described as a dimension filled with horrific monsters and alien artifacts. Players will have to team up with their friends to try and retrieve a priceless artifact dubbed The Vertex.
Rules of Engagement: The Grey State is slated to get an alpha playtest, where it will feature three of its playable classes – Sledge, Pyro and Phantom. While Sledge has been described as being an unstoppable juggernaut equipped with a shield and hammer, the Pyro will instead be an agent of chaos that can make use of fire and gas to control the battlefield. The Phantom, on the other hand, will be an assassin-styled character that can take out enemies from the shadows.
While Rules of Engagement: The Grey State will be a free-to-play game, Grey State Studio has confirmed that its monetisation will revolve purely around cosmetic items. As the company has noted, players will not be able to buy their way into getting more powerful. Rather, they will have to play the game to acquire new gear.
There has been no word yet on whether Rules of Engagement: The Grey State will eventually make its way on to consoles for now.
