Independent developer Ryan Laley Games has announced that Mimic will launch in Steam Early Access on October 27, 2026. The online multiplayer horror title combines social deduction, survival mechanics, and asymmetrical gameplay as players attempt to escape a failing spacecraft while discovering which member of the crew is secretly an alien creature in disguise.
Set aboard the crumbling spacecraft Icarus, players must work together to repair critical systems, complete objectives, and find a way to escape before oxygen runs out. However, not everyone aboard shares the same goals. One player assumes the role of the Mimic, an alien capable of disguising itself as a human survivor, while another secretly plays as a corporate agent pursuing objectives that may conflict with the crew’s survival. Adding to the tension is an AI-controlled android that patrols the ship, hunting any organic life it encounters.
Unlike traditional asymmetrical multiplayer horror games that feature one obvious monster hunting survivors, Mimic revolves around hidden identities and shifting alliances. Players are unarmed, forcing them to rely on communication, deduction, and teamwork to stay alive. Every decision carries weight as suspicion grows, alliances fracture, and the Mimic waits for the perfect opportunity to strike.
One of the game’s standout mechanics allows players to vote at any time to direct the AI android toward a specific crewmember. Whether the target is genuinely suspicious or simply the victim of paranoia, the android becomes another dangerous tool that players can manipulate throughout each match.
Mimic supports five-player online matchmaking while private lobbies can accommodate up to ten players with extensive customization options. Players can adjust objectives, environmental hazards, enemy behavior, and gameplay rules to create unique experiences that encourage replayability. The game also features proximity voice chat, allowing conversations, accusations, and deception to unfold naturally as players navigate the ship.
The game also includes Twitch integration that lets viewers influence gameplay by controlling aspects of the android’s behavior, creating interactive experiences for streamers and their audiences. Players eliminated during a match don’t have to sit on the sidelines either, as they return as invisible ghost-like Omens capable of sabotaging the environment and affecting the remaining survivors.
Ryan Laley Games plans to continue expanding Mimic throughout its Early Access period with additional maps, player roles, progression systems, gameplay mechanics, narrative content, and improvements driven by community feedback.
Mimic launches in Steam Early Access and on the Epic Games Store on October 27, 2026. Console versions for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S are planned for release in 2027.