Guardians of the Galaxy release date, trailers, gameplay and more

Whether or not you’re a big fan of the Marvel Universe, you’re bound to recognize the Guardians of the Galaxy. This iconic group of intergalactic criminals is hell-bent on purging space from all sorts of threats.

Square Enix has just unveiled Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, an upcoming third-person shooter that will arrive right before this year’s Halloween. The announcement came during E3 2021, as part of the Square Enix showcase.

The good news is that since the game is due to launch this fall, we have a good idea what we should expect from teh game. We’ve gathered all there is to know about the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy game, including its release date, trailer analysis, gameplay and more.

Guardians of the Galaxy release date

During Square Enix’s E3 presentation, the publisher confirmed that Guardians of the Galaxy will launch on October 26, 2021 on PS5, and Xbox Series X and S. If you haven’t been able to nab a new-gen console, don’t worry, because the game will also be available on PS4, Xbox One and PC.

At launch, fans will be able to purchase either a digital or physical copy of the base game. However, pre-orders are already available. If you order now for $60, you’ll gain access to the Throwback Guardians Outfit Pack, which includes cosmetic outfits for each of the Guardians based on their classic comic book appearances.

The Digital Deluxe version of the game will be slightly more expensive at $80, and will feature some more goodies, including two outfits for Star-Lord, the Original Video Game Soundtrack, and a digital version of The Art of the Game Mini Artbook. The Physical Deluxe edition will also cost $80, and will include a Steelbook case as well as a physical copy of the mini artbook.

Guardians of the Galaxy trailer

The trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy managed to pack in quite a bit of action, considering it was less than three minutes long.

Let’s address the elephant in the room first: The Guardians don’t look like their MCU movie counterparts. Much like Marvel’s Avengers, also from Square Enix, this iteration of the Guardians of the Galaxy will be loosely based on the comic books, but feature an original story. In other words: there’s no Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, or Vin Diesel.

According to the trailer, the band of misfits appears to be in some sort of financial trouble. As usual, we expect that at least a part of the storyline will include the team will embark on a get-rich-quick scheme, only to bite off a bit more than they can chew.

Set to Bonnie Tyler’s ’80s hit “I Need a Hero,” the trailer also gave us a sneak peek at some of the gameplay: specifically, the combat. At around the one-minute mark, we can see the Guardians of the Galaxy charge into a team fight against some alien creatures, with Star-Lord using his iconic blasters.

Similar to the MCU movie of the same name, these Guardians of the Galaxy appear to be catty with each other, as we can see when Drax chucks an unwilling Rocket over a chasm. It’s safe to assume that the full game will tackle the team’s tension on more than one occasion.

Guardians of the Galaxy gameplay

The new Guardians of the Galaxy game is being developed by Eidos Montréal, the Canadian video game studio behind several successful games such as 2011’s Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and 2018’s Shadow of the Tomb Raider. In other words: We’re excited.

Instead of switching between various team members, players will assume the role of Peter “Star-Lord” Quill, the leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Throughout the game, you’ll lead the rest of the Guardians, issuing commands to Gamora, Drax, Rocket and Groot in order to take down enemies and complete missions. Hopefully, this means you’ll be in charge of the music playlist too.

As Star-Lord, the decisions you make throughout the game will also have an effect on the story and team relationships. You’ll have to tread lightly, because according to Square Enix, the “consequences of your decisions will range from light-hearted to downright unexpected.” Yikes. 

Considering the mixed reception that Marvel’s Avengers got upon its release, we also hope that the new Guardians of the Galaxy gameplay will be less repetitive and more story-driven. In our review of Marvel’s Avengers, our gaming editor Marshall Honorof praised the game’s storyline, though “the lackluster gameplay” made it an “absolute pain so see through to the end”.