There’s never been a better time to delve into Deep Rock Galactic

In the years since the rampant success of Left 4 dead in 2008 we saw a lot of solid co-op horde shooters. Few of these games have built as loyal a community as Deep Galactic Rocka dwarven variant of the well-known four-player formula that was released ten years later L4D. Not only Deep Galactic Rock still in a strong place, with season 5 debuting in June, but the franchise has also grown into successful spin-off titles. Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor is an auto-shooter along the lines of Vampire survivorsand Ghost Ship Games has announced a roguelike called Deep Rock Survivor: Rogue Core. It’s a great time – maybe even the best time — to delve into all things Deep Rock Galactic.

The original game is about a space company called Deep Rock Galactic with lax safety regulations and a voracious appetite for profit. The company sends teams of dwarves to alien planets, and those teams must unearth valuable resources while being attacked by endless hordes of insects and beasts. There are four classes: Scout, Engineer, Driller and Gunner. Each class has its own skills. For example, the Engineer can create new platforms, the Scout can use a grappling hook to reach high locations, the Driller rips through terrain and creates new tunnels, and the Gunner is especially adept at killing insects.

Season 5 comes with a few new fun additions, which I tested during a play session with Ghost Ship Games. The new mission type is called Deep Scan and sends dwarves in search of Morkite Geodes deep in the mines of Hoxxes. Once the team has triangulated a position, they can call in a massive Drillevator, a portmanteau that beautifully explains the tool’s function. It’s fun to apply horde shooter mechanics to vertical spaces, and it’s thrilling to plummet through the planet’s core, occasionally stopping and allowing waves of angry insects to overtake you . Once the dwarves reach their destination and collect valuable Morkite seeds, the company is generous enough to grant them Jet Boots, which allow them to blast into the sky with minimal risk of injury or death.

There will be a new seasonal event involving Core Stores, which are gigantic, dark, crystalline structures that glow with a menacing purple energy – but are extremely valuable to our senior executives at the company. The new season also adds Overclocks, a modifier that dramatically improves certain functions of a dwarf’s basic weapons.

For those who haven’t seen the past seasons Deep Galactic RockIn Season 5, Ghost Ship Games adds the ability to select any season and play it at your leisure. This includes the rewards and cosmetics from the old season, as well as any circumstances or complications from that season’s story. It is similar to World of Warcraft: Classicin that players can sample previous offerings without any FOMO.

Players can expect more from the larger world of Deep Rock Galactic in 2025 when Ghost Ship Games launches Villain core in early access. After Villain coreGhost Ship Games plans to release season 6 Deep Galactic Rock. Of course, there’s already a wealth of content to dive into, especially if you’ve never taught before Deep Galactic Rock a shot. Spin-off of an automatic shooter Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor also has sold more than a million copies, suggesting the franchise has legs. This new season is your best chance to jump aboard the base game and delve into everything the horde shooter has to offer.