Publisher Hooded Horse and developer Overhype Studios today announced that Menace, their upcoming sci-fi turn-based strategy game, is slated to enter early access on PC during the first week of February 2026.
If waiting for a few more months doesn’t sound too great, a Menace demo is also available now on Steam. It gives us a full, procedurally-generated operation to attempt, as well as some army-building options that infuse it with an extra dose of replayability.
Menace Early Access and Demo
This is primarily a combat-focused demo, which means that we, sadly, won’t get a chance to see how the title’s strategic layer plays out just yet.
In case you’re unaware, Menace puts us at the helm of a strike force of “marines, misfits, and miscreants” who find themselves in the Wayback system, “a lawless frontier far from the core worlds, beset by pirates, warlords, morally bankrupt corporations, and fractured local governments who struggle for dominance.”
From our flagship and base of operations, the TCRN Impetus, we put together teams of characters to respond to distress calls that quickly roll in.
Our distance from the core worlds means that giving our teams a fighting chance involves securing whatever resources and equipment we can from more or less shady local sources.
When losses inevitably occur, we’ll turn to local mercenaries and criminals to reinforce our roster of soldiers that play a key role in completing the multi-stage operations Menace throws our way.
On the battlefield, we get to control a combination of infantry, mech, and tank squads, utilizing their strengths to see our missions through.
Although it seems to share some DNA with the developer’s previous project, Battle Brothers, Menace makes the jump to 3D visuals while trading medieval fantasy for a sci-fi setting. We’ll see how well it all comes together when it enters early access on February 5, 2026.
The title will also be available through PC Game Pass on the same date but, as we mentioned above, anyone especially eager to see what Overhype Studios have been cooking can head over to Steam and download the Menace demo.
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