Returnal review

Returnal ranks tenth because of its price and difficulty, not its ideas. Housemarque calls it an award-winning third-person shooter with bullet hell action: Selene crash-lands on a shape-shifting planet and restarts every time she dies, while the world and the items you find change with each cycle. The PC version includes Suspend Cycle, Photo Mode, two-player online co-op and the Tower of Sisyphus mode from day one, along with five graphical presets and an FPS, CPU and GPU usage overlay. On Steam, 80% of 4,982 English reviews are positive. At $59.99 it ties Space Marine 2 as the most expensive game here, the minimum spec asks for 16 GB of RAM and a 6 GB graphics card, and the run-based structure means losing progress on death. Players who enjoy learning patterns and starting over will get the most from it.

Who it is for

Players who like roguelike runs and dodging dense enemy fire

Price

$59.99 one-time purchase on Steam (US store).

Share your journey through Returnal™ with another player. $59.99 Buy on Steam
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 11, 2026.

Key features

• Roguelike loop: the planet and your items change after each death
• Bullet hell combat
• Two-player online co-op
• Suspend Cycle, Photo Mode and the Tower of Sisyphus mode included
• Five graphical presets and in-game performance metrics

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Every run differs, by design
• Strength: Includes Tower of Sisyphus and co-op from day one
• Strength: Save anytime listed on Steam
• Weakness: $59.99, tied for the most expensive game here
• Weakness: Minimum spec needs 16 GB of RAM
• Weakness: Death restarts the cycle, which can frustrate new players

Key facts

• Developer: Housemarque, Climax Studios
• Publisher: PlayStation Publishing LLC
• Price: $59.99
• Released: February 15, 2023
• Minimum RAM: 16 GB

Where it ranks

Returnal is No. 10 in our Best Third-Person Shooters verdict.