‘Gravhounds’ pits space dogs against aliens

A stranded pack of bio-engineered dogs must salvage hostile planets for a demanding AI supervisor in Gravhounds, a co-op action game set on the far side of the galaxy.

COSMO, the crew’s shipboard AI, continues assigning jobs despite the predicament. Each shift sends the pack to gather resources, establish an operation and escape before the local creatures overwhelm the site.

A YouTube reveal trailer makes the humanoid dogs’ purpose brutally clear: “The perfect worker. Loyal. Obedient. Tireless. Bred to serve.”

The Grav Beam sits at the centre of the work. This industrial tool can move heavy resources, position building kits and fling objects across the battlefield. Players can throw supplies to teammates, pull smaller creatures out of a fight or turn nearby debris into an improvised projectile.

Base construction is part of the action. Turrets, generators and fabricators help defend each operation, while pipelines carry power across the terrain and open routes towards distant materials. A larger network creates more opportunities, but also leaves more infrastructure exposed to attack.

Objectives vary between missions. One requires players to escort an allied character, Coffee Cat, through dangerous territory. Another involves defending a refinery while a Collector gathers resources.

The longer a crew remains on a planet, the greater the potential rewards. However, the alien swarm becomes increasingly aggressive, forcing players to decide whether to continue gathering valuable materials or extract before the operation collapses.

Reward Pods provide randomised weapons and upgrades during a shift. Players can build around mobility, defence or firepower as the alien swarm becomes more dangerous.

A Mod Deck Builder gives players greater control over these upgrades. Before an expedition, they can select 10 common modifications and up to two more powerful Showstoppers. Reward Pods then draw from that selection, allowing crews to pursue particular strategies without removing the random element entirely.

Industrial propulsion rigs enable multidirectional boosts, jumps and hovering, while powered pipelines double as high-speed routes across the planet.

Missions support solo play or online co-op for up to four players. A crew can combine the different Gravhounds’ strengths, split up to cover more ground or stay together as the pressure rises.

A free demo launched on Steam and Xbox in October, offering four playable Gravhounds and seven planets spread across two solar systems. The demo includes gameplay improvements based on feedback from earlier playtests.

Gravhounds enters Early Access on PC via Steam and Game Preview on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox on PC today (2 November 2026). The title is available from launch with Xbox Game Pass.

Developer and publisher Octopus Panic plans to add more Gravhounds, jobs, worlds, enemies, weapons and progression systems during Early Access. The seven-person independent studio includes developers who previously worked on franchises such as Halo, Battlefield and Star Wars.

* Visit the ‘Gravhounds’ website here.

* Jason Bannier is a data analyst at World Wide Worx and deputy editor of Gadget.co.za. Follow him on Bluesky at @jas2bann.