Hundreds of thousands of shooter fans are waiting for Beautiful Light, but what kind of game is it and how is the development going?
What kind of game is it? Beautiful Light is an asymmetrical extraction shooter in first-person perspective, mixing realistic graphics with horror elements. The maps are based on destroyed and overgrown buildings, forests, and research labs, where hideous monsters lurk.
The game is being developed by the indie studio “Deep Worlds,” whose CEO Eric “Aherys” Rajot was an eSports player in Ubisoft’s tactical shooter Rainbow Six: Siege. The release of Beautiful Light is currently planned for December 2026, but it may still be delayed.
As of January 2026, Beautiful Light approached 700,000 wish-list entries on Steam according to the developers. According to the analysis platform Gamalytic, it is now over 797,000, with a daily increasing trend.
Here you can see a trailer:
Beautiful Light — Hunt: Showdown meets Dead by Daylight
What makes the game unique? A major inspiration for Beautiful Light was Hunt: Showdown. Therefore, the shooter from Deep Worlds is target-based. This means your squad of heavily armed soldiers is sent to secure so-called artifacts. In doing so, you must fight against both other players and monsters.
The main feature of Beautiful Light is the asymmetrical gameplay, similar to games like Dead by Daylight and Evolve. In Beautiful Light, this is implemented through the so-called anomalies. These are mysterious monsters like Wendigos that try to prevent humans from extracting the artifact.
These anomalies can also be controlled by players in limited numbers and have separate progression. If you play as an anomaly, you’re not after loot. Your goal is to kill and devour soldiers to earn XP. This way, you can level up your anomaly and unlock new abilities and new playable anomalies in the skill tree.
What is the developers’ stance on PvE? The game is fundamentally built around PvP and will not have a mode dedicated exclusively to PvE. BUT: In an FAQ, the developers stated that it should be possible to host your own servers in the future – including a customizable access code. So, technically, it will be possible for you to play alone with your friends on your server without other hostile players (Source: DeepWorlds).
An important year including restructuring a map
Current status of Beautiful Light: The developers are still busy working and regularly release new information about the development status. A detailed overview of the development timeline can be found on the Deep Worlds website.
In 2025, the extraction shooter took some important steps. For example, persistent systems like the storage and inventory are said to have been implemented, and the matchmaking system – which completely avoids SBMM – has been created. Additionally, a new audio system and a system for AI opponents have been added.
For the map Ground Zero, it was also found that it played too repetitively with the originally planned game mode for this map. The team has therefore introduced new variables to enrich the player experience.
What you need to know about the release: The early access release of Beautiful Light is planned for December 2026 and is expected to cost €39.99. The game will initially be released only for PC. If the game is successful on PC, the developers are also considering a release for PS5 and Xbox Series.
Currently, there is no specific date for the early access launch or the full release of the game. However, the developers hope that the early access phase will last less than three years.
If you’re not interested in extraction shooters and instead want to play a multiplayer shooter that is heavily inspired by the “King of the Hill” mode from ARMA, we have another suggestion for you on MeinMMO: A new shooter attracts Battlefield fans, but penalizes players who rush headlong into battle
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