Routine is real. After 13 years of delays, financial struggles, development restarts, and radio silence that had fans questioning whether the game even existed anymore, Lunar Software finally dropped a release date trailer on October 27, 2025. The sci-fi horror game launches December 4 for PC and Xbox platforms as a day one Game Pass title. For context, when Routine was first announced at Gamescom 2012, Barack Obama was president, the PlayStation 4 hadn’t launched yet, and Amnesia: The Dark Descent had just popularized helpless protagonist horror. Now it’s finally happening.
What Took So Long
Routine’s development cycle is the stuff of legend. Lunar Software announced the game at Gamescom 2012 with a planned 2013 release window. That obviously didn’t happen. Years passed with sporadic updates becoming less and less frequent until the studio went completely dark. Many assumed the project was dead, another victim of ambitious indie developers biting off more than they could chew.
The game resurfaced at Summer Game Fest 2022 after years of silence. Lunar Software published a blog post explaining what happened during the lost years. After working on Routine for five years, approaching what they believed was the end of development, the team realized they weren’t happy with the direction. More and more things negatively impacted the experience, and they couldn’t bring themselves to release the game as it was. So they made the agonizing decision to restart development.
Financial Struggles
Money problems compounded the creative challenges. Lunar Software hit financial hardship so severe that developers could only work on Routine part-time while taking other jobs to keep the studio afloat. This isn’t uncommon for indie developers, but it explains why a game that should have launched in 2013 is only now arriving in late 2025. The team was essentially working nights and weekends on their passion project while trying to survive.
The lifeline came in 2022 when publisher Raw Fury signed on to fund and publish Routine. That partnership brought stability, allowing Lunar Software to focus full-time on finishing the game. Raw Fury also announced that Mick Gordon, the legendary composer behind Doom and Wolfenstein soundtracks, would create Routine’s music. That announcement alone generated massive buzz and signaled the project was legit again.
An 80s Vision of the Future
Routine is set on an abandoned lunar base designed around an 80s cultural vision of the future. Think chunky analog technology, CRT monitors, flickering terminal screens, and retro-futuristic aesthetics that feel like someone from 1985 imagined what moon bases would look like. The game leans heavily into that specific vibe where everything has physical switches, buttons, and dials rather than sleek touchscreens.
Players arrive at the base to repair a fault in the automated security network, only to discover the once-thriving tourist attraction is now completely empty and uncomfortably still. As you search for answers about why the station went quiet, you realize something else got there before you. And it sees you as the threat.
Exploration and Survival
The lunar base features contrasting sectors from abandoned malls to deteriorating living quarters. Exploration is key, as players must overcome physical and mental obstacles while accessing critical terminals to uncover what happened. But discoveries only lead to deeper unknowns, pulling you further into mystery while hostile machines hunt you through the corridors.
Routine emphasizes atmosphere through full body awareness where you can see your character’s limbs and torso, diegetic audio where all sounds exist within the game world rather than as abstract effects, and a minimal UI that keeps you immersed. These design choices create the sense of really being trapped on this abandoned moon base rather than just controlling a video game character.
The Cosmonaut Assistance Tool
Your primary equipment is the Cosmonaut Assistance Tool, or C.A.T., a multipurpose device that serves as weapon, hacking tool, and lifeline. The C.A.T. lets you access critical terminals, navigate environments, identify clues, and save progress. When used as a weapon, it can temporarily stun enemies, but combat is explicitly positioned as a last resort.
The C.A.T. runs on batteries scattered throughout the base. Finding batteries becomes a constant concern since a dead C.A.T. means losing access to terminals, your flashlight, and your only means of defense. Floppy disks found during exploration can alter the C.A.T.’s specs, improving things like screen refresh rate and flashlight brightness. This upgrade system adds progression without breaking the survival horror tension.
Permadeath and No Health Packs
Here’s where Routine gets brutal. The game features permadeath, meaning one death sends you back to the beginning. There are no first aid kits, health bars, or healing items. Instead, a visual wound system lets you monitor your protagonist’s health by looking at your body. See blood and injuries? You’re in bad shape. This design forces players to prioritize stealth and avoidance over direct combat.
The absence of traditional health mechanics combined with permadeath creates constant tension. Every encounter with hostile robots becomes life-or-death. Every corner you turn could end your run. This approach was more common in 2012-2013 when games like Amnesia popularized helpless horror protagonists, but it’s less prevalent in 2025. Whether modern audiences will embrace or reject this unforgiving design remains to be seen.
Procedural Generation
Threats and environments within Routine are partially procedurally generated, meaning enemy placements and certain environmental elements change between playthroughs. This randomization prevents players from memorizing enemy locations and following fixed optimal paths. Combined with permadeath, it ensures each attempt feels genuinely dangerous rather than just repeating memorized patterns until you succeed.
The game also features multiple endings, with at least one confirmed alternate conclusion. Given the mystery-focused narrative about uncovering what happened to the lunar base, different endings likely depend on which information players discover and how thoroughly they explore before reaching the finale.
Mick Gordon’s Soundtrack
Getting Mick Gordon to compose Routine’s music was a massive coup for Lunar Software. Gordon’s work on Doom 2016, Doom Eternal, and Wolfenstein is legendary in game music circles. His industrial, aggressive soundscapes defined those games’ identities and became synonymous with their brands. Having that talent applied to sci-fi horror rather than demon-slaying creates fascinating possibilities.
Gordon excels at creating oppressive atmosphere through sound design that blurs the line between music and environmental audio. His Doom soundtrack used distorted chainsaw samples and industrial noise to complement demonic imagery. Applied to an abandoned lunar base with flickering CRT monitors and killer robots, his approach should create soundscapes that are simultaneously retro and terrifying.
Day One Game Pass
Routine launches December 4, 2025, on Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One, PC via Steam and Microsoft Store, and Xbox Cloud Gaming. The game will be available day one on Xbox Game Pass, meaning millions of subscribers can play immediately without additional cost. This Game Pass inclusion significantly expands Routine’s potential audience beyond just horror game enthusiasts willing to gamble on a game with a troubled development history.
The game is Xbox handheld verified and supports Xbox Play Anywhere, letting players buy once and play on both Xbox console and Windows PC with shared progress. This cross-platform functionality matters for a horror game you might want to experience on PC with headphones for maximum immersion, then continue on console from your couch later.
Can It Deliver After 13 Years
The central question surrounding Routine is whether a game designed around 2012-era horror trends will resonate with 2025 audiences. The helpless protagonist formula popularized by Amnesia has been done to death. Permadeath and no healing items feel outdated to players accustomed to more forgiving experiences. The 80s retro-futuristic aesthetic, while cool, has been explored extensively by games like Alien Isolation and Observation.
What Routine has going for it is atmosphere, world-building, and Mick Gordon’s soundtrack. The lunar base setting distinguishes it from typical horror locations like abandoned asylums or haunted houses. The focus on analog technology and CRT aesthetics creates visual identity. And if Gordon’s music matches his previous work, the audio alone could justify the experience.
The bigger concern is whether 13 years of development, restarts, and financial struggles resulted in a game that feels cohesive or one held together with duct tape and prayers. Games trapped in development hell often emerge compromised, their original visions diluted by years of changes, cuts, and pivots forced by circumstances. Only playing the final release will reveal whether Lunar Software achieved their vision or just managed to ship something after all this time.
FAQs
When does Routine release?
Routine launches on December 4, 2025, for Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam and Microsoft Store. The game will be available day one on Xbox Game Pass.
Why did Routine take 13 years to release?
Lunar Software restarted development after five years when they weren’t satisfied with the game’s direction. Financial hardship forced developers to work part-time while taking other jobs. Publisher Raw Fury signed on in 2022, providing funding to complete the game.
Does Routine have permadeath?
Yes, Routine features permadeath. One death sends you back to the beginning. There are no health bars or first aid kits, only a visual wound system where you see injuries on your body.
Who composed the soundtrack?
Mick Gordon, the award-winning composer behind Doom, Doom Eternal, and Wolfenstein, created Routine’s soundtrack.
What is the C.A.T.?
The Cosmonaut Assistance Tool is a multipurpose device used to access terminals, navigate environments, identify clues, save progress, and temporarily stun enemies as a last resort. It runs on batteries found throughout the base.
Is Routine like Dead Space or Alien Isolation?
Routine shares DNA with both games through its sci-fi horror setting and emphasis on atmosphere, but focuses more on stealth and avoidance than combat. The permadeath and minimal UI push it closer to pure survival horror than action-horror.
Can I play on Game Pass?
Yes, Routine launches day one on Xbox Game Pass for console, PC, and cloud. Subscribers can play immediately at no additional cost.
Are there multiple endings?
Yes, Routine features at least one alternate ending. The narrative focuses on uncovering mysteries about what happened to the lunar base, so different endings likely depend on which information players discover.
Is there procedural generation?
Yes, threats and environments are partially procedurally generated, meaning enemy placements and certain elements change between playthroughs to prevent memorization and maintain tension.
Conclusion
Routine’s journey from 2012 announcement to 2025 release is a testament to stubborn determination and the brutal reality of indie game development. Lunar Software could have given up dozens of times during the financial struggles, creative restarts, and years of uncertainty. Instead, they kept working nights and weekends on their vision of 80s retro-futuristic space horror until Raw Fury gave them the lifeline they needed to finish. Whether that persistence resulted in a masterpiece or just a game that’s finally done after 13 years won’t be clear until December 4. The foundation is solid. An abandoned lunar base with chunky analog technology and CRT monitors. Permadeath mechanics that force careful play. Mick Gordon’s soundtrack creating oppressive atmosphere. Hostile robots hunting you through deteriorating malls and living quarters. But foundations don’t guarantee great games, especially when development spans three console generations. The horror genre has evolved significantly since 2012 when helpless protagonists and permadeath felt fresh. Modern players might find Routine’s unforgiving design frustrating rather than tense. Or maybe after years of hand-holding accessibility options and generous checkpoints, an old-school brutal horror experience is exactly what the genre needs. One thing’s certain. After 13 years of waiting, delays, and doubt, Routine is finally real. December 4 arrives soon, and millions of Game Pass subscribers will find out whether this lunar nightmare was worth the wait. The only way to go is forward. Even if forward means walking into whatever killed everyone on this base before you arrived.