G-Rebels is coming to Early Access with VR cockpits and a 12,000 km² sky — but there’s a catch

G-Rebels’ Early Access: Big skies, VR cockpits, and the real question for players

This caught my attention because Reakktor Studios is promising a genuine PS1-era spiritual successor-think G‑Police-with modern bells like an optional VR cockpit and an open world that’s reportedly over 12,000 km². That’s seductive on paper, but Early Access with ten curated missions and a huge map raises the obvious gamer question: how much of this world will actually feel lived-in at launch?

• Early Access on Steam in early 2026 with optional VR cockpit and 360° cockpit visibility.
• Open world over 12,000 km², ten launch missions, outpost battles, cruiser encounters and multiple regions.
• Supports mouse/keyboard, gamepad and dedicated flight hardware-appeals to both pick-up-and-play and sim crowds.
• Developer is Reakktor Studios (long pedigree); funded partly by a German federal games program.

Breaking down the announcement — what you actually get at launch

Reakktor and publisher Senatis confirm G‑Rebels will go into Steam Early Access in early 2026. At launch the build promises improved performance, ten “carefully curated” missions, and foundational open-world systems: outpost battles, cruiser combat, mining, bounties, police chases, contractors and races. You’ll be able to fly across multiple regions—Daevos (the dystopian megacity), a war‑scarred Venice and two Atlas Archipelago outposts—using mouse/KB, a gamepad or full flight controls. VR is optional but supported for the first time, with the developer touting true 360° cockpit visibility.

Why this matters now

Flight games have been flirting with open worlds and VR for a while—Microsoft Flight Simulator trained a lot of players to appreciate scale, and niche titles have shown there’s appetite for cockpit immersion. What makes G‑Rebels notable is the blend: an arcade-leaning, narrative-adjacent dogfighter with sim hooks and a gritty, cyberpunk sky city setting. That mix could bridge the “casual vs. sim” divide if Reakktor nails accessibility without dumbing down depth.

The developer context — why Reakktor’s pedigree matters

Reakktor is far from a new studio—founded in 1991 and responsible for projects like Neocron, Black Prophecy and Toxikk. They’re no strangers to cyberpunk themes and online ambition; Neocron was one of the earliest cyberpunk MMOs. That background explains G‑Rebels’ aesthetic and its willingness to mix modes (combat, bounties, mining). The studio’s history gives me more confidence they’ll iterate effectively during Early Access—but pedigree alone doesn’t guarantee a smooth rollout.

What gamers should expect — the good and the worrying

Good: VR cockpit support and multiple control options mean the title could satisfy VR heads, stick users and sim pilots alike. Ten curated missions suggest a focused starting experience rather than an empty playground. Community feedback already shaped demo builds, and Reakktor leans into that iterative approach—exactly what you want in Early Access.

Worrying: a 12,000 km² map with only ten missions at launch is a red flag for “thin world” syndrome—lots of sky, not enough stuff to do. Early Access promises to add regions and modes, but how long until cruising between objectives feels like filler? And while VR is cool, cockpit VR plus intense dogfights can be physically punishing if the motion model or optimization isn’t right.

Skepticism and the odd press-release slip

I also have to call out a strange bit of text in the announcement: instructions on dragging items with spacebar and arrow keys. That looks like a leftover UI snippet, which is a tiny red flag about polish. Not a dealbreaker, but it’s the kind of sloppy detail that makes me ask whether other rough edges slipped through.

Why this could be worth following

If Reakktor uses Early Access the way studios should—regular updates, visible roadmaps, and real community integration—G‑Rebels could grow into an unexpectedly deep hybrid: arcade thrills, sim fidelity, and a living sky city. If they don’t, it risks launching as a gorgeous-but-empty playground with VR as a headline feature that masks content gaps.

TL;DR

G‑Rebels’ Early Access looks promising: VR cockpits, cruiser combat and a mammoth open world from a studio with real pedigree. But ten missions and a huge map at launch mean you should temper excitement—watch how quickly Reakktor fills the sky with meaningful gameplay before committing.

Note: The project received support from Germany’s federal games funding program, and Reakktor’s founder Martin Schwiezer emphasizes the role of community feedback in shaping Early Access: “Early Access finally introduces one of the most requested features for G‑Rebels: full VR support… launches with a gameplay mix of intense missions, challenges, and open world features.”