The Callisto Protocol has been in development since 2019, and was originally meant to be part of an expanded PUBG universe (yes, you read right). However, created from the mind of Glen Schofield (who had previously co-created Visceral Games’ Dead Space series), it has become its own world, detached from any ties with PUBG.
The Callisto Protocol was originally announced at The Game Awards in 2020, and now it’s barreling for a release this year.
Before we dive in, this title still has time to launch, so keep in mind our frequently updated lists of best PC games and best PC Game Pass games as well as our best Xbox Series X games and best PS5 games. If you haven't purchased the latest-gen of consoles, we highly recommend checking out our Xbox Series X|PS5 reviews. And if you're more into the imaginative play, see our best virtual tabletop software and DND tips pages.
Now, here’s everything we know so far about The Callisto Protocol, from the release date and story to the gameplay and PC requirements.
The Callisto Protocol release date
The Callisto Protocol is slated to launch on December 2, 2022, just in time to poop your pants for the holidays.
The Callisto Protocol will be available for the PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC. It’ll also be available for last-gen consoles, including Xbox One and PS4.
The Callisto Protocol story
Since its reveal, we’ve gotten quite a bit of new information about the goings ons in The Callisto Protocol narrative.
It’s set in 2320 and takes place in a prison colony called Black Iron, which is located on Jupiter’s moon Callisto. We take the role of one of the prisoners, Jacob Lee (played by Josh Duhamel), who finds himself caught in a battle between other inmates that have transformed into monstrous creatures. The prison warden, who works for the United Jupiter Company, is somehow involved in this.
In the story trailer, Jacob Lee seemingly plays a larger role in the antagonist’s plot than just being a bystander caught in a greater conspiracy. My theory is the classic sci-fi trope where corrupted capitalist tendencies see inmates in a private prison being used as experiments for the “betterment of mankind” aka money. I could be completely off base, but that’s my game theory.
The Callisto Protocol gameplay
If you’re a fan of Dead Space, you’ll know exactly what to expect with The Callisto Protocol’s gameplay. It’s a third-person survival-horror shooter with a lot of spook and a lot of death, mostly your own.
We got an extended gameplay look, showcasing some melee and ranged weapons and a glimpse at Jacob’s abilities. We saw him pull one of the enemies toward him in a stassis-like fashion. Apparently, it’s a unique gravity weapon once used by Black Iron guards to control the prison population. Like Dead Space, your health bar is at your back (the neck specifically), and you can curbstomp enemies that might get back up. Additionally, taking out the enemy’s limbs is important.
Death seems frequent and gruesome. I got a bit squeamish looking at the various ways you could get completely destroyed. Of course, the enemies have numerous ways to murder you outright, but even standing too close to the wrong machine could get you sucked in like a vacuum and turned into spaghetti. Gross!
The Callisto Protocol is running on Unreal Engine 5, which is evident by how darn gorgeous and terrifying everything looks.
The Callisto Protocol PC requirements
There aren’t any official PC requirements for The Callisto Protocol just yet, but we might get a good idea of what it’ll require based on Scorn’s PC requirements, which is the most modern survival-horror game using Unreal Engine 4.
The minimum specs for Scorn require you to have an QuadCore AMD Ryzen 3 3300X or Intel Core i5-8400 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 GPU. The recommended specs include an AMD Ryzen 5 3600 or Intel Core i7-8700 CPU, 16GB of RAM, and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 2070 (8 GB) GPU.
Considering that the best cheap gaming laptops can run laps around that, you might be good for The Callisto Protocol with an RTX 3060 GPU.
Outlook
I love action-packed survival-horror games. I have fond memories of playing games like Resident Evil and The Evil Within with my sister over the years — I most recently enjoyed Resident Evil Village. I’m excited to jump into The Callisto Protocol on the hardest difficulty to deal with all of the bullshit that Striking Distance Studios can throw at us.
However, I’m not excited to watch myself be brutally ripped apart by monsters. I think I’ll keep my eyes closed for those sections.
