Gravhounds will send up to 4 players into dangerous alien work zones as bio-engineered canine laborers. Octopus Panic plans to launch its first game in Game Preview on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox on PC on November 2, 2026, with day-one availability through Xbox Game Pass, according to an Xbox Wire announcement.
The seven-person independent studio built its strange space job around dogs, using their personalities and breed traits as the starting point. Team members have worked on franchises including Halo, Battlefield, and Star Wars, as well as Full Spectrum Warrior, Def Jam: Fight for NY, and The Saboteur.
In the game, a corporation has turned dogs into workers for hazardous planetary operations. A crew ends up stranded on the far side of the galaxy, where getting home means salvaging alien worlds, putting together questionable infrastructure, and staying alive around creatures that sit much higher on the food chain. Their shipboard AI supervisor, COSMO, still expects the work to get done. Apparently, being stranded in another galaxy is not an accepted excuse for missing a shift.
Every job can become a rescue mission
A run begins with a job and a drop onto a hostile planet. From there, the crew gathers materials, establishes an operation, and tries to leave with everyone alive. Objectives can include recovering alien technology, extracting resources, or setting up infrastructure in territory controlled by unfriendly local wildlife.
Staying longer can open access to better materials and farther objectives, but it also gives the planet more chances to cause trouble. Players may need to repair defenses, carry resources between work sites, rescue a teammate who wandered away, and decide whether one more trip for supplies is worth the risk. Plans in Gravhounds do not seem to survive contact with the first creature.
The Grav Beam handles work and combat
Every Gravhound carries a Grav Beam, a tool used to collect resources, move equipment, place Build Kits, and manipulate objects in the environment. It also provides plenty of options when the wildlife comes looking for dinner.
Players can throw objects across the battlefield, pass heavy materials to teammates, pull smaller creatures out of a fight, or turn nearby equipment into improvised projectiles. A health pickup can be tossed to a teammate in trouble, while an enemy threatening the base can be grabbed and sent somewhere less convenient.
Build the pipeline while the swarm attacks
Construction is part of the action rather than a separate preparation phase. Pipelines carry power across each planet, provide access to structures and defenses, and help move resources between locations. Extending one farther into hostile territory can reach better materials and distant objectives, but every new section also creates more ground that needs protection.
Turrets, generators, and fabricators can expand the operation, while the crew must keep the whole setup running under pressure. The goal is to place equipment quickly, power it up, and get back to the fight before the local wildlife turns the worksite into scrap.
Reward Pods let each shift develop differently
Combat, construction, resource gathering, and progress toward the current job earn Reward Pods containing randomized weapons and upgrades. One crew might focus on mobility, another on firepower or defense, while a more chaotic group can stack an unusual mix of bonuses and see what happens.
The opposition grows more dangerous as a shift continues, but the Gravhounds grow stronger too. That escalating push creates a constant decision between leaving with what the team has collected and staying longer for better rewards.
Propulsion rigs keep the pack moving
Industrial propulsion rigs let Gravhounds boost in multiple directions, jump, hover, and reposition quickly during a fight. Pipelines double as high-speed routes, giving a Gravhound unlimited boost while traveling along them.
That mobility can get a player to a collapsing defense line, bring help to a teammate, or support a last-second dash for materials. It also creates plenty of room for somebody to make a very confident decision that immediately becomes everyone else’s problem.
Gravhounds arrives in Game Preview this November
Gravhounds will support solo play and co-op for 1 to 4 players when its Game Preview launch arrives on November 2, 2026. The game will be available on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox on PC, with day-one access through Xbox Game Pass.
Octopus Panic says the Game Preview format will let the studio keep developing the game’s systems, balance, co-op interactions, and player-driven solutions alongside the people playing it. Attendees at gamescom can also try the game at the ID@Xbox booth in Hall 7.
Could your pack finish a shift without turning the whole operation into a rescue mission? Share your thoughts in the comments, and follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
