Saros May Struggle To Recoup Its Budget, Despite Great Reviews - Analyst
Overview & Key Takeaways
Housemarque's Saros launched earlier this month to rave reviews, and it's a legitimate frontrunner for Game of the Year at this early point in 2026. However, it appears sales of the game have thus far been slower than its predecessor, Returnal, and the game may struggle to recoup its budget.
That's according to Rhys Elliott of Alinea Analytics, who estimates Saros sold approximately 300,000 copies in its first two weeks on sale. This figure is a little behind Returnal, a very similar game that was released much earlier in the PS5's lifecycle. Saros is the first game developed by Housemarque since the studio was acquired by Sony, having operated independently and primarily developed games for PlayStation systems in the years prior.
Thus far, a huge percentage of Saros players have previously played Returnal--Alinea estimates it at 79%--and about one-third of the game's sales thus far were during the early-access period.
Housemarque's Saros launched earlier this month to rave reviews, and it's a legitimate frontrunner for Game of the Year at this early point in 2026. However, it appears sales of the game have thus far been slower than its predecessor, Returnal, and the game may struggle to recoup its budget.
That's according to Rhys Elliott of Alinea Analytics, who estimates Saros sold approximately 300,000 copies in its first two weeks on sale. This figure is a little behind Returnal, a very similar game that was released much earlier in the PS5's lifecycle. Saros is the first game developed by Housemarque since the studio was acquired by Sony, having operated independently and primarily developed games for PlayStation systems in the years prior.
Thus far, a huge percentage of Saros players have previously played Returnal--Alinea estimates it at 79%--and about one-third of the game's sales thus far were during the early-access period.
"This slow start suggests it will struggle to break even, given the reported $76 million development budget," Elliott said in the report. "But at the same time, exclusives sell consoles, and then inertia from previous generations does the rest, and the real PlayStation money is made on third-party launches and legacy third-party live services. Plenty of core PlayStation players have picked up Saros, which is the underlying job an exclusive is meant to do."
The power of the exclusive comes at a very interesting time for the industry. Reports in recent months indicate Sony may be moving away from releasing its single-player PS5 games on PC as well--Returnal, for instance, came to PC about two years after its console launch, but it's possible Saros would stay a PS5 exclusive, which could provide potential players with a reason to buy a PS5.
Those who bought Saros are certainly sticking with it, and more than 20% have already finished it. In our Saros review, Richard Wakeling said, "By flipping Housemarque’s roguelite formula on its head, Saros builds and improves upon its spiritual predecessor in spectacular fashion, seducing you every step of the way with an enthralling marriage of mechanics and story that’s not to be missed."
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