Gravhounds Stirred Things up a bit at Gamescom 2026
Gravhounds, developed by Octopus Panic, was officially announced during Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026. The game is being developed as a co-op action-builder where one to four players land together on dangerous planets. The fun part is: the characters we control are humanoid dogs seriously put to work in space. Moreover, the game doesn’t take itself too seriously; physics-based chaos and absurd animations are an important part of this world.
Gravhounds: The Reward Increases as Danger Increases
The basic cycle seems quite simple but fun. Players land on the planet, gather resources from the environment, build defensive bases, and fight against the creatures living in the area. But the real issue here is knowing when to run away. The longer you stay on the planet, the greater the threats you face, and the greater the rewards you can obtain in return.
Building a base isn’t just about putting up a few walls. You can transform your area into a small operation by installing systems like turrets, generators, production equipment, and pipelines. Then, you need to escape with the resources you’ve gathered before things get too out of control. On paper, it sounds a bit like “space mining with dogs, but disaster could strike at any moment.”
The team behind Gravhounds is also interesting. Octopus Panic includes individuals who previously worked on series like Halo and Battlefield. The studio is headed by Josh Holmes, the former creative director of Halo 4. This background naturally raises expectations, especially regarding weapon feel and team-based combat.
Gravhounds will be released in Early Access on November 2, 2026, for PC and Xbox Series X/S and will be added to Xbox Game Pass from day one. It will be possible to play solo, but judging from the trailer, the real fun will lie in building a base with a team of four, where plans can fall apart within seconds due to the physics engine.
To see all the announcements, new games, and trailers from Gamescom 2026 in one place, check out our Gamescom 2026 dedicated page.
