Squad up, complete contracts on a derelict ship, and outsmart a procedurally chosen creature.
French indie WanadevStudio has released Species: Unknown on PC via Steam Early Access (October 23, 2025). It’s a 1–4 player, contract-driven survival-horror where your squad boards a derelict ship to complete objectives while a procedurally selected creature hunts you. A free Steam demo remains available if you want to test it before buying.
Official Trailer
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The pitch
Each run drops your team into a different nightmare: recover a black box, capture or eliminate a threat, or even scuttle the ship to stop the creature from escaping. The monster you face is picked procedurally from a roster with distinct behaviors, strengths, and hunting patterns—so reading clues (and bodies) actually informs your plan. Tools like a motion tracker, deployable shield, health syringe, and a live mini-map add squad tactics over straight FPS action.
What’s in the EA build today
- Solo or co-op for up to 4 players (public or private lobbies).
- Several contract types: recovery, destruction, capture, elimination.
- Procedurally chosen creature with unique behaviors.
- One playable map at launch; gear upgrades and avatar customization.
Species: Unknown
Release: October 23, 2025 (Early Access)
Genre: Survival Horror, Co-op, FPS
Developer / Publisher: WanadevStudio
Platforms: PC — Steam
Roadmap & price notes
WanadevStudio targets roughly 12 months in Early Access before 1.0, with plans for more specimens, maps, upgrades, and broad polish/QoL. The studio also notes the price will rise as content lands.
Context: Next Fest is over, but the demo isn’t
October’s Steam Next Fest ran Oct 13–20, 2025, and Species: Unknown rolled into Early Access on Oct 23—so treat any “during Next Fest” phrasing as past-tense. The demo remains downloadable on the store page post-Fest.
Where to start
- Try the demo on Steam, then decide if the EA build’s content is enough for your group.
- Squad tactics first: lean on motion tracking and shields; guns aren’t a silver bullet against every threat.
- Set expectations: one map at launch; more content planned across EA.
Written by Aidan Minter, Fix Gaming Channel.
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