In an industry filled with shooters and sequels, Clockwork Revolution dares to imagine something bold—a first-person role-playing game where history is a weapon, choices reshape entire cities, and steam-driven gears power both politics and warfare. Developed by inXile Entertainment and published by Xbox Game Studios, Clockwork Revolution is shaping up to be a steampunk epic with the soul of a classic RPG and the heart of a cinematic time-travel thriller.
The game is set in Avalon, a sprawling metropolis of towering smokestacks, zeppelins floating in the sky, and cobblestone alleys humming with mechanical life. Its style is unmistakably steampunk—brass fittings, gear-driven architecture, gas lamps illuminating alleyways, and upper-class elites wearing clockwork-enhanced limbs and monocles.
Yet beneath the city’s glittering steam-era splendor lies something darker: a class system built on manipulation, surveillance, and the rewriting of history. The powerful few use a mysterious device called the Chronometer to alter key moments in time, shaping Avalon into a reflection of their own twisted desires.
Enter you, the protagonist—Morgan Vanette, a once-forgotten child of the slums now wielding the very same power to push back against the lies. Your goal? Return to crucial points in Avalon’s timeline and make different choices—ones that empower the downtrodden, unravel conspiracies, and restore freedom to the city.
Clockwork Revolution isn’t just about shooting and looting—it’s about rewriting reality. Every action in the past can ripple across timelines. Help a rebel inventor avoid an early death? His tech may reshape the city’s infrastructure. Betray a factory owner? The labor class may rise up, altering the city’s economy.
The game promises a “deeply reactive world,” and if inXile’s pedigree with Wasteland and Torment means anything, this isn’t marketing fluff—it’s a true design goal. Conversations, missions, and even side-quests are designed to branch and loop based on your timeline interventions.
You don’t just play in a steampunk world—you rebuild it, piece by piece, decision by decision.
Combat in Clockwork Revolution is rooted in first-person shooting but enhanced with creative time powers. Think Dishonored meets BioShock Infinite:
Chrono Abilities let you slow time, rewind objects, or undo environmental destruction.
Weapons feel handcrafted and raw—clockwork rifles, pneumatic launchers, modular pistols—each with deep customization.
Crafting Benches allow you to tinker with parts: upgrade barrels, change ammo types, or even install elemental mods.
The action can shift from brutal gunfights in steam factories to quiet exploration of past memories. There’s a push-pull between chaos and control, making the player not only a fighter but a time-weaving tactician.
In true RPG form, Clockwork Revolution features complex characters, fully voiced dialogue trees, and morality systems. The lead antagonist, Lady Ironwood, is more than a villain—she’s a monarch of time, carefully curating Avalon’s timeline to keep herself at the top.
But she’s not alone. Every NPC you meet might have a different version of themselves in alternate timelines. That beggar you ignore in the present could become a revolution leader in a timeline you tweak. That loyal ally might betray you—if their past is rewritten the wrong way.
You’re not only reshaping Avalon—you’re reshaping everyone in it.
Visually, Clockwork Revolution is stunning. Built with Unreal Engine 5, the game leverages next-gen lighting, particle effects, and architectural design to build a world that feels mechanical and magical at once.
Everything looks hand-built:
Train stations rumble with machinery and coal dust.
Mansions click and hiss with automatons serving tea.
Slums churn with steam leaks, grime, and desperate rebels.
From an artistic standpoint, it draws inspiration from Victorian England, BioShock Infinite, and classic Jules Verne fiction—but makes it uniquely its own.
While official specs are pending, PC gamers should expect this much:
Minimum Specs | Recommended Specs |
---|---|
Intel i3‑8100 | Intel i5‑10500 / Ryzen 5 3600 |
12 GB RAM | 16 GB RAM |
GTX 1650 / RX 570 | RTX 2070 / RX 6700 XT |
100 GB HDD | SSD strongly recommended |
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC
Release Window: 2026
Day-One Game Pass: Yes
While the 2026 release date feels distant, inXile’s early showcases at the Xbox Game Showcase 2025 offer hope that this ambitious project is well into production.
Clockwork Revolution might be the most exciting RPG in years—not just for its dazzling steampunk coat of paint, but for what it says about time, choice, and power. In a gaming era full of live-service clones, it stands out as a handcrafted epic where narrative meets mechanics, and every decision has gears turning behind it.
If you love stories that reflect your choices, worlds that beg to be explored, and combat that rewards clever thinking—this might just be your game of the decade.