| Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core | |||
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| Release Date | Gameplay & Story | Pre-Order & DLC | Early Access Review |
Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core is a roguelite co-op FPS spinoff where players fight to reclaim their mining facilities from the fierce Corespawn. Learn more about the game’s plot, gameplay, release date, our review of the Early Access, and more.
Everything We Know About Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core
Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core Plot
It’s been discovered that a new mineral has been found in planet Hoxxes IV by the name of Expenite. So of course, space mining company Deep Rock Galactic immediately moves in to set up covert mining operations to harvest this new precious mineral. However, all the dig sites go dark and all contact is lost without warning.
Play as an elite team of dwarven miners called the Reclaimers to bring the dig sites back online and uncover the mystery of The Greyout.
Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core Gameplay
Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core is a roguelite spinoff of the original co-op extraction shooter Deep Rock Galactic. They keep the first-person shooter aspect of the game and introduce roguelite elements by letting you choose powerful temporary upgrades as you progress deeper in Hoxxes IV. You’ll be able to salvage different gear from weapon and equipment caches in that stage.
After every mission, you’ll return to your ship - the RV-09 "Ramrod," where you can unlock new weapons, suits, and mods. Strengthen your arsenal, experiment with different builds to tackle the deepest dig sites, and fight off bloodthirsty enemies like the Corespawn, Rafkan, and Shatterclaw species.
Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core Release Date
Early Access Available on May 21, 2026
Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core’s Early Access released on May 21, 2026 on PC (Steam). The developers have stated that the game is expected to be in Early Access for 18 to 24 months, meaning the full release may be slated for 2028.
Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core Review (Early Access)
It's Definitely Not a Sequel
When it comes to live service games, few have reached cult classic status like Deep Rock Galactic. Over the years, it’s developed a die-hard community of players, myself included, to explore the various biomes of Hoxxes IV and strive to meet the titular company's quotas. It’s a game that I often come back to when I get that prospecting itch, or that random need to shout “Rock and Stone!”
But when Ghost Ship Games announced Rogue Core, I was excited. Excited because I’ve been dabbling in a lot of shooter roguelites these past few years, and I’ve been keeping an eye on this title since its announcement. But at the same time, I was also shocked to find that they were making a roguelite title focused on combat, which is a big pivot from the game’s original design of a mining-extraction hybrid with a little shooting on the side.
After playing the game, it’s just as I had hoped. It’s definitely not a sequel. In fact, if you think of it as a sequel, you’ll definitely be disappointed because it isn’t what you’re expecting out of a game like Deep Rock Galactic. On the bright side, it’s got potential as a roguelite shooter, but it has to polish a few things before it ends up being a diamond in the rough.
Taking Back The Company’s Property
Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core is still set on the same planet, Hoxxes IV. However, the difference is how deep you are instead. Close to the core of the planet, a new and valuable resource called Expenite was found. To take advantage of this discovery, Deep Rock Galactic decided to establish additional deep mining operations in hopes of getting more of it.
All of a sudden, however, many of these operations go dark without warning, and attempts to reenter the dig sites fail. This is where you come in. As a Reclaimer, you’re tasked by the company to take back these dig sites by force against this new alien threat called the Corespawn.
While the core theme of working for a corporate mining company remains, the objective and overall tone are completely different. Even the playable dwarves often remark that mining feels more like a vacation than exploring the abandoned dig sites close to the core. Clearly, the stakes are higher, and there’s less time to goof off.
Personally, I find it appealing. I mean, think about it, wouldn’t it be perfectly thematic for a company like Deep Rock Galactic to pursue even more valuable resources and find themselves digging deeper than ever? And given the nature of the risk involved in taking back the facilities that deep, it also makes sense for them to invest in the Reclaimers, who are described as the best of the best.
It’s a pretty good setup and setting, as well as a good showcase of the other side of the coin, or in this case, the business. While it’s obvious that there’ll be more biomes and different facilities as the game continues to be developed, I do hope to see more alien threats and more unique Corespawn designs. They could go even crazier with their designs depending on the biome, and probably look even more disturbing than they already do.
New Classes, New Problems
Now that we’ve got the theme and the setting out of the way, let’s talk about the actual gameplay design. Like I said earlier, if you’re thinking about the game as a sequel, then you’re already on the wrong foot. Rogue Core is definitely much more combat-oriented than the original game. The classes you play in Rogue Core all have combat-related abilities as opposed to the original game.
For instance, a class like the Falconer comes with a Shock Drone to electrocute enemies when activated, or function as a mobile defibrillator and revive allies from afar. Or, for a more straightforward design, the Slicer comes with a sword to cut enemies down, while having access to a dash that only he can use.
It keeps the game’s original charm, where each class is very different from the others in how it utilizes its strengths. At the moment, the five classes already offer a good amount of variety in terms of how they play, and seeing that Ghost Ship Games has alluded to more classes coming in the future, you can probably expect much wilder class kits in the future.
On the other hand, part of me wonders how the balance will be affected, since it already feels like some classes do feel much more self-sufficient and stronger than others. This probably has something to do with the game’s overall difficulty and gameplay loop, which already have a few things that need improvement.
A Rocky Gameplay Foundation
Let me preface it by saying this: if you enjoyed the combat of Deep Rock Galactic, then you’ll surely enjoy its gameplay loop. As a Scout main that loves to work alone and just kite enemies around, I found the combat to be something that I resonated with a lot, and it helped that the returning guns all felt familiar to use.
Actually, most of what the original game does well, namely, doing side objectives and exploration, is also pretty well done in Rogue Core. An example of this would be doing the different Expenite missions midway through the level, and it gives you different, more engaging things to do while you’re busy shooting down Corespawn. However, it’s also where the original game's faults are amplified by the intended design.
For instance, ammunition remains a core problem players will need to learn to solve. And since weapons, equipment, and ammunition are to be procured on-site and there is no callable Resupply, it is a bigger problem than it used to be. I get that it’s something you have to plan around on the fly, given that it's a roguelite and all, but it does amplify a core issue the original game had when trying to push this new combat-focused design.
In addition, enemies are also quite tanky, regardless of whether you’re aiming for their weak points or not, and you’ll probably need to maximize your damage so that you can conserve more ammunition. This is probably just a skill issue on my part, probably because I wasn’t exactly expecting that level of difficulty right from the start, but the time to kill a Corespawn Creeper was noticeably higher than your average Glyphid.
Last, and probably the most problematic addition to the gameplay, is the timer. The added pressure of having a timer that looms over you to complete a level is definitely a mechanic that will trip players up the most. After all, you could spend an hour just playing a single mission till completion, but in Rogue Core, you’re going to need to pick up the pace.
It may be worth considering giving players more time per level, as I felt it was too quick even at the first depth. I do understand that it’s supposed to add pressure to a run, and that the fact that it’s a roguelite makes it so that you have to ascertain opportunity costs if you can do other side objectives on time. But then again, even the roguelite mechanics are a separate problem of their own.
Roguelite Mechanics Need Improvement
Let’s get right to the chase: the way that Rogue Core distributes its items or loot is definitely not great. As mentioned earlier, weapons, equipment, and upgrades are procured on-site, and that’s where the roguelite mechanics are. At the start of the game, players choose from a shared pool of weapons and will take turns choosing one of them.
Initially, it isn’t that bad. Weapons are still easy enough to adapt around, where you can just play whatever and still be alright. However, it’s in the upgrades where it all falls apart.
This is a glaring flaw that affects gameplay in two major ways. First, the game's pace is slowed to a crawl, since it forces a group to stand still in one place and wait for each player to make their choice to get an upgrade. I do like the idea of players getting to choose when they want their upgrade; however, this is one of those things that’s great on paper and not practical for a median scenario where you’re playing with three other random players.
Second, players will gravitate towards upgrades that make an immediate impact. In the runs that I’ve been on, there have only really been a few upgrades that seem immediately strong and don’t rely on other upgrades to be effective. Naturally, players will take those because they're the strongest option available.
The problem is that if the best options are taken, then the next players are screwed to take either an upgrade that doesn’t work with their build, or an upgrade that relies on a specific playstyle to work, or a generic health upgrade that adds a measly 20 health. I’ve been lucky enough to play with players who were easy to negotiate with, but even then, the chances of getting griefed are pretty high.
This is one thing that I hope Ghost Ship Games will consider changing over the course of the game’s development. Maybe it would be better to use an individual loot pool instead of a shared one, since the costs outweigh the rewards. Or if they can think of a way to balance the choices in a way where no one can get screwed over, then I’m all for it.
Another problem is the roguelite progression outside of the run, specifically the perk tree. When compared to the original game’s perks, it feels as if they’re just fractions of what they offer with relatively negligible stat gains. I haven’t been able to fully explore the perk tree just yet, so maybe this could change as I keep playing, but it feels as if they didn’t want players to feel powerful at all at most points of the game.
Still Stuck at the Mantle
It’s unquestionable that Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core has a good foundation to stand on, but it has to rethink its new mechanics until it’s ready to dig deep. The supposed highlight of being a roguelite is the main cause of the game’s friction, and it will require players to either buy into whatever they’re selling or the developers will have to pivot into a different design entirely.
I’m still confident that Ghost Ship Games can pull through, given enough time. But like any prospector worth their salt, once said, “the deeper you dig, the brighter the treasure,” and they’re going to have to dig deeper than this if they want this game to go the distance the same way that Deep Rock Galactic did.
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Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core Product Information
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| Title | DEEP ROCK GALACTIC: ROGUE CORE |
|---|---|
| Release Date | May 21, 2026 (Early Access) |
| Developer | Ghost Ship Games |
| Publisher | Ghost Ship Games |
| Supported Platforms | PC (Steam) |
| Genre | Roguelite, Action, Shooter |
| Number of Players | 1-4 |
| ESRB Rating | RP |
| Official Website | Deep Rock Galactic Rogue Core Official Website |
