End of Abyss Wiki

End of Abyss is a single-player action-adventure from Section 9 Interactive — a Malmö studio founded by veterans of Tarsier Studios, the team behind Little Nightmares, Little Nightmares II, and PlayStation Vita's LittleBigPlanet. Published by Epic Games, the game fuses top-down twin-stick shooting with Metroidvania exploration and survival horror atmosphere inside a derelict underground compound.

You play as Cel, a young combat technician sent to investigate disturbances of unknown origin. Armed with a pistol and a retro-futuristic Scanner, she descends through broken corridors where nothing encountered is fully human. The experience rewards curiosity: environmental storytelling, audio logs, and cryptic messages reveal what happened to the lost crew.

End of Abyss evolved during development from a pure twin-stick shooter into a full Metroidvania. Preview sessions at Summer Game Fest 2025 and 2026 describe it as a unique blend of Alien-style isolation, Metroid backtracking, and souls-inspired boss pacing — without corpse-run punishment. Music is used sparingly; footsteps echo, metal creaks, and the Scanner's electronic beeps carry the dread.

Explore branching facility paths, scan points of interest, fight twisted horrors with limited ammunition, gather resources at a Craft Bench, upgrade gear, and unlock tools that open previously sealed areas. Save at Save Cubes to reset enemies and secure progress. Death respawns you without losing unlocked doors or abilities — only the distance you have traveled since your last save.

End of Abyss releases on October 1, 2026. The date was confirmed at Summer Game Fest 2026 alongside a new gameplay trailer. Pre-orders and wishlists are available on all platforms.

End of Abyss launches simultaneously across three platform families:

Add the game to your wishlist on your preferred platform to receive launch notifications. Epic Games Publishing has not announced pre-order bonuses as of June 2026 — if entitlements are added later, this section will be updated. Follow Section 9 Interactive and Epic Games official channels for announcements.

Preview demos begin with Cel awakening near a Save Cube and Craft Bench. Your starting loadout is minimal: a pistol with unlimited ammunition and the Scanner. Before engaging enemies, scan every room — the Scanner tags map points, hidden caches, and ability-locked obstacles for later return.

Based on hands-on previews, follow this priority list at the start of a run:

New players in demos often scan enemies instead of shooting them, waste shotgun shells on small foes, and forget to save before pushing into new wings. The facility punishes reckless exploration — retreat to known Save Cubes when health and ammo run low. Use dodge rolls to create space, not to rush deeper unprepared.

End of Abyss uses independent twin-stick controls: the left stick moves Cel while the right stick aims your weapon independently. This allows kiting, doorway bottlenecks, and flanking during boss fights. A forgiving dodge roll lets you tumble out of melee range. In narrow corridors the camera shifts to a more isometric angle, emphasizing how small and vulnerable Cel is against swarms of flesh-horrors.

Controller layout from preview builds — subject to change at launch:

Epic Games Store PC builds at preview events used twin-stick-equivalent mouse aiming. Expected bindings (TBC):

Combat is deliberately slow and tense — not a bullet-hell. Section 9 co-founders Marcus and Mattias Ottvall emphasize pacing that builds dread rather than frantic action. Cel is routinely outmatched; you win through positioning, ammo discipline, and gear upgrades rather than raw firepower.

Enemies in previews include bipedal horrors with long giraffe-like neck sweeps, swarms of small parasites that latch and must be shaken off, and larger golem-class threats. Many enemies stand idle or lie in wait until you approach, sometimes ambushing from doorways and shadows. This creates long stretches of isolation punctuated by sudden violence.

Save Cubes act as checkpoints — saving resets enemies in the area but preserves unlocked doors, acquired tools, and map tags. Death does not trigger a corpse run: you respawn without losing gear, but you lose progress distance since your last manual save. Failing to save before pushing deep is the primary punishment, not item loss.

Cel starts with a pistol featuring unlimited ammunition — your reliable fallback for attrition fights. Previews also featured a shotgun with finite ammo, suitable for burst damage against bosses and tight packs. Additional weapons are expected at launch but remain unconfirmed.

A definitive tier list requires the full weapon roster at launch. Based on preview impressions, early rankings are:

The Craft Bench near Save Cubes lets you upgrade weapons and equipment using scavenged resources. Upgrades are essential — preview players could not survive deeper wings without bench improvements. Plan return trips to benches after major resource hauls.

The Scanner is Cel's most important tool. It marks points of interest on your map, reveals hidden item caches, exposes enemy weak points, and tags obstacles you cannot yet overcome. The Scanner's electronic beeps echo through empty halls, reinforcing the retro-futuristic horror tone reminiscent of classic sci-fi interfaces.

When you encounter a barrier you cannot pass — a weakened wall, a security door, or a grapple anchor point — scanning it permanently tags the location on your map. When you later acquire explosives, keycards, or a grapple hook, you can backtrack efficiently. This Metroidvania gating is central to progression.

You will frequently toggle between the Scanner and your firearm — scanning an enemy instead of shooting it is a common early mistake. Develop the habit of scanning rooms on entry, then holstering the Scanner before engaging. Boss fights may require mid-fight scans to identify weak points on flanks.

End of Abyss takes place in a sprawling underground compound — a broken, abandoned world of industrial corridors, derelict machinery, and bio-horror infestation. The facility features branching paths, hidden wings, and vertical descent into deeper, more corrupted zones. Environmental storytelling through flickering lights, shifting shadows, and crew remnants builds atmosphere without constant exposition.

Metroidvania design means you will revisit areas with new tools. Shortcuts unlock to reduce travel between Save Cubes and previously cleared sections. The in-game map displays Scanner tags so you never lose track of sealed doors or hidden caches. Thorough first-pass scanning saves hours of backtracking later.

Demo areas confirmed by preview coverage include:

Boss encounters draw souls-like inspiration: learn attack patterns, dodge at the right moment, and strike during windows of weakness. Unlike Souls games, death costs only distance — not souls or gear. Bosses are deliberately minimal in spectacle, focusing on tension and timing over flashy mechanics.

The Summer Game Fest 2025 demo featured a large alien golem boss. Strategy from preview sessions:

The complete boss roster will be documented after launch. This section will include per-boss weak points, attack patterns, recommended gear, and shortcut routes for each encounter.

Resources are deliberately scarce, reinforcing survival horror pressure. You gather materials while exploring — ammunition components, upgrade parts, and consumables. Limited ammo on secondary weapons means crafting and scavenging are not optional for players who want to push deep.

The Craft Bench handles weapon upgrades, ammunition crafting, and gear improvements. Exact recipes are TBC until launch. Preview builds confirmed shotgun shell crafting and pistol-adjacent upgrades. Return to benches after every major exploration loop.

Scanner-revealed hidden caches contain resources and lore items. Preview players found multiple secret stashes by scanning thoroughly in each room before moving on. Caches are often tucked behind debris, in ventilation paths, or off the main corridor route.

Cel is a young combat technician dispatched to a mysterious underground compound to investigate disturbances of unknown origin. What begins as a routine mission spirals into a harrowing descent through a broken, abandoned world. She must uncover the truth behind the facility's derelict areas while confronting monstrous creatures that roam the halls.

Early in the story, Cel encounters a mysterious box transmitting a distorted message: "To the one that hears this, we are waiting for you." This signal drives her deeper into the facility despite mounting danger. The narrative unfolds through environmental clues, audio logs, and cryptic messages rather than cutscene-heavy exposition.

Section 9 draws on Alien-style isolation, classic Metroid exploration, and the atmospheric dread of their Little Nightmares pedigree — but Cel can fight back. Body-horror creatures, broken machines whispering from the depths, and the question of what is still human underpin the horror. The game is unlikely to answer every lore question directly, inviting player interpretation.

Epic Games Store lists minimum and recommended PC specifications as TBC as of June 2026. Expect requirements aligned with a modern Unreal Engine action title on PC. This section will be updated on launch day with official specs.

Confirmed platform and localization details:

End of Abyss supports 10 text languages with English audio only:

Key milestones in End of Abyss development:

Section 9 has not published a public Trello or detailed content roadmap. Follow official channels — Epic Games Store, PlayStation Blog, Xbox Wire, and Section 9 Interactive — for trailer drops, gameplay deep-dives, and pre-launch coverage. This wiki updates with every confirmed detail.

After October 1, 2026, this wiki will expand with: complete weapon tier lists, full boss strategies, area-by-area walkthroughs, all Craft Bench recipes, collectible locations, and achievement guides. Bookmark your language version and check back at launch.

Quick answers to the most searched questions about End of Abyss.