{"rewrite":{"id":"r_358f47a2cd3fb69eec9da68c","clusterId":"c_c8fef7e0ef928e8d6b7c7151","slug":"cats-in-the-shell-auto-battler-sets-steam-early-access-for-q4-2026","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Cats In The Shell Auto-Battler Sets Steam Early Access For Q4 2026","summary":"At gamescom 2026, Raven Studio and publisher Infini Fun showed 'Cats In The Shell', a roguelite auto-battler in which bipedal cats pilot giant mechs assembled from interchangeable parts. Combat is automatic; the player's job is to buy and equip five mech components (suit, arms, back, shoulders, drone) between battles. Each cat has a unique ability, and about ten cats are planned. The demo only offered PvP, but the full version will include four modes: PvP, story, Expedition (a PvE mode), and a simulation lab for testing builds. Early access on Steam is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2026, and an open demo will be distributed on Steam in October, timed with Steam Next Fest. The demo will include PvP, part of story mode, and Expedition. Infini Fun publishing manager Zicong Hu explained that the title references 'Ghost in the Shell', which the development team likes. The setting involves a post-apocalyptic world where humanity is extinct and two cats inherit human wisdom via a 'mother box'. The game is made with Unreal Engine 5 and supports Japanese display.","whyItMatters":"The open demo in October, before early access, is the first chance for players to judge the game's four-mode structure and its unusual premise of cat pilots in a Ghost in the Shell-inspired world.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDevelopment is by China\u0026#39;s Raven Studio, with Infini Fun publishing. The build shown at gamescom ran on Unreal Engine 5, which Hu said demands a certain PC performance level; the demo laptop dropped frames due to heat.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHu compared the loop to \u0026#34;The Bazaar\u0026#34; and \u0026#34;Backpack Battles\u0026#34;, with the difference being that purchased gear is giant mech body parts and combat plays out as a brawl between two units.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEach day is one progression cycle with two battles: the first is against a randomly generated AI build to test whether your setup works, the second against a real player\u0026#39;s build. PvP ends at 10 wins or 5 losses.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEquipment grades run C, B, and A, with higher grades adding sockets for modules (an A-rank drone has three sockets, a C-rank one has one). Two same-grade, same-attribute pieces synthesize into one rank higher.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSix attribute types exist beyond burn, including cold (each stack raises the enemy\u0026#39;s equipment cooldown by 1%) and fortify (a shield accumulates by 1 per second).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRoguelike branches appear mid-combat: three-choice events offering gold, one random higher-grade module, or a pick from three modules, plus \u0026#34;tech\u0026#34; enhancements in three choices. Hu judged percentage-based enhancements always stronger than absolute values.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe protagonist of story mode is the cat at the top of the selection screen; its ability raises the base value of all equipment by 50 at the start of each day.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eExpedition mode is PvE, a receptacle for solo players. Hu said they plan ways to play not found in PvP, but the content is still under consideration.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe simulation lab lets you freely assemble equipment and modules, set up a hypothetical opponent yourself, and test whether the build works. A tutorial chapter or tutorial battles are planned for the full version.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStory mode depicts two surviving cats as an Adam and Eve for cats, set a little over 1000 years after humanity\u0026#39;s extinction by dirty bombs, with the mother box of human wisdom tilting the world toward unrest again.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA playtest has been underway on Steam since August 26.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Cats In The Shell's Steam early access is set for Q4 2026, but the October demo, timed with Steam Next Fest, will already include PvP, part of story mode, and Expedition, giving players a substantial preview before launch.","twitterPost":"Cats In The Shell's October Steam Next Fest demo will include PvP, part of story mode, and Expedition, a substantial preview ahead of Q4 2026 early access.","threadsPost":"Cats In The Shell's Steam early access lands in Q4 2026, but the October demo, timed with Steam Next Fest, will already cover PvP, part of story mode, and Expedition. That's a sizeable chunk of the full four-mode package months before launch.","newsletterBlurb":"Cats In The Shell, a roguelite auto-battler with cat pilots and interchangeable mech parts, was shown at gamescom. Early access on Steam is set for Q4 2026, with an open demo in October.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"4Gamer.net\",\"url\":\"https://www.4gamer.net/games/037/G103709/20260828026/\",\"title\":\"Cats Become Giant Mech Pilots. Auto-Battler 'Cats In The Shell' Where You Swap Body Parts to Fight [gamescom]\"},{\"source\":\"Game Spark\",\"url\":\"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/08/28/171453.html\",\"title\":\"Build dedicated mechs with parts and modules. Build-type roguelike auto-battler 'Cats in the Shell' where cats pilot, releasing on Steam in Q4 2026\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":12867,"outputTokens":1536,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1787922591,"createdAt":"2026-08-28T13:02:38.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-08-28T13:06:44.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-28T13:02:38.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_c8fef7e0ef928e8d6b7c7151","canonicalTitle":"猫が巨大メカのパイロットに。部位を組み替えて戦うオートバトラー「Cats In The Shell」［gamescom］","representativeArticleId":"a_afb2643aa3f58a56c4d65723","sourceCount":2,"writtenSourceCount":2,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Cats In The Shell\"],\"studios\":[\"Raven Studio\"],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"announcement\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-08-28T07:47:13.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-08-28T12:51:02.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-28T13:06:46.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"4Gamer.net","url":"https://www.4gamer.net/games/037/G103709/20260828026/","title":"猫が巨大メカのパイロットに。部位を組み替えて戦うオートバトラー「Cats In The Shell」［gamescom］"},{"source":"Game Spark","url":"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/08/28/171453.html","title":"パーツやモジュールで専用メカ構築。ネコが搭乗するビルド構築型ローグライク・オートバトラー『Cats in the Shell』Steamにて2026年第4四半期リリース"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Cats In The Shell"],"studios":["Raven Studio"],"people":[],"type":"announcement","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Cats In The Shell is a roguelite auto-battler developed by Raven Studio and published by Infini Fun.","Early access on Steam is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2026.","An open demo will be distributed on Steam in October 2026, timed with Steam Next Fest, including PvP, part of story mode, and Expedition mode.","The full version will include four modes: PvP, story, Expedition (PvE), and a simulation lab for testing builds.","The game is made with Unreal Engine 5 and supports Japanese display."]}