Dead Astronauts Announces Co-Op Survival Shooter HAEX for 2027 Early Access
HAEX combines procedural generation with persistent character progression and a narrative focus on uncovering secrets, a design that separates it from purely sandbox survival games and may appeal to players who want story-driven co-op experiences.
Reporting from 5 sources: GAME Watch (Impress), 4Gamer.net, Automaton, Denfaminicogamer, and 1 more.
Developer Dead Astronauts announced HAEX, a cooperative survival shooter for up to four players, during the Summer Game Fest 2026 stream on June 6. The game is set in a randomly generated open world in a subarctic zone where players investigate anomalies and search for a missing scientific team. Players must manage hunger and cold statuses, craft equipment, and unlock skills and weapons by exploring alien structures. The game features a sentient cube that collects resources and scans the environment, and players can plant alien seeds to transform the world, unlocking new areas and resources while also attracting new threats. Each generated world has its own story, and character data is saved separately from world data, allowing players to carry their progress into new games or join friends' sessions fully equipped. HAEX is planned for early access release on PC via Steam and Epic Games Store in 2027, with Japanese language support.
The sentient cube that collects resources and scans the environment can be upgraded to enhance its abilities further, according to Game Spark. Players unlock alien abilities as they progress, opening movement options such as dash and double jump. Alien seeds discovered or crafted can be planted to transform the subarctic world, unlocking new areas and resources but also attracting new threats.
The game features a deep, modular weapon mod system that allows players to customize their playstyle. Combat includes both gunfights and melee, with gadgets available for use. Enemies include grotesque monsters, robots, and eerie humanoid creatures, as shown in the teaser trailer. The trailer also depicts activating mechanisms with the mysterious cube-shaped items.
Character data is saved separately from world data, allowing players to carry their progress into new games or join friends' sessions fully equipped. Each generated world has its own story, and each character maintains their own growth process. Unique characters with their own perspectives on the events await in various parts of the world.
Dead Astronauts announced the game during the Summer Game Fest 2026 stream on June 6. The Steam store page has been released. The game supports single-player and up to 4-player online and local co-op multiplayer. Early access is planned for 2027 on PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, with Japanese language support.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 5 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- GAME Watch (Impress) "異質感"が楽しい、「HAEX」発表！ 「ディビジョン」、「リトルナイトメア」制作スタッフによるオープンワールドアドベンチャー【SGF2026】
- 4Gamer.net 異常現象の起こる亜北極帯で生き抜く4人協力アクションADV「HAEX」が発表に。不気味な生物との戦闘シーンなどを収録したトレイラーを公開
- Automaton 最大4人協力・極寒オープンワールドサバイバル『HAEX』発表。物資だけでなく世界の「秘密」も持ち帰る、謎に包まれたサバイバルFPS
- Denfaminicogamer 最大4人で亜北極帯で生き延びるランダム生成のオープンワールド・アクションアドベンチャー『HAEX』2027年に早期アクセス開始
- Game Spark ランダム生成される異星舞台の最大4人協力オープンワールドアクションADV『HAEX』発表【SGF2026】