TankRat Release Date Set for January 2027
The release date announcement confirms that TankRat, which was delayed from spring 2026, is now set for a January 2027 launch, and owners of TankHead on the Epic Games Store are planned to receive a free upgrade.
Key Facts
- TankRat will be released on January 15, 2027, for PC (Steam and Epic Games Store) and PS5.
- The game is developed by Alpha Channel and published by Kepler Interactive.
- TankRat was delayed from its original spring 2026 release window in May to polish the story.
- The game is positioned as an evolved version of TankHead, which is available on the Epic Games Store.
- Owners of TankHead on the Epic Games Store are planned to receive a free upgrade to TankRat.
Reporting from 2 sources: Automaton, Denfaminicogamer.
Publisher Kepler Interactive announced during gamescom Opening Night Live 2026 that the post-apocalyptic tank action game TankRat will launch on January 15, 2027, for PC and PS5. The game is developed by Alpha Channel and was previously scheduled for spring 2026 before being delayed in May to polish the story. TankRat is positioned as an evolved version of TankHead, which is available on the Epic Games Store. In the game, players control a tank and explore a ruined world where civilization has collapsed after war. Surviving humans have transplanted their consciousness into drones, and the player takes on the role of one such survivor. The setting is the Event Containment Area (ECA), dominated by iron monsters called Tankrats. Players win tank battles, dismantle defeated enemies, and take parts such as weapons and armor to grow stronger. Exploration involves switching between a flying drone called the Needle, which has high mobility but no combat ability, and the tank. The ultimate goal is to find the legendary sky city Highpoint and uncover the world's hidden truth, while navigating a radioactive storm called the Shroud that distorts time and memory. The game supports Japanese display in-game.
The announcement came with new footage shown during the gamescom Opening Night Live 2026 broadcast in Cologne, Germany. The official TankRat Twitter account posted a clip with the caption "TankRat comes to PC and PlayStation 5 on January 15th." The game will be available on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, as well as on PS5.
Alpha Channel developed the game, and Kepler Interactive is publishing it. The store page indicates the game is planned to support Japanese display in-game. TankRat was first announced in December 2025 as an evolved version of TankHead, which is available on the Epic Games Store. The original release window was spring 2026, but in May the release was delayed with the aim of making the story more meaningful and impactful while polishing the game further.
The game's world is set in the Event Containment Area (ECA), a barren land with remnants of an advanced civilization, dominated by iron monsters called Tankrats. Players survive by winning tank battles and dismantling defeated enemies to take parts such as weapons and armor. Exploration involves switching between the Needle, a flying drone with high mobility but no combat ability, and the tank. The protagonist's ultimate goal is to find the legendary sky city Highpoint and uncover the hidden truth of the world, while navigating a radioactive storm called the Shroud that distorts time and memory.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.