It's a very poorly kept secret that Returnal, Housemarque's excellent arcade shooter, is getting the PC treatment. A while ago, a SteamDB page was discovered under the codename 'Oregon', but that couldn't hide several explicit references to the PS5 title; Tower of Sisyphus, Helios, Atropos, and more can all be found in the localisation tags. Suffice to say it's definitely happening, it's now more a question of when we'll hear official word.
Fans are starting to think a proper reveal is incoming, though, as the SteamDB listing has been receiving regular updates. Pretty much every day sees at least one change, which suggests Housemarque — and presumably Nixxes — are currently knuckling down on the PC port.
The last first-party PlayStation games to be announced for PC were Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, with the former due out on 12th August and the latter coming Fall 2022. Assuming Sony wants to space these out a little, we can see Returnal making its debut on PC in early 2023, approximately two years after its PS5 release.
Would you like to play Returnal on PC? Tell us in the comments section below.
[source steamdb.info, via videogameschronicle.com]
Comments 37
Would be funny if it was just someone trolling by adding these tags to their own DB entry
To be clear - I don't think that's the case and I do think Returnal going to PC is good
I get the feeling this will do very well on PC!
@SinfulDestroyer Can’t help myself but thinking the same and then I wonder why I even bought a PS5, then I realized that buying a PC would have been much more expensive…
Still it’s the end of an era I guess…
Well, I'm keeping my PS5 for The Last of Us and Uncharted series mainly. Once their both fully available on PC there's no reason to stick around for me.
As for Returnal on PC- good. Housemarque made a gem of a game that deserves more sales. I'm having more fun dying repeatedly in Returnal than I ever thought I would. Might as well try Demon's Souls next.
@SinfulDestroyer not necessarily. I have a pc which is over 7 years old and I never gamed on it. I do all my gaming on the consoles. There are console gamers and there are pc gamers, and than a portion of people in the middle. I consider pc and consoles different realms. When people talk game exclusivity, I think consoles and don't include pc in that.
Returnal pc version will probably get reveal at the PlayStation showcase in September and release early next year.
If PlayStation games start getting the day 1 treatment on pc will definitely let go of my PS5.
Having one device for gamepass and PlayStation sounds great to me 👌🏿
@SinfulDestroyer There are reasons to own a console other than exclusive games. I own multiple PC's, some of which could run games well, and I do exactly zero gaming on them, because I don't feel like it.
If it shows up on WeMod, I would be interested on PC. Also try it out on SteamDeck.
That said - tons of players have no desire to spend the money or want to deal with Windows for games.
That a PC is an easy substitute for a console to the average consumer is simply not true.
Given the upcoming PC lineup so far, I could see it being December/January. Sony seems to be planning to pump out PC ports at a fast rate given we already have 4 PC ports confirmed for the final 5 months of the year so monthly PC ports sounds like a possibility to get PC players caught up on the PS lineup fast.
Very exciting times ahead for people who wanted a Vita successor.
@nessisonett
I get the feeling this will do very well on PS5 when the price is right.
Personally not bothered about games going to PC, especially as I spend most of my day on my laptop for writing purposes. The last thing I want to do is game on it..
As much as I can understand some who have got bent out of shape about games going from one to another, I just like the idea that more people get to play good games, but maybe I'm an anomaly....
@SinfulDestroyer You say this then you look at mid range GPU's being $600+ and you go right back to console. If you can afford a good rig and want to deal with the annoying aspects of PC gaming like driver issues and messing with graphics options for a half hour before playing to figure out the best combination of graphical fidelity and framerate then sure. If you've been a console gamer your whole life and just want an easy pick up and play device then don't even bother going PC. And this is coming from someone who mainly PC games.
I’ll keep on saying it: As Sony brings PS5 exclusives to PC (which, lo and behold, is happening way sooner than the “years down the line” folks said it would), never forget that they forced you into using a DualSense for these games on PS5 because, so they claimed, you wouldn’t be getting the full experience without it. And yet this is a restriction that PC players inevitably won’t have.
@art_of_the_kill that would suck if PC gamers don't have the option of using the dualsense, but at least they get the option of playing the game. It's really the best and most comfortable controller I've ever used.
@SinfulDestroyer. I agree sony is putting like almost all the exclusives on pc.thats the dumbest thing sony ever did.now they dont have exclusives.nintendo got that.so yeah its horrible.i miss only on PlayStation on the ps4 and ps3 on the physical disc.word up son
I just started playing this over the weekend and it’s brilliant. I thought having to go back to the start every time you die would be annoying (and it kind of is) but when I quit, I can’t stop thinking about it and I can’t wait to try again. Very addictive.
I don’t see the issue with releasing games on both PS5 and PC.
I’m a former PC gamer. It’s fantastic. But it requires more start up cash (significantly so in most cases) and it’s an entirely different experience. PC gamers and console gamers are different people.
If you like to tinker, find best settings, know the ins and outs of the machine you play on, etc. then PC is for you. Back when I was younger and had all the free time in the world I loved it. I loved finding the most efficient settings for games on my hardware. I loved going into config files. I was obsessed with every nuance. I loved installing new hardware.
But if you’re like how I am now and work a job that doesn’t involve your own PC (so no way to offset the costs and time) and you have very limited play time, there’s just something about the simplicity of a console that makes it a more pleasant experience. I get home from work and I just want to power up a console and get to playing now. I gradually moved away from the PC as I had to work more hours at this job. I have a cheap MacBook for my PC needs and I game on my console.
Anyone who says they’ll just “sell their PS5 and get a PC” need to reevaluate how they actually use their hardware and what their lifestyle is like. PC gaming is great but it requires significantly more time investment and in the case of hardware costs, money.
I’m not saying that you shouldn’t do it. Just make sure it fits into your life. It’s not like console gaming. It has its rewards and it’s annoyances.
How pathetic is it that the best place to play your first party games is on a competing platform and not your own.
I can't think of any other business that provides the best version of its products on a competing platform, let alone for a reduced price.
For example, Microsoft and Apple have the foresight to not provide app parity across each of their platforms. Microsoft Office on Mac is a stripped down version with less features compared to Windows. iTunes on Windows is slow, bloated and outdated but still required for iPhone users to manage files. There's nothing stopping them from providing parity between their apps but they deliberately don't in order to lure customers to their own platform for a better experience.
Meanwhile Sony is doing the complete opposite and pushing console players away from PlayStation to PC by offering unlocked framerates, ultrawide resolutions, proper raytracing, Xbox and DualSense controller support, DLSS, freedom to mod and no PS+ online requirements. They're doing a good job propping up PC as the best place to play their games while completely undermining their own PS5 consoles. The only remaining advantage PS5 has is its relatively cheap price, that's it, which is only attractive to casual gamers.
@SinfulDestroyer
Still a reason if you don't have cash.
Get the PS5 version for those that can't afford the definitive PC title.
Microsoft went all in (due to Windows yes) so no reason Sony shouldn't. Sell cheap plastic to folks with less income/no care and allow the PC Master Race to run free with the best version. Works for everyone.
@RunGMhx If there's one thing that will keep me from being on PC mainly its maintenance, pc players, hackers, and the costs. Never need to deal with that on console.
Watering down your brand can be a double edged sword..Short term you may see extra profits but long term you could lose customers from your platforms..loyalty isn't forever..
@Nepp67 exactly..pc gaming is great if you can afford the upgrades when required but when a graphics card costs as much as a ps5 alone it really is out of most peoples reach..then there is constant driver updates,windows updates and security hassles..console gaming is just so much easier and oh so much cheaper...
@Northern_munkey Exactly, it's super annoying to deal with that ***** so I'm happy with sticking with console.
@Goober1 I've been a PC gamer my whole life, until I bought a PS4 for no good reason. Never looked back. Finally I felt myself free from the necessity of micromanaging every tiny aspect of setting up games, only to repeat it some time later when I see a frame rate drop. Now I just enjoy the games.
Technically, Returnal is very hard to port to Windows. Taken as is the requirements for configuration will be pretty high. So they will need to create a lower tier mode for the game to be comfortably playable on lower end machines. A lot of new code will have to be written just for that.
There are videos on YouTube going deep into technical aspects of the game. Making it run on Steam's average gaming rig and not looking ugly will be a real challenge.
@truerbluer I couldn’t agree more. Also ps games don’t even sell that well on PC. God of War which is the biggest ps ip sold around 1 million! They are just ruining their platform to make some short term profit
@truerbluer
The average Steam PC build doesn’t stand up to the PS5 or Series X from a performance standpoint.
So for most of the customer base, they’ll actually get a worse version of the game that doesn’t run as well as it does on PS5.
That’s slowly changing as more and more of the “mainstream” PC gamers upgrade their rigs to 3060 and 3070 family cards on the nVidia side with some electing to go for 2080s. But the majority of Steam rigs are still running 10 series cards that outside of the 1080Ti are getting very long in the tooth and are inferior to the GPU capabilities of the PS5 and Series X.
Just the reality of the situation when it comes to finances. Even hardcore gamers have to budget a lot. I wouldn’t call someone running a 10 series GPU a casual gamer just because that is what he or she currently has to run. Same for PS5 or Series X owners. Hardcore and Casual are based primarily on the amount of time they spend gaming and living the culture. Not their finances.
Would I love to go build a 3090, Core i9 Uber-rig right now? I sure would. But I can’t afford that. And from a financial standpoint I don’t even see the point of building a mid range rig right now even though I could afford it. My PS5 combined with my Switch handles my needs admirably and I’m anything but a casual.
@SinfulDestroyer Nonsense
@OrtadragoonX You say the current average PC specs don't stand up to a PS5 but don't you see how this will negatively impact console owners? This means their first party games will intentionally be held back to accommodate porting to mid and low-end PCs, so yet again PS5 owners will be getting screwed over with a system that never reaches its full potential and the features like the DualSense and SSD speeds will never be essential to a game's core design.
If Sony's goal is to reach more customers on PC they'll have to ensure these games are built and designed from the ground up to work on these lower-end PCs, screwing over PS5 owners still waiting for games that actually use the system's full capabilities. We're approaching the 3rd year of the PS5 and as it stands currently it's nothing but a glorified PS4 Pro 2 with early access to first party.
The PS5 is now a system you choose to settle for not the system you really desire, as you've illustrated already. This wouldn't be the case if it had actual high quality exclusives not playable anywhere else.
@Wolfie_Pie I haven't seen that console pleb term in so long I thought people stopped using it. Really takes me back to 2012. If you still feel like that about PC gamers in this day and age then you might be in the wrong communities
im getting tired of constantly upgrading my PC i the last 5/6 years ive gone thro 1080ti ,2080ti,3080 and now the 4000 series are coming out cant keep up!
@dellyrascal yeah it's just that no one is stopping people who can't play Returnal (and other exclusives) from ponying up the cash for a console like the rest of us. Like when I love an exclusive title sure I'd like everyone to play it meaning I think they should get a PlayStation, not get the game on PC with better specs and cheaper.
@RunGMhx @SinfulDestroyer
Convenience for me i hate the PC no ownership is a second almost everything is digital or done with a launcher. Windows, drivers and lots more nonsense.
@truerbluer Yeah you this is not true why do they add more heavy stuff to PC version then. If you want to have the inconvenience and extra costs but a better looking game go PC if you want plug and play get a console that why i will always choose a console plus the digital only thing with PC is a big issue for me.
@zupertramp That's a completely fair point and I too, am one who has ponied up for a PS5, so completely get it, but that convenience of a console is still a big deal for me personally...
Maybe this is my "ok boomer" moment, as I've grown tired of expecting anything better from console gaming over the years, certainly compared to PC at least, while the cash grabs are nothing new, they just have a brighter light shone on them, due to more coverage and social media etc.. So I just get on and enjoy my hobby as best as I can...
Not an ideal thing to do, but this fight was lost a long time ago...
@dellyrascal In many respects, I feel similarly. I gamed on PC for years through my early teens and late 20s. And now I'm old(er) and just do not want to deal with the headache. So it's not something I stress over but yeah, if I were calling the shots console exclusives would remain on console - to further entice people into a proprietary ecosystem.
Yet despite me having it all figured out no one asks me to be in charge. 🤷 So it is what it is, yes.
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