When is the Judas release date? The hivemind at PCGN is a huge fan of BioShock and BioShock Infinite. In those classic games, we explored a dystopian world filled with ambitious technology, extraordinary abilities, and top-notch storytelling. So naturally, when Judas was revealed in December last year – complete with its System Shock-like vibes – it grabbed our attention.
If you’re in the dark about why we’re so excited, Judas is an upcoming FPS game by Ghost Story Games, a studio led by Ken Levine and other former Irrational Games developers – yes, the same people behind BioShock. Like those earlier games, Judas will be a single-player story game, but one set in a futuristic sci-fi universe in a similar vein as BioShock’s predecessor. While it’s still a way off, we can shed some light on what to expect with the upcoming Judas release date and the gameplay and story details.
Judas release date window
Judas is due to release by March 2025 at the latest. This release window was confirmed in a Take Two Interactive earnings call, which cited Judas as one of 87 games the publisher aims to release before the end of that fiscal year.
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick confirmed to IGN in the earnings report statement that Judas is among those games due for release by March 2025.
Judas is scheduled to launch on PC via Steam, as well as on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S for console users.
The space game was first revealed at The Game Awards last December and is the first from Ghost Story Games. The studio is a rebrand of Irrational Games led by Ken Levine, whose previous work includes the seminal BioShock series, and it appears that Judas shares much of the same DNA.
Judas trailer
The Judas reveal trailer, announced during The Game Awards 2022, introduces us to the game’s protagonist, Judas, as she’s stumbling across a starship wreckage. If you look closely, you’ll notice that she’s seen through a reflection on the window. Outside, in the distance, we can spot a massive planet suffering from an enormous, bright-blue explosion.
Judas’ voiceover says that her “only way out of here… is with one of them,” in a tone that suggests she’s not too happy about her choice of companions. We’re not entirely sure who “them” is, but the camera points to a sheriff, a pink-haired cyborg woman with visible injuries, and an extravagantly dressed cyborg woman. Later, the sheriff appears to take on the role of combat instructor while the pink-haired woman is shooting at an enemy, and the dressed-up lady seems to open a crafting station. Looks like they’ve joined Team Judas.
Throughout the rest of the trailer, we see futuristic-looking rooms, another starship wreckage, a second planet, another female character who seems to be shooting at us, a prison cell, and a meteorite floating towards Judas’ starship wreck. Let’s explore that a bit more, shall we?
A second trailer was shown during the State of Play presentation in 2024. It begins with a voiceover, warning that everything you say is being recorded and that everything you see is a farce, an illusion. In a cruel-to-be-kind twist, the woman pulls the plug on reality, and the trailer descends into a dystopian nightmare, showing you what the world is like.
We get a glimpse of the powers you’ll wield in Judas, like a green whip that appears to stun targets and lightning bolts that emanate from your hand, able to switch off robotic targets completely. The trailer ends with the Judas’ tagline: “Fix what you broke.”
Judas story
A short story description on the official Judas website confirms that we’ll take on the role of the “mysterious and troubled” Judas, whose starship journey is cut short at the start of the game. The next objective? To escape. How to go about that is up to you, as the official game description says you can either “make or break alliances with your worst enemies”.
We can only guess how the starship got destroyed, but given that the place is in shambles, a fire broke out, and there’s a dead person in the corner, we bet that it was attacked – possibly by the same people whom we might later ally with.
Many signs point to some ideology and oppressive regime being central in Judas’ narrative. Several posters propagate a certain type of lifestyle, and according to a sign on the wall, there’s a “social credit” requirement at what appears to be a station. The sign also mentions “pilgrims only,” which suggests that not all members of society are treated equally.
One narrative technique that Ken Levine wants explicitly to explore further is the concept of “Narrative Legos”. In an interview with the YouTube channel Last Stand Media, he briefly explains that “not everything from Narrative Legos got [into BioShock Infinite]”, but that we’ll learn more about exactly how it works in Judas soon. Check out this GDC talk to know more about this concept.
What’s truly prevalent, though, is the theme of love. The pink-haired woman is sitting in front of a statue of a couple kissing each other while holding a red rose. The billboard features a lovey-dovey couple sharing heart-shaped cookies while encouraging you to also “Eat the cookie!”. We see very similar cookies lying on the floor of a prison cell. And one of the propaganda posters in a later scene directly references love: “Perverted – Love is toxic”. Not sure what’s in those love cookies, but it can’t be good.
Judas gameplay
Based on the game’s description, it’s highly likely that we’ll get to make crucial decisions that will determine the story’s outcome. If the protagonist’s name is any indication, there’ll be room for betrayal should you choose to walk down that path.
With plenty of horse-shaped robots appearing in the trailer, we may assume that these guys are our main type of opponent. There’s also a brief scene featuring a tiny laser-wielding bot in what appears to be a tutorial. Pay special attention to the robot’s destruction; Judas uses the glowing green dot on her left hand to connect with the robot’s head, effectively exploding the little guy.
The green dot must be some form of bio-technical weapon and a multifunctional one. Later, Judas uses the dot to throw something shortly before igniting her hand. A similar bionic hand mechanism is also seen on other characters throughout the trailer, including the pink-haired cyborg girl.
Of course, the biotech hand won’t be Judas’ only weapon. We can also spot a pistol and a crossbow, both rocking a steampunk-ish look. And see that hammer dropped by Judas at the beginning of the trailer? It could be a one-time appearance or a teaser for a special tool. As for Judas’ means of transportation, the trailer scene at 0:40 suggests we’ll get a huge dog-shaped mech to cruise around some planets. Neat!
Now you know everything there is to know so far about the Judas release date, tide the wait a little with some of the best PC games of all time or the best single-player games. Could Judas make its way to that list when it launches? Only time will tell.