What is Valor Mortis? First-person soulslike from One More Level, out Oct 13, 2026 on PS5, Xbox and PC.
Valor Mortis Guide: Release Date, Platforms & What It Is
Valor Mortis is a first-person action soulslike from One More Level, the studio behind Ghostrunner. You play William, a soldier of Napoleon's Grande Armee dragged back from death into a plague-ravaged alternate 19th century. As of October 10, 2026, the game is not out yet: Steam lists its release date as October 13, 2026 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, with a $39.99 standard price tag.
Official source: Valor Mortis on Steam describes it as a "first-person action soulslike from the creators of Ghostrunner," where you "rise from death as a former soldier of Napoleon's army."
What Kind of Game Is Valor Mortis?
Valor Mortis is a first-person soulslike: methodical melee combat, limited healing, harsh punishment for mistakes, and boss fights that demand pattern recognition. Flintlock pistols, muskets, and a blunderbuss have appeared in pre-release coverage, but ammunition is scarce, so blades do most of the talking. Dodging and parrying form the defensive backbone: successful parries deal posture damage that opens enemies up for finishers, based on the demo and the official combat overview.
The setting is what sets it apart: an alternate-history Europe consumed by the Crimson Plague, patrolled by Napoleon's Eternal Guard. William claws his way out of a battlefield grave, and the plot — confirmed so far — revolves around a conspiracy involving the plague, the Guard, and a rebel leader known as the Shrike. The developers state the campaign runs about 20 hours, though soulslike playtimes always vary with skill and exploration.
| Fact | Confirmed so far (as of 2026-10-10) |
|---|---|
| Genre | First-person action soulslike (Action / Adventure / RPG on Steam) |
| Perspective | First person |
| Protagonist | William, a fallen soldier of the Grande Armee |
| Setting | Alternate 19th-century Europe, Crimson Plague era |
| Players | Single-player only, no multiplayer confirmed |
| Length | About 20 hours, per the developers |
Still deciding whether the genre fits? Our soulslike, open world and multiplayer explainer answers all three questions at once, and the story and setting guide covers the plot without spoilers.
Who Developed Valor Mortis?
Valor Mortis is developed by One More Level and published by Lyrical Games together with One More Level, per the Steam store listing. One More Level made Ghostrunner — team background only, not a mechanics link. This is not a parkour game or a sequel; it is a slower, heavier first-person soulslike from the same studio.
The road to launch included one public delay: the game was originally dated September 24, 2026, then moved to October 13, 2026, as reported by GameInformer. A limited-time Steam demo ran around the same period, and the team held a public playtest roughly a year before release, using feedback to tune combat and bosses.
Expecting Ghostrunner-style speed will get you killed. Go in expecting a parry-and-posture soulslike with guns as a backup tool, and the demo feedback makes far more sense.
For the full background, read the developer and delay history.
Release Date and Platforms
The store-listed release date is October 13, 2026, and the confirmed platform lineup covers all current-generation systems. There is no last-generation version and no Switch version announced as of 2026-10-10.
| Platform | Launch | Access route |
|---|---|---|
| PC (Steam) | October 13, 2026 (store-listed) | $39.99 purchase, full controller support |
| PS5 | October 13, 2026 (store-listed) | $39.99 purchase, or 90-minute Premium trial |
| Xbox Series X|S | October 13, 2026 (store-listed) | $39.99 purchase, or day-one Game Pass |
Two subscription notes matter for launch week. Valor Mortis arrives day one on Xbox Game Pass — see Is Valor Mortis on Game Pass for the tier breakdown. On PlayStation there is no full game in the PS Plus library: only a 90-minute Premium trial — see Is Valor Mortis on PS Plus.
Exact unlock times stay fuzzy before launch: the developers published a Release Times map, but media conversions disagree, so use your store countdown. Our release date and unlock times page tracks each reported conversion.
Editions and Price
Pricing is simple: two digital editions, no inflated tiers, and no digital pre-orders at all.
| Edition | Price | Contents confirmed so far |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | $39.99 | Full base game |
| Deluxe | $59.99 | Base game, four weapon skin packs, and a major story DLC arriving in 2027 |
Digital pre-orders never opened; physical discs for PS5 and Xbox Series X exist through retailers. As of 2026-10-10 there is no official evidence for a "Napoleon Edition" — treat that name as an unofficial steelbook, not a game edition. Full comparison: price and editions page.
Demo and Review Status
A playable demo is how most early impressions were formed — and it is gone for now. The Steam demo ran for a limited time and is unavailable as of 2026-10-10, with a global playtest also announced in early October. If you missed it, launch-day options are the full purchase, Game Pass, or the PS Plus Premium trial. Our demo guide recaps its contents, length, and carry-over status.
Review coverage is still in the pre-launch window. The Metacritic page for Valor Mortis shows zero critic reviews as of 2026-10-10, and no official review embargo time has surfaced. Early previews praised the concept while flagging uneven boss tuning — but previews are not reviews. We track every scored review on the review roundup and Metacritic page, updating at launch.
The demo's headline boss was General Lothaire, the Eagle-Bearer, a polearm-and-longsword duel that walled many players. For his demo moveset and punish windows, see the General Lothaire fight guide. A full boss list for the finished game is not yet confirmed.
Combat Basics (What the Demo Showed)
Everything here is based on the demo and pre-release coverage, subject to launch-day changes. The loop: parry to damage enemy posture, dodge to reposition and recover, then spend openings on finishers or pistol weak-point shots. Stamina limits aggression.
Character building layers three systems on top of that loop. Ambers are equippable passives that alter your build, often with a trade-off attached. You socket them at lantern checkpoints by spending Catalysts, also used across three skill trees covering melee posture, firearms, and magic. Transmutations are the supernatural powers, ranging from a palm-mounted flamethrower to grappling-hook movement, based on the official overview trailer as summarized by GamingBolt's feature roundup.
Confirmed weapon names so far include the claymore, rapier, and sabre alongside flintlock firearms and the musket — a full weapon table has to wait for the finished game. Three pages go deeper: combat, parry and posture, how to equip Ambers, and weapons and builds. New players should start with the nine beginner tips.
Ambers lists, weapon stats, and boss counts in forums come from demo files or third-party trackers, not the finished game. One third-party report claims 39 trophies, but achievement sync was still in flux — see the trophy list page.
FAQ
When does Valor Mortis come out? October 13, 2026, per the Steam store listing — store-listed, not yet live, as of 2026-10-10. Unlock times: release date page.
Is Valor Mortis on Game Pass or PS Plus? Day-one Xbox Game Pass, yes. PS Plus, no — only a 90-minute Premium trial, not the full game. Details: Game Pass page and PS Plus trial page.
Can I still play the demo? No. The limited-time Steam demo is unavailable as of 2026-10-10; the October 13 launch is the fastest route in.
Is it multiplayer or open world? Neither, based on everything confirmed so far: single-player only, with structured zones rather than an open world. Full answers: soulslike, open world or multiplayer.
Is it made by the Ghostrunner developers? Yes — One More Level developed both. But the shared credit is studio history, not shared mechanics.
What about valar mortis, vigor mortis, or valor virtus? Unrelated lookalikes — a Game of Thrones phrase, a rigor-mortis pun, and Latin vocabulary noise. The game is Valor Mortis (also valormortis); only that spelling leads here.
Related
More Valor Mortis Guides
Is Valor Mortis too hard? No difficulty options at launch, mini-boss tips and how to level past walls.
Valor Mortis FAQ: trial, Game Pass, difficulty, length, bosses and spelling answers in one page.
How long is Valor Mortis? About 20 hours per devs, demo length and what affects your playtime.
Is Valor Mortis on Game Pass day one? Yes: Oct 13 on Ultimate and PC Game Pass, cloud and console.
What does Valor Mortis mean in Latin? Valor and mortis explained, plus when the game is set.
Valor Mortis price $39.99, Deluxe $59.99 with story DLC, no pre-orders, physical disc at launch.
Is Valor Mortis on PS Plus? 90-minute Premium trial at launch explained: what carries over and what not.
Valor Mortis PS5 vs Xbox: 60FPS performance mode, dynamic 4K, PS5 Pro and Series S details.