Tencent Games and developer Grey State Studio aren’t sending players to Hell in their upcoming game, Rules of Engagement: The Grey State. But this free-to-play tactical-horror action-RPG shooter might be Hell-adjacent, thanks to a nightmarish realm filled with monsters and other unspeakable creatures.
The Grey State is the name of an unstable dimension that’s too dangerous for humanity, but it also contains alien artifacts that are invaluable. To survive in this hellscape, players assume the role of Striders who remotely pilot their bio-engineered shells from the comfort of their own dimension. Grey State Studios describes The Grey State as a “graveyard of nightmares” and a “Horrorverse” that includes Lovecraftian creatures, as well as monsters inspired by films, books, and even creepypasta online tales.
The gameplay is a PvEvP loop that gives players only a limited time to drop into The Grey State. Striders will have to scavenge for gear inside the nightmarish dimension and ultimately choose between accepting an early extraction for limited rewards or taking a shot at even bigger profits if they can beat their fellow players to an alien artifact.
Grey State Studios is planning an alpha test for Rules of Engagement that will feature four classes of Striders that players can pick. The fourth option is currently being hidden, but the other three are listed below.
- Sledge, an unstoppable juggernaut that forges a path with shield and hammer
- Pyro, a chaotic madman that controls the battlefield with fire and gas
- Phantom, a swift assassin that strikes from the shadows with extreme precision
The studio notes that players who demonstrate talent for buildcrafting and strategy will reap the rewards in this game. It also added that “Rules of Engagement was built with the future in mind, and we plan to support the game for years to come with content updates, meta shakeups and player-friendly free-to-play business model supported by a cosmetics-only in-game shop.”
Rules of Engagement: The Grey State will hit PC in 2026, and it can be played as a single-player experience or with up to three other players. Additional seasonal content is planned post-launch to explore other aspects of the game’s Horrorverse.
