Horde survival and PvE extraction hybrid NightRunner announced for PC
Public playtest planned for September.
Projekt Z: Beyond Order developer 314 Arts has announced NightRunner, described as “the next evolution of horde survival and player-versus-environment extraction” coming to PC via Steam in 2027. A public playtest is planned for September.
Here is an overview of the game, via its Steam page:
About
NightRunner is a brutal evolution of the horde survival genre, combining extraction gameplay, dungeons, and tower defense into one relentless experience. Inspired by Killing Floor, Call of Duty: Zombies (Tranzit), and Escape from Tarkov, every run is a high-risk, high-reward battle for survival, where intense cooperative combat, strategic decision-making. and a blend of roguelite and persistent progression determine whether you escape with your loot or lose everything.
Defend. Scavenge. Extract.
Dive into the next evolution of the horde survival and player-versus-environment extraction genre. Start with nothing and build up your Night Runner. Take on dangerous Jobs, defend your train, search for gear, and finish side-missions in scavenging areas to prepare yourself for the even more dangerous jobs and dungeons ahead with unforgiving boss enemies.
But nothing is guaranteed.
To keep the gear you find, the train must successfully reach its destination. If the job fails, everything you brought and everything you found is lost.
Prepare Your Train
Choose your wagon, prepare your loadout, and set out on a deadly journey. At the start of each run, every player’s wagon is coupled together to form one colossal train fighting to survive the hostile world ahead. Explore scavenging zones for resources, fortify your own wagon, and unlock powerful strategic advantages as you help keep the entire train moving toward extraction.
The train never stops. When a wagon falls, it isn’t game over. Leave it behind, fall back to the next wagon, and make your stand. Defend one wagon at a time as the battlefield constantly shifts, forcing your team to adapt, survive, and fight all the way to extraction.
Different Ways to Survive the Night
Ride your armored train through a mutated night, scavenging and fighting side by side with up to threefriends in this intense cooperative extraction experience.
- Choose between four different Runner Kits, each shaping how you fight, scavenge, and support your crew.
- Take on a dedicated crew role: Engineer, Stalker, Field Expert, or Thermite, and coordinate to survive what the night throws at you.
- Prepare between runs, managing your loadout and upgrading your gear.
- Push into hostile territory and dungeons for high-risk loot, then fight your way back before the doors close for good.
Different Types of Jobs and Modes
Put your skills to the test across four distinct game modes, each offering unique challenges, objectives, and rewards.
- Train Jobs – Embark on the signature Night Runner experience. Choose your wagon, build your loadout, and fight through a relentless world with your team. Stop at scavenging areas to find powerful weapons, gather resources, and reinforce your train before pushing onward to extraction.
- Transition Jobs – Not every destination can be reached by rail. Board a heavily armed ship and cross mutant-infested waters without the safety of reinforcements or scavenging stops. Survive the voyage to unlock higher-tier jobs, tougher challenges, and greater rewards.
- Dungeons – Venture into linear dungeon levels packed with deadly enemies, unique boss encounters, and Night Runner’s most valuable loot. Every expedition is a true test of teamwork and skill. (More information soon.)
- Endless – How long can you survive? Inspired by the classic survival experience of Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies, Endless mode challenges you to withstand increasingly overwhelming waves while adapting your strategy, upgrading your arsenal, and chasing the highest score. (More information soon.)
Watch the announcement trailer below.