Publisher Kepler Interactive and developer Alpha Channel have announced TankRat, a revamped version of the single-player tank action adventure game previously released as TankHead. It will launch for PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store in spring 2026. Users who own TankHead for PC via Epic Games Store will receive TankRat as a free upgrade.
Here is an overview of the game, via Kepler Interactive:
■ Fact Sheet
About
In the aftermath of a war that reduced the world’s most fantastic city to ash, the Event Containment Area (ECA) stands as a monument to humanity’s ambition and ruin.
A wasteland of twisted metal husks, the remnants of mankind’s greed spread like mechanical cancer across the world. Only steel remains, humans having to project their consciousness into mechanical “Shells,” powerful drones that can salvage and control armored tanks of a lost age.
You are Whitaker, a Sleepwalker—a digitized consciousness inhabiting a Needle, a hardened drone built to endure the storms and horrors of the ECA. And your survival will be earned, one kill at a time.
Welcome to the end of the world, it’s time to hunt TankRats.
Key Features
- Become What You Break – Shift seamlessly between the agile Needle and powerful combat Tanks as you explore the ECA’s Dead Zone. You must traverse what remains of a once advanced society to scavenge all the materials you can to upgrade your machine. Dismantle enemies, strip their wreckage for weapons, armor, and tech, and graft their parts onto your own rig. Every trip through the wasteland is a chance to rebuild, respec, and come back stronger.
- Tear Through Metal – Blast through swarms of corrupted drones and mech-monsters in fast-paced, brutal vehicular combat across shifting battlefield conditions. The Dead Zone’s greatest terrors are the TankRats, wandering remnants of lost Sleepwalkers, twisted by the Shroud and time itself. You’ll need to exploit every weakness to bring these metal titans down. The only way out is through, and the only way through, is to destroy everything in your path.
- Rise Above the Ruins – The fabled city in the sky, Highpoint. A whispered truth buried in the ashes of a lost civilization. You don’t know why, but you know with absolute clarity that the only reason you fight is to uncover the truth behind the Shroud, a radioactive storm that warps time, memory, and reality itself. What are you willing to give to make it to the promised land, and what will you do if you don’t like the truth you find there?
■ FAQ
What if someone already owns TankHead on Epic Games Store?
If you already own TankHead on the Epic Games Store, you will receive a free upgrade once TankRat releases, giving access to all the new features and content. The game’s page will be updated to reflect this update and name change later in Spring 2026.
Why the name change?
We changed the name because the game has evolved so much, and we wanted to signpost that really clearly. We believe it provides a clearer throughline to the scavenger-driven identity at the heart of the player character, and an ode to the colossal enemies you’ll be fighting to the death against on your journey through the wasteland.
What can be expected for TankRat compared to TankHead?
A lot of work went into crafting TankRat as the ultimate evolution of TankHead. We added more story content, more bosses, more biomes, more customization options, a refined battle system as well as many more surprises that we can’t wait to tell you more about. Stay tuned for more information on our channels!
Is TankRat single-player or multiplayer?
TankRat is single player.
What languages will TankRat support?
TankRat will be voiced in English, and feature subtitles in French, German, Spanish, Russian, Japanese and Simplified Chinese.
Who are the main characters in TankRat?
Whitaker is a Sleepwalker, someone who has the capacity to teleproject his conscience into machines. This is the only way humans can survive in the wastelands of the ECA. Driven by a thirst to reach Highpoint, he will fight to the end to uncover the mechanical mysteries of the world.
In his journey, Whitaker is guided by Cyril, a mysterious and charming “fixer,” occupying a mechanical body. Cyril probably knows more than he shares, and his lure for profit makes him a difficult character to trust.
Watch the announcement trailer below. View the first screenshots at the gallery.