The release of Mortal Shell 2 is only a few weeks away, and now millions of console players are able to give the highly anticipated soulslike a try for free. The first game released in 2020, bearing the genre’s signature difficulty, but has since been canonized as one of its more promising and inventive takes. Early impressions of the sequel have been quite strong, and it’s already well on its way to becoming one of 2026’s biggest sleeper hits.
Word of mouth now has the opportunity to get even more players on board with the surprise release of the Mortal Shell 2 beta today on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. The demo gives you access to the first handful of hours, letting you experience the prologue and get a feel for the game’s open-world design. While the beta only allows you to play as one of eight Shells (classes), some of the progress you make will carry over to the full game if you decide to purchase it, and an exclusive cosmetic reward—The Flayed Harbinger—can be earned.
Here are the links to the beta on PlayStation and Xbox. And here’s the link to Steam if you’re just now hearing about it.
It would seem that the only progress that carries over is, essentially, your story progression. According to the beta description, “Currency, weapons Shells, collectibles, and other items discovered during the Open Beta will reset at launch” in order to “preserve the balance of the full release.” If you complete the Marrow Keep section of the beta (the tutorial/prologue), you’ll be able to skip it in the full game. The beta reward skin, The Flayed Harbinger, appears to be a bright red version of the Shell-less protagonist.
The Mortal Shell 2 beta comes to PlayStation and Xbox after a resounding success on PC, where it garnered more than 500,000 downloads. 93% of 2,250 English reviews recommending the game have earned the Mortal Shell 2 beta Steam’s Very Positive designation at the time of writing. Praise is wide-ranging, but many who have tried the beta note that Mortal Shell 2 appears to be a significant step up from its predecessor.
Experience with the first Mortal Shell is not required for the sequel, however, as it’s a standalone story. Mortal Shell 2 retains the unique gameplay gimmick of the first game; the Shells of various fallen warriors can be found in the game world and comandeered, giving you unique abilities and play styles to experiment with and swap between.
For those who appreciate the soulslike subgenre’s original dark fantasy trappings from Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls, Mortal Shell 2 has that atmosphere in spades. The first game was grimy and brutal, and the sequel so far appears no different. Releasing on August 20, Mortal Shell 2 is right around the corner, and now millions of console players have the opportunity to try it out before they decide whether to buy.
- Released
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August 20, 2026
- Developer(s)
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Cold Symmetry
- Publisher(s)
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Playstack
- Franchise
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Mortal Shell
- PC Release Date
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August 20, 2026
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
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August 20, 2026
- PS5 Release Date
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August 20, 2026
