The digital version of the Red Rising board game is due out in 2027, and that’s the only timing detail available: no further date information has been given. Canadian studio Emerald City Games is developing it, and a playable demo can already be downloaded on Steam. Watch the launch window, though. An earlier announcement reportedly listed a Steam release for Q4 2026, a claim our source material doesn’t confirm, while the current word is simply 2027.
The adaptation is billed as the official digital version of the critically acclaimed tabletop game, which was based on Pierce Brown’s bestselling sci-fi saga. It’s built for 1 to 6 players, and the studio says it faithfully recreates the original tabletop rules. That promise extends to the board game’s rules and all 112 unique cards, so the real test is whether the conversion holds up card by card.
Emerald City Games set out its pitch in a statement on its website: “Red Rising is the official digital adaptation of the critically acclaimed board game, based on Pierce Brown’s bestselling sci-fi saga for 1 to 6 players. Players will step into the color caste system, forming their own House of unique followers, and fighting for dominance. The digital version faithfully recreates the original tabletop rules while adding stunning new visuals and convenience.”
If you’ve played the physical game, this should feel familiar. Players lead followers from rival houses, a mix of “Gold” and “Red” characters, by way of a deck of cards. The board game was created and published in 2021 by Jamey Stegmaier of Stonemaier Games and worked along the same lines: you commanded rival houses and managed your cards to climb the ranks of a dystopian society. It drew heavily on the first three books in the series, and reviewers praised how faithful it was to the source material.
The differences come from what a digital version makes possible. The headline addition is a challenging AI mode for solo play, and multiplayer supports up to six players across platforms. The cards are reworked as well, with dynamic effects, animations and custom voice lines. Emerald City Games called the result “Red Rising as you’ve never experienced it before.”
The setting behind those cards is the Red Planet. Red Rising is a six-book saga by Pierce Brown, set on Mars, where a rigid, color-coded class system governs daily life. “Golds” are the most elite members of Mars society and rule over the other colored classes, including the lowest class, “Reds.” Darrow, a lowborn “Red” miner, becomes the face of the series’ revolution, much as Katniss Everdeen did in The Hunger Games. The comparison fits the timing: The Hunger Games captivated a generation in the early 2010s, and another dystopian tale set in the stars followed in its wake.
Polygon, the source of this coverage, says longtime fans of the series should keep an eye on the game. The demo on Steam is the quickest way to judge the cards and animations yourself while the release window firms up.
