War of the Worlds: Everything We Know

H. G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds is about to receive a well-needed video game adaptation for consoles and PC. It makes sense, too, seeing as the cult classic literature has, in its century-long reign, found roots in several movie adaptations and other inspired works. But as for whether or not the upcoming sci-fi thriller will operate on a similar wavelength as its counterparts is still a mystery, as it will be until developer FlipSwitch Games makes the conscious decision to shed a bit more light on the project.

It may have taken a hundred years for it to find its way over to the gaming scene, but for what it’s worth, it is happening, and it’s promising to deliver all of the same chills and, dare I say, that piercing sound of a Tripod blaring its siren five times over. But what else can we expect from it? Will it feature an entirely different storyline, or will it base itself off of the Tom Cruise port that shipped out several years back? Let’s talk about it.

What Is War of the Worlds?

War of the Worlds is an open-world survival-horror game, and above all, a love letter to H. G. Wells’ cult literature of the same title that was released back in 1898. In a similar ink as its inspiration, the upcoming game will revolve around the extermination of mankind, as well as the alien machines’ conquest of planet earth. And to answer the initial question — no, it won’t feature Tom Cruise as a playable protagonist. On the contrary, the game will pave the way for an entirely new story—a tailorable memoir in which players will have the opportunity to mold and rewrite in their own language.

In developer FlipSwitch Games’ own words, War of the Worlds is a “hardcore horror open world survival game which throws the player into the middle of the extermination of mankind with the sole purpose of surviving long enough to find a way to bring down the alien machines.” As one of these last-remaining survivors, players will need to “loot buildings, fight off hostile survivors, stay hidden from the machines, and stay alive.”

Story

War of the Worlds asks a simple question: can you survive a week in a world that’s on the verge of collapsing under the thumb of the extraterrestrials? As either a survivor or an alien (yes, you can side with the baddies), you will need to set out to either survive the mindless onslaught, or do all in your power to eradicate the human race. Whichever faction you choose to side with, the game will likely roll out in a completely different direction, allowing players of all backgrounds and skill levels to adjust to multiple pathways and roles. A word of advice, though: the odds of surviving as a human probably aren’t the highest.

As for whether or not there’ll be a storyline in War of the Worlds is anybody’s guess. However, from the sounds of it, the game will provide a “create your own” sort of gig, meaning players will be able to forge their own pathways and learn the tricks of the trade on their own terms. Therefore, if you’re looking for a meaty campaign with plenty of twists and turns, then you might be in for a bit of a surprise.

Gameplay

According to the devs, War of the Worlds will be an online multiplayer game, which, in short, means players will have the opportunity to duke it out as either an alien or a human. And from the sounds of it, each faction will have access to a selection of original skillsets and tools. As either of the two, players will need to collect supplies, unearth potential enemies, and ultimately learn how to survive the warring factions over a drawn-out battle across the globe.

“Multiplayer delivers a unique experience allowing you to pick a side, humans or aliens,” FlipSwitch Games explains in a press release. “As the aliens, your goal is to exterminate all humans, harvest their blood, and fertilize the earth with it. As team humans, your goal is to be the last man or group standing and outlive the aliens long enough to fight back and find a way to bring them down.”

Development

FlipSwitch Games first announced its plans to resurrect the War of the Worlds bloodline back in 2022, at which point the team shed light on a short but somewhat insightful sneak preview trailer. Going by that, the game will be aiming for a release on PC at some point in 2024. Don’t quote us on that, though.

Aside from its initial announcement trailer, War of the Worlds doesn't have all that much on display. With that said, if FlipSwitch Games happens to shed light on the project ahead of its debut, then the news is likely to hit its social handle here.

Trailer

As luck would have it, FlipSwitch Games has posted a number of sneak previews of War of the Worlds since its inception. You can check out the initial announcement trailer in the video embedded above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

War of the Worlds will be setting up shop on PC via Steam at some point in 2024. As for whether or not it’ll be porting its way over to Xbox, PlayStation, or Nintendo Switch is unclear, though from the sounds of it, the game will be exclusive to Windows for the foreseeable future.

Interested in staying up to date with War of the Worlds ahead of its arrival? If so, then be sure to check in with the team over at FlipSwitch Games for all the latest developments via their official social handle here. If anything does change ahead of its release, then we’ll be sure to fill you in on all the key details right here on gaming.net.

So, what’s your take? Will you be picking up a copy of War of the Worlds when it arrives on its chosen platforms? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.