From Press Release:
Shanghai, China, October 15, 2025 – Grey State Studio (formerly Aurora Studio), a subsidiary of Tencent Games and the acclaimed developers behind Ring of Elysium, today announced its ambitious new project, Rules of Engagement: The Grey State. Currently in development for PC, this free-to-play title introduces a new breed of tactical shooter, fusing deep, class-based RPG progression with a unique, ever-expanding universe of supernatural horror.
A Dimension Under NDA
In Rules of Engagement, players step into the boots of a Strider: an elite operative hired by an enigmatic organization to explore The Grey State, an unstable dimension filled with horrific monstrosities and alien artifacts. The Grey State remains a closely-guarded secret, and Striders venture into this new realm using bio-engineered shells piloted remotely by their consciousness.
This new frontier is presented as the most dangerous and lucrative gold rush in history, but with a terrifying twist: it is a graveyard of nightmares. The developers have dubbed this concept the “Horrorverse,” a dimension populated by creatures inspired by iconic monsters from horror movies, novels, and modern internet creepypasta.
The Ultimate Hunt
Drop in, gear up, and get out. Rules of Engagement delivers a high-octane PvEvP loop where every run is a desperate race against the clock. Squads deploy with only a basic loadout, igniting a frantic scramble to hunt grotesque creatures and scavenge powerful gear before time runs out.
As the final countdown begins, a critical choice emerges: will you extract early at a safe, personal exfil point for guaranteed profit, or risk it all to hunt for the alien artifact and fight for a seat on the heavily contested helicopter? The choice is yours.
Make the Build as Deadly as the Bullet
The upcoming alpha test will feature four distinct classes, each specialised in a specific role and offering a sprawling talent tree for deep, creative buildcrafting. These include:
- Sledge, unstoppable juggernaut that forges a path with shield and hammer
- Pyro, chaotic madman that controls the battlefield with fire and gas
- Phantom, swift assassin that strikes from the shadows with extreme precision
- A Fourth Class, to be revealed at a later date
Rules of Engagement rewards clever buildcrafting and smart team strategy to the point where thoughtful decision making can absolutely dominate pure mechanical skill, rewarding the player’s intelligence and creativity.
“From the very start, our motto has been to ‘Chart the Uncharted’,” the Grey State Studio team shares. “We want to explore the corners and blank spaces of the shooter genre, and push the boundaries of what strategic gameplay looks like. Rules of Engagement was built with future in mind, and we plan to support the game for years to come with content updates, meta shakeups and player friendly free-to-play business model supported by a cosmetics-only in-game shop.”
Rules of Engagement: The Grey State is set to release on PC in 2026, and will be playable either solo or in a team of up to three players, featuring multiple player classes and maps, and post-launch seasonal content updates that expand the horrorverse.
Wishlist the game on Steam here, and follow the game on Discord, X (Twitter), and YouTube.
