Clockwork Revolution: Everything we know so far

Clockwork Revolution screenshot showing the player character in conversation with a mechanical NPC

(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

Clockwork Revolution is a new first-person RPG that will draw us into a steampunk setting from studio inXile.

Set to be one of the major Xbox exclusives coming our way sometime this year, unfortunately, we didn't get a fresh new look at the game during the Xbox Developer Direct showcase that went live on January 22. However, there is till plenty of details from trailers and interviews to unpack while we wait for more footage and insights. Basically, if you've been hankering for an immersive steampunk title, this is the new game to keep on your radar, folks.

Promising to be one of the most exciting upcoming Xbox Series X games, Clockwork Revolution will see us step into the tightly ruled metropolis of Avalon, where we'll see how our choices and interactions have rippling butterfly effect-like consequences on the past and present. In fact, a Fallout and Wasteland veteran dev who's attached to the project has even said it's the "most complex game I've ever worked on", which certainly has us all the more intrigued. For more, read on below as we breakdown everything you need to know about Clockwork Revolution.

Clockwork Revolution release window

Clockwork Revolution screenshot showing the vibrant steam-powered metropolis of Avalon — (Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

Clockwork Revolution's release window has been set for 2026, as per the new trailer shown at Xbox Games Showcase 2025. There's not much else in terms of a firm release date.

Clockwork Revolution platforms

Clockwork Revolution screenshot showing off an NPC with outlandish clothes and a glorious beard — (Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

Clockwork Revolution is expected to release on PC and Xbox Series X. With inXile being part of the Xbox Game Studios list, those platforms are a given, so too is a day-one release into the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate service.

What's unclear is whether a Clockwork Revolution PS5 release is likely; Microsoft has been publishing more of its games on rival platforms, but you should expect Clockwork Revolution to have at least a small window of Xbox exclusivity. We're also waiting to learn if Clockwork Revolution will be added to our list of upcoming Switch 2 games soon, now that Nintendo's new console is here. Stay tuned for updates!

Clockwork Revolution trailer

The brand new Clockwork Revolution trailer shown at Xbox Games Showcase 2025 gives us our most extensive look at the game yet. inXile seems to be leaning into those Victorian steampunk vibes with gusto, the first-person action and animated cutscenes dripping with BioShock energy aplenty. I'm talking about clunk revolvers, powerful handlebar moustaches courtesy of the character creator, robots, intricately updated long-barrel rifles... you name it.

The Clockwork Revolution announcement trailer, as seen during the Xbox Games 2023 Showcase, did a great job of setting the scene. In it, we get a look at the Victorian steampunk aesthetic of the world of Avalon, including flying steam trains and large blimps floating in the sky. There are robots aplenty in this futuristic take on the Victorian Industrial Revolution, and we also meet the game's protagonist for the first time as well.

As she defaces a poster of the mysterious Lady Ironwood, it's made clear that this is one ruler who rules her city with an appropriately tight iron grip. Lady Ironwood's voice underscores the trailer, sounding like a perfectly poised bad guy already, and judging from the impressive array of old-fashioned yet high-tech-looking weapons wielded by the playable character during the gameplay sequences shown, we're going to have a lot of fun taking her down.

Clockwork Revolution gameplay

Clockwork Revolution screenshot depicting how detailed the weapons will be in this steampunk action-rpg — (Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

The Clockwork Revolution BioShock vibes are uncanny, aren't they? The latest title from Wasteland developer inXile is an FPS action game with a distinctly sci-fi take on a historical setting. According to Xbox Wire, it also features "dynamic time-bending combat, deep interconnected roleplaying systems, and the ability to create your own unique character from the ground up."

The city of Avalon itself is looking particularly interesting, a "vibrant Victorian-era metropolis" where "wealthy industrialists replace their limbs with ornate clockwork prosthetics, and mechanical servants fulfill their masters’ every whim." These technological advancements hold nefarious origins, however, as Lady Ironwood's use of time travel allows her to change moments in Avalon's history to keep the social strata working for her and her fellow upper-class citizens.

The time travel device, known as the Chronometer, is something we will be using ourselves as we explore the world of Clockwork Revolution. With it, we can "travel back in time, choose how to influence the past, and then return to the present to experience the effects of your decisions." On top of this, the gameplay sequences shown in the trailer depict first-person gunplay using a variety of muskets and other, more technically advanced pieces of equipment that function much the same.

Clockwork Revolution developer

Clockwork Revolution screenshot which shows a blood-smeared poster, teasing how deeply your actions can have influence — (Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

inXile is the developer team behind Clockwork Revolution, with this being its first title published by Xbox Games Studio.

The magical-industrial setting of Avalon is nothing new to some members of inXile, however, with game director Chad Moore and principal designer Jason Anderson at the helm. The studio's work on 2001's Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magic Obscura is bound to be helpful in this new steampunk RPG, and 23 years since Arcanum's launch, it'll be interesting to see those influences bleed through. Naturally, you probably know inXile best from its work on the Wasteland series, the precursor to the Fallout franchise.

While you wait for Clockwork Revolution, you should go back and play Wasteland 3 – it's one of the best games on Xbox Game Pass right now.