What is Off The Grid? New cyberpunk Battle Royale explained

Off The Grid is the latest spin on the Battle Royale formula, merging extraction shooter mechanics in a futuristic dystopia. Promising everything from a 60+ hour campaign to massive 150-player lobbies already, there’s plenty to wrap your head around so here’s the full rundown.

While best known for Hollywood blockbusters like District 9, Chappie, and 2023’s Gran Turismo film, director Neill Blomkamp helped found a video game studio in 2020. Now the first big project from Gunzilla Games is out in Early Access and it’s already turning heads.

Off The Grid is now playable and with thousands jumping in and tens of thousands more watching the biggest streamers get involved, it’s the new flavor of the month. But what exactly is it and how does it differ from every other Battle Royale we’ve seen over the years?

Here’s the full rundown on how the new game works, an overview of its core mechanics, as well as its promises for the road ahead.

Off The Grid gameplay explained

Described as “the world’s most unhinged Battle Royale,” Off The Grid drops players into a dystopic future on ‘Teardrop Island’, wherein, humans are all competing for a $100 million prize. The kicker, being set far into the future, anyone participating must have limbs cybernetically replaced and agree to an ‘endless’ cycle of torment as medics bring them back to life no matter how grim a death they suffered on the battlefield.

So that’s the premise, but what about moment-to-moment gameplay? It’s typical Battle Royale fair from a third-person perspective, more akin to a Fortnite than a Warzone. With snappy gunplay and familiar health systems, it’s all what you’d expect when it comes to team fights and explosive combat.

Off The Grid ramps things up in a few unique ways, however. With those cybernetic enhancements, you’re able to move around the map in unique ways and engage enemies with devastating tools. Be it leaping off the ground or dashing through the air, there are plenty of tricks to give you the edge.

Battle Royale with an Extraction Shooter & NFT-driven twist

The real twist of Off The Grid is how it looks to merge pillars of the BR genre with fundamentals from Extraction Shooters.

The circle does shrink, much like any BR, and your core goal is to be the last one left standing, but there’s more to it than just that. Throughout the game you’ll come across NPCs firing back, some of which carry rare goodies. There are chances to extract various bits of loot as matches progress.

There’s an in-game marketplace to then sell and trade items, and it flows through the blockchain, meaning NFT inclusion.

Exact functionality remains unclear for now as the game is in very early stages of development, but the long-term goal looks to be a thriving trade economy with items ready to be shared around in the digital marketplace.

Off The Grid platforms

Released in Early Access on October 8, 2024, Off The Grid was officially made available on PS5 and PC through the Epic Games Store. Though that’s not all.

Players on Xbox can also get in on the action, but not in the same ways. Only available on Xbox Series X, and only for those in the Xbox Insiders Program, only a smaller crowd can jump in on Microsoft’s console. There’s no word as to when fans can expect a full release.

Is it crossplay?

No, Off The Grid doesn’t currently have crossplay while in Early Access, but devs have confirmed that cross-platform play will come to PlayStation and Xbox. There has been no comment on whether PC will be included in that in the future.

At the time of writing, there has been no timeline provided on the introduction of crossplay.

The future of Off The Grid

Currently, Off The Grid boasts just one map that supports 60 player lobbies. Moving forward, however, the team has aspirations of growing to support 150 players per lobby.

Beyond that, the game’s website teases a “60+ hour narrative campaign” set to accompany the competitive component, though exactly how this will play out remains unclear. We already know cinematics will play a large role in the game’s storytelling, with some already live for fans to dissect.

As new updates roll out, Off The Grid is set to receive more of the usual as well, meaning more Cyberlimbs, new maps, weapons, and the like.

As it’s only the beginning for Off The Grid, we’ll be sure to update you here as the game picks up Steam. But with thousands already checking it out in its earliest form, it could just be the next BR to catch on.