Species: Unknown

Species: Unknown is developed and published by WanadevStudio. It entered Steam Early Access on October 23, 2025, for Windows. Set aboard the abandoned research vessel HSS Hawking, one to four players complete dangerous contracts while a procedurally selected, unidentified creature hunts them through the dark.

About the Game

Species: Unknown builds tension around unpredictability rather than a single, memorized threat. Since the game selects the hunting creature procedurally each session, players can never rely on the exact same tactics twice. Consequently, every run demands fresh caution, since squads must complete objectives like recovering a black box, capturing or eliminating a target, or scuttling the ship entirely to prevent the creature’s escape.

Tools such as motion trackers, shields, and firearms help players survive, though guns alone rarely solve every encounter. Furthermore, upgradeable gear lets teams adapt their approach as new threats appear across future content updates. The developers plan roughly two years of Early Access before reaching a full 1.0 release, with new specimens, maps, and upgrades planned throughout that period. As a result, this is a game built to grow substantially beyond its current single-map foundation.

Key Features

Procedurally Selected Creature Threats: Each session hunts players with a randomly chosen creature, preventing memorized strategies from guaranteeing survival.
Contract-Based Objectives: Complete varied missions, from recovering black boxes to scuttling the ship, each demanding a different tactical approach.
1 to 4-Player Co-op: Coordinate with up to three teammates using motion trackers, shields, and weapons to survive dangerous encounters together.
Ongoing Early Access Roadmap: New specimens, maps, and upgrades are planned across a roughly two-year development period leading to 1.0.

Games Like This

Similar Game	Key Difference	Best For
Alien: Isolation	Alien: Isolation delivers a single-player stealth horror experience against one relentless predator. Species: Unknown instead builds its tension around co-op teamwork and procedural creature selection.	Players who want a solo, story-driven horror experience.
Lethal Company	Lethal Company frames its co-op horror around scavenging under corporate quota pressure across varied moons. Species: Unknown instead keeps its focus on a single derelict ship and contract-based objectives.	Players who want broader scavenging and multiple distinct locations.
Deathground	Deathground similarly pits a co-op squad against AI-driven predators, though it uses dinosaurs instead of an unidentified alien species. Both share tension-driven objectives and resource scarcity.	Players who want dinosaur-themed horror instead of sci-fi.