Housemarque has launched a new two-and-a-half hour trial for its acclaimed PS5 roguelike shooter Saros, the follow-up to 2021's Returnal, announced via the studio's official X account on Monday. The catch is that although the trial is free, it is only available to subscribers of PlayStation Plus Premium, the most expensive of Sony's three subscription tiers at £15/$16 per month, which limits how many prospective buyers can actually sample the game.

The move comes amid reports that Saros has been selling slowly, with some analysts questioning whether it will break even, and its launch momentum reportedly trailing that of Returnal despite the larger PS5 install base of 2026. Its £70/$70 price tag, pricier consoles and cautious consumer spending have all been cited as factors, making the decision to restrict the trial to Premium subscribers somewhat surprising. Housemarque says it is not overly worried, noting that Returnal was itself a late bloomer, while Eurogamer's Rick Lane praised the game as "a tremendous action experience" whose narrative "gets lost in the fireworks".