Red Rising Is Officially Returning In 2027

In the early 2010s, The Hunger Games enthralled a whole generation of readers, and a wave of dystopian fiction followed. One standout took the genre into space. Pierce Brown’s six-book Red Rising saga swaps the deadly arena for Mars, where a strict, color-coded caste system governs every part of life. The “Golds” sit at the top as the planet’s ruling elite, with dominion over every other color, down to the lowly “Reds.” Katniss Everdeen became the symbol of rebellion in The Hunger Games. In the same way, Darrow, a Red miner born to the bottom rung, becomes the face of the uprising in Red Rising.

In 2021, Jamey Stegmaier of Stonemaier Games brought the saga back into the spotlight with a tabletop adaptation of Red Rising. The board game drew mainly on the first three novels, and fans praised how closely it followed the source material. Players lead rival houses and build their hands of cards to climb the ranks of a ruthless society. A digital version of that board game is now due in 2027.

Red Rising video game arriving in 2027

The Canadian studio Emerald City Games is developing the digital edition of the acclaimed board game. Stegmaier stayed loyal to Brown’s novels when he designed the tabletop version. In the same spirit, the team at Emerald City is working to keep its adaptation true to the original game.

On the studio’s website, Emerald City Games presents the project as the official digital take on the board game, built on Pierce Brown’s bestselling science-fiction series and playable by one to six people. Players enter the caste system, assemble their own House of distinctive followers, and compete for supremacy. The studio says the tabletop rules are recreated faithfully, with new visuals and conveniences layered on top.

The gameplay mirrors the board game. Players command followers from rival houses, a mix of “Gold” and “Red” characters, by drawing on a deck of cards. The digital format adds a few extras, chiefly a demanding AI opponent for solo play, and cross-platform multiplayer for up to six players. The developers promise a “faithful recreation” of the original rules and all 112 unique cards. Dynamic effects, animations and custom voice lines will bring those cards to life in new ways.

The studio bills the game as “Red Rising as you’ve never experienced it before.” Longtime fans of the series should keep it on their radar. The release is slated for 2027, with no more specific date yet. Anyone who wants an early look can try the playable demo on Steam.

Source: Polygon