Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core
A cooperative roguelike FPS set on Hoxxes IV.
Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core is a cooperative roguelike first-person shooter in development by Ghost Ship Games, published jointly by Ghost Ship Publishing and Coffee Stain Publishing. It is the second spin-off of the 2020 title Deep Rock Galactic, arriving after Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor in 2025. The game entered early access for Windows on May 20, 2026, and has earned generally positive reviews, with critics commending how it stays true to the original’s strengths while exploring a new subgenre.
Set on the alien planet Hoxxes IV, the game follows the Deep Rock Galactic corporation’s mining operations. Players control an elite dwarven crisis specialist called a Reclaimer, hired after the company lost contact with all its mining facilities. In each mission, up to four players enter an abandoned mine overrun by alien enemies known as Corespawn. They fight through deeper levels, unlocking new weapons and abilities, and must defeat a boss at the deepest level to reclaim the facility. Early access reviews were initially mixed due to issues with upgrade negotiation, but updates have since addressed these concerns. The game is expected to remain in early access for 18 to 24 months after launch.
**Gameplay**
Rogue Core is a cooperative first-person shooter with fully destructible, procedurally generated cave systems. Players mine resources, complete objectives, and battle hordes of alien enemies. Its core gameplay closely mirrors the original Deep Rock Galactic, but introduces roguelike elements. There are five playable classes—Guardian, Spotter, Falconer, Slicer, and Retcon—each with unique special abilities, but unlike the original, they do not have individual weapon loadouts. Weapons, equipment, and abilities are unlocked during a mission, starting from scratch each time.
Teams of up to four select a mission from the Ramrod, a spaceship that serves as the lobby, then board a drop pod to Hoxxes IV. They arrive at the first level of an underground mining facility, which the company lost contact with after an event called the Greyout. Barrier drones must be assembled to breach the Greyout barrier and enter the facility. Inside, each player chooses one weapon, one traversal tool (such as a zipline launcher or grappling hook), and one grenade type, many carried over from Deep Rock Galactic.
- Developer
- Ghost Ship Games
- Publisher
- Ghost Ship Publishing and Coffee Stain Publishing
- Early access release date
- May 20, 2026
- Platform
- Windows
- Genre
- cooperative roguelike first-person shooter
- Number of playable classes
- 5
- Maximum team size
- 4
Lore & Background
Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core is set on the alien planet Hoxxes IV, where the Deep Rock Galactic corporation has established deep mining operations. The player controls an elite dwarven crisis specialist known as a Reclaimer, employed after the company mysteriously lost contact with all mining facilities. On each mission, the player and up to three teammates venture into an abandoned mine overrun with alien enemies called Corespawn, fighting them while progressing into deeper levels and unlocking new weapons and abilities, ultimately defeating a boss at the deepest level to reclaim the facility.
The game features fully destructible, procedurally generated cave systems where players mine resources and complete objectives. It has five playable classes—Guardian, Spotter, Falconer, Slicer, and Retcon—each with unique special abilities but no individual weapon loadouts; weapons and equipment are unlocked over the course of a mission, starting from scratch each time. Players select a mission from the Ramrod spaceship lobby, then board a drop pod to Hoxxes IV, where they must assemble barrier drones to breach the Greyout barrier and access the facility. Inside, each player chooses one weapon, one traversal tool, and one grenade type, then follows a cable through caves to a freight elevator to progress to the next level.
Enemies include the Corespawn, crawling humanoid creatures from the planet's core, with different attack modes and weak spots. Each mission level has a time limit to reach the elevator, with enemy difficulty scaling over time. Players upgrade by mining Expenite, a glowing green mineral with transformative properties, found in cave walls or facility structures via mini events.
Reader's Guide
Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core is notable as the second spin-off of the 2020 game Deep Rock Galactic, following Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor in 2025. Its early access launch on May 20, 2026 for Windows received generally positive reviews, with critics praising its faithfulness to the original game's strengths while branching into the roguelike subgenre. Reviews were initially mixed at launch due to issues regarding upgrade negotiation, which have since been addressed in updates. The game is expected to remain in early access for 18 to 24 months from launch. Its significance lies in expanding the Deep Rock Galactic universe into a new gameplay format, retaining cooperative first-person shooting and destructible environments while introducing roguelike elements such as procedurally generated missions and starting from scratch each run. The five classes—Guardian, Spotter, Falconer, Slicer, and Retcon—offer distinct abilities but share a unified equipment system, a departure from the original game's class-specific loadouts. The lore of the Greyout event and the Corespawn enemies provides narrative continuity, while the Expenite mining mechanic ties into the core resource-gathering loop. The game's legacy is still developing as it remains in early access, with updates addressing initial criticism.
Did You Know?
- Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core is the second spin-off of Deep Rock Galactic, following Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor in 2025.
- The game launched in early access for Windows on May 20, 2026.
- Players control a dwarven crisis specialist called a Reclaimer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core?
It is a cooperative roguelike first-person shooter set on the alien mining world of Hoxxes IV. As the second spin-off in the Deep Rock Galactic franchise, it blends the series' co-op mining-and-shooting loop with permadeath-style roguelike progression.
Who developed and published Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core?
Ghost Ship Games created the title, and it is published jointly by Ghost Ship Publishing and Coffee Stain Publishing. It follows the studio's 2025 spin-off Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor.
When and where can players access Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core?
The game launched in early access on Windows on May 20, 2026. Critics have responded generally positively, noting that it preserves the original's core strengths while venturing into the roguelike subgenre.
How many playable classes does Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core feature?
Players can choose from five distinct miner classes, continuing the class-based co-op structure established in the original 2020 Deep Rock Galactic.
How does Rogue Core differ from the main Deep Rock Galactic game?
Where the base title offers a persistent, progression-driven mining loop, Rogue Core layers roguelike mechanics—randomized runs, escalating difficulty, and run-based progression—on top of the same cooperative FPS framework. It is positioned as a genre experiment within the existing Hoxxes IV setting rather than a full narrative sequel.
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