Icarus: Console Edition

Breathe in those minerals.

When it comes to science fiction, we've seen the damage that corporations do when it comes to making a profit. Lives are expendable, and safety is secondary. And, with being so far away from any real laws to govern that responsibility, it generally becomes a game of survival. Icarus is such an experience.

With rare resources on the horizon, the planet Icarus was selected for terraforming; however, that process doesn't exactly stick as the air is still, nonetheless toxic to humans, requiring your suit to be supported with a mineral called Oxide. So yeah, apart from managing your hunger and hydration, you also need to keep that body breathing.

Icarus is a first-person survival game by RocketWerkz, most notably as it's the studio founded by Dean Hall, the creator of DayZ. While devoid of much of a narrative, you generally have the freedom to survive on your own terms, depending on whether you choose the more time-focused missions, which is good to learn the basics, or dive into the traditional open survival mode, where progress is key, and resources are crucial.

When Icarus originally launched on PC, it was session-based with time-sensitive missions where once your objective was reached, you would be extracted. While this was good to learn the game, it didn't feel like you were really making much progress beyond just leveling up. However, console players get everything right off the bat, including that open world expansion I just mentioned, allowing your time on Icarus to be permanent, even when you die. And you will, a lot.

Still, dying simply has you land back on the planet again, able to visit your grave and pick up where you left off. The environment, animal life, aliens, and terrible lightning storms will attempt to put you back in that grave, but you can fashion tools, shelter, and weapons to see it through another day.

Everything you accomplish in Icarus provides you with XP. This allows you to unlock new abilities, new crafting recipes, and makes it that much easier to survive. That said, Icarus has a steep learning curve for new players, especially those who lack knowledge of the genre. The time-based missions are great to start out with, but I have the feeling more players are going to thrive in the open world mode, given its permanence and the fact that it supports four players. (Unfortunately, downsized from the PC version supporting eight) And let me tell you, co-op really makes things easier.

Right off the bat, your missions are simple: build a shelter, build a bed, a campfire, some food, and the ability to convert oxide into oxygen. Eventually, you'll build a filter for water either by the river or through rain collectors on your shelter. There is a lot to build to make your life easier; you just need to explore, level up, and hoard as many resources as you can. Just make sure to watch your food, as it may go rotten if not eaten in time.

When it comes to crafting, you'll have to think about how you come across certain resources. Berries are one thing, but you'll still need to hunt. That requires a weapon, which often requires wood and stone. Skinning an animal nets you meat as well as leather or hide, which is then used to build armor, clothes, or even that bed of yours. It's a cycle survival players know all too well. And, in co-op, you can task each player with a certain resource to go gather. However, on your own, Icarus can be isolating and challenging, so make sure to know your priorities and soldier on.

Your priorities and ability to survive will also factor into where you plunk down roots. The base edition of Icarus includes the Frontier Expansion, which adds the Prometheus region, introducing new biomes such as volcanic, alien grasslands, and swamps. This expansion also includes new enemies and missions. The Ultimate Edition also includes the Styx Expansion, which is a whole new region, as well as a ton of other goodies such as all-new outposts, furniture recipes, and a new bio environment suit.

While fighting nature and the threats around you is one thing, the UI is also not terribly well-suited to console players. Moving items around and even seeing what is selected is harder than it should be. It's a shame we don't have some sort of cursor to move around to quickly drag and drop items. The UI here is functional, but it could be vastly better.

This largely becomes an issue when you need to repair or engage with your inventory in tense scenarios. It just doesn't feel well-suited to a controller, despite the improvements the game had seen during the review period. I do hope that the team continues to work on this, as it's a small annoyance that can affect your enjoyment in a big way. Right now, it feels like a PC experience on console instead of a build that feels like it is the true console edition.

The Xbox Series X version of Icarus has two modes, one that provides 4K 30fps, or 1512p at around 60fps, with minimal dips in framerate. The Series S has one mode that provides 1440p at a pretty locked 30fps. All in all, Icarus is a very good-looking game on console, providing a good variety of environments, creatures, and vegetation. 

During the review period, we discovered one interesting and frustrating bit about the console version is that, regardless if you play on your own, in a fully solo game, you must have an active online account through Xbox to even play solo, regardless of not using the co-op features. As this was the version tested, I'm unsure if this is the same for PlayStation as PSN states, an online account is required for online features. This is an utterly baffling choice that makes no sense.

Icarus is a solid survival game, especially with friends. The threat of running out of oxygen is a welcome addition to the genre, as many survival games don't take place on a planet that failed terraforming. The lack of some direction may throw off newcomers, as well as some poor UI choices, but genre die-hards will almost find this game cozy at times, given the freedom to go it alone or with three other friends. Icarus shows the genre still has a lot of life in it, provided you can survive the night.

Developer - RocketWerkz, GRIP Studios. Publisher - RocketWerkz, Yooreka Studio. Released - March 26th, 2026. Available On - Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC. Rated - (T) Blood, Violence. Platform Reviewed - Xbox Series X. Review Access - A review code for Icarus: Console Edition was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.