Sci‑Fi Horror Game “Routine” Set to Release in December, 13 Years After Reveal

During the ID@Xbox showcase, developers confirmed that Routine — the long-awaited sci‑fi horror originally revealed more than a decade ago — will arrive on December 4.

Routine places you in a first‑person survival horror experience aboard a moonbase designed with an ’80s vision of the future. After the station falls silent, players must comb through its corridors with specialized tools to uncover what went wrong. The base isn’t empty: lethal automated sentries stalk the facility, forcing players to rely on stealth, sprinting and careful concealment to survive.

Trailer: Routine — glimpse of the moonbase and its mechanical threats.

Routine is the debut project from Lunar Software. It first surfaced at Gamescom 2012 with a planned 2013 release, but development stalled for years as updates became infrequent and the project repeatedly changed direction.

The game resurfaced publicly at Summer Game Fest 2022, when Lunar Software published a statement explaining the hiatus and development restart. At that time the studio said it had paused to rework aspects of the project it found unsatisfactory after several years of production and iteration.

Financial strain also slowed progress: the team often worked on Routine only part‑time while members took other jobs to keep the studio viable. A turning point came in 2022 when Raw Fury signed on as publisher and composer Mick Gordon — known for his work on Doom and Wolfenstein — joined to score the game.

With a firm release date now set, Routine finally seems poised to join the modern horror landscape. The title will be available on Xbox platforms and PC, and it will launch day one on Xbox Game Pass.