Does GRAVHOUNDS Have a Story Mode?

The Story Setup

The developer's Xbox Wire post says you are stranded with your crew on the far side of the galaxy. Getting home means salvaging alien worlds, building questionable infrastructure and surviving creatures much higher on the food chain. Your shipboard AI supervisor, COSMO, still has jobs that need doing.

The official trailer opens with "Welcome to the other side of the galaxy" and "Welcome to your first shift". COSMO reminds you that every resource gets the crew one step closer to home. That is the thread running through every mission.

Story Mode at a Glance

A quick summary of how story and modes work in GRAVHOUNDS.

• Separate story mode menu: no.
• Campaign: job-based, across star systems.
• Goal: get the stranded crew home.
• Guide: COSMO, the ship's AI.
• Solo: yes, offline after the tutorial.
• Co-op: 1–4 players online.

How the Campaign Is Structured

Each shift starts aboard the mining ship, where you pick a job and launch. Planetside, you build an operation, complete the objective and try to leave with everyone alive. Back on the ship, you upgrade your gear and choose your next destination.

Jobs include recovering alien technology, extracting resources and establishing infrastructure. In the tutorial, the first goal is recovering titanium to repair the ship. When the engines come back, COSMO calls it the crew's first real step toward home.

Is There a Story Mode Menu?

No. A demo capture shows the main menu as Multiplayer, Tutorial, Options and Quit. Single-player unlocks once you complete the tutorial, according to the developer's dev log.

Both solo and multiplayer follow the same campaign of jobs and star systems. The demo covers 2 solar systems and 7 planets. The size of the full campaign for Early Access has not been announced.

Playing the Campaign Solo or Offline

The developer FAQ says GRAVHOUNDS is fully playable solo, with a more methodical pace. Single-player can be played offline, while multiplayer requires being online. Saves work across both modes on the same device.

Previewers found some jobs slow alone, particularly heavy resource-gathering objectives. The Steam page sums it up as intense alone and chaotic with a crew. Our local co-op guide explains how multiplayer works.

How Much Story Is There?

Opinions differ. One preview channel described an actual story throughline about perfect workers sent by a corporation to hostile planets. Another playtest review asked for more connective tissue explaining why you mine each planet.

The developer has also cut back some narration. Dev Log #1 says COSMO now delivers non-essential information less often while adding variety to some events. Expect the story to stay in the background of the action.

The Mining Ship Hub

Between jobs, the crew gathers aboard the mining ship. It holds the holo table for choosing planets and the research lab for upgrades. The developer's overview shows every shift starting and ending here.

The Star Map shows how many blueprints each planet holds and whether you have collected them, according to Dev Log #1. That helps you plan which planets to revisit. The ship is where the campaign's progress becomes visible.

Star Systems and Planets

The demo includes 2 solar systems with 7 planets. The second system unlocks after the first jobs and raises the challenge rating. Planets differ in biome, lighting and weather, according to previewers.

Dev Log #1 also added shrines, teleporters, side activities and rewards for completing activities. Several maps got layout, lighting and navigation improvements. The full Early Access campaign may add more systems.

COSMO, Your AI Supervisor

COSMO is the voice guiding every mission. She authorises reward pods, announces resource growths and warns about incoming waves. Her tone is dry, from "Try not to die" in the trailer to jokes about the cone of shame.

Some playtesters found the narration excessive. The developer responded by reducing how often COSMO delivers non-essential information, while adding variety to some of her events. She still frames the story of getting home.

Does Progress Carry Over?

Playtest and demo progress do not carry into Early Access, which launches on November 2, 2026. The developer FAQ says Early Access progression is intended to carry into the 1.0 release. That makes Early Access the place to start a campaign you will keep.

Early Access is expected to last roughly six months, potentially longer. New star systems and story content may arrive during that period. Check our release date guide for the latest timeline.

Official Trailer

▶ Official media

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