Serious Sam: Shatterverse Sets Aug 31 Launch as Co-op Roguelite by Behaviour and Croteam

Serious Sam is getting a major shake-up: Behaviour Interactive is teaming up with the franchise’s long-running creators at Croteam to bring the series into a roguelite, co-op-focused format—complete with multiple playable Sams pulled from different dimensions. The result, Serious Sam: Shatterverse, is set to launch on August 31, 2026, on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, with a free Steam playtest already live.

From arena madness to roguelite runs

Since the franchise’s start in 2001, the core Serious Sam episodes have been handled by Croteam, while spin-offs have typically been developed by other studios. With Shatterverse, Behaviour Interactive—known for Dead by Daylight—has taken the lead on the new spin-off concept.

The pitch blends the series’ signature “scale and chaos” shooter combat with roguelite structure. The game is designed to be playable with up to five players in co-op, and the story framework explains how that works through dimensional travel: Uber Mental, the alien villain of the series, fractures the walls between universes and forces encounters between Sams from different dimensions—an idea compared to the multi-spider format made famous by Spider-Verse.

How the game’s run is structured

Combat and progression follow Serious Sam’s traditional strengths—large arenas and waves of enemies—but the game layers in procedural generation and an “anomalies” system that can cut both ways depending on how players push their runs.

1. Each run aims to push as far as possible to increase results.
2. Going deeper earns better rewards and unlocks more powerful modifiers.
3. Players also improve Sam’s skills permanently over time.
4. The objective centers on defeating Uber Mental’s five lieutenants, who are determined to wipe out all forms of life.
5. Co-op play supports multiple playable characters, tied to the multi-dimension premise.

Release details and playtest

Serious Sam: Shatterverse launches on August 31, 2026 for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC. A free playtest is currently available on Steam.