Better Than Dead now has a date. Monte Gallo's bodycam-style first-person shooter will launch on Steam Early Access on May 12, giving PC players a near-term release for one of the more cinematic entries in the growing photorealistic shooter niche.
The date arrived alongside a new gameplay trailer for the Hong Kong-set FPS, which leans into close-range shootouts, fast reactions and action-thriller staging rather than the slower military sim mood many bodycam shooters chase.
Early Access starts with a full campaign
Better Than Dead is planned to remain in Early Access for six to 12 months. The Steam page says the developer will "improve and expand it with player feedback," so the May release is not being pitched as the final version.
That said, the Early Access launch is still expected to include a "full campaign." Monte Gallo is saving some pieces for the full release, including additional levels, the game's "true ending" and a more "hardcore" mode called For Heaven.
For players who have followed the recent bodycam FPS wave, the appeal is easy to spot. Bodycam helped push the style into wider view after a viral gameplay trailer, and Better Than Dead is working in a similar photorealistic lane. Its hook is the Hong Kong cinema influence, with the new footage built around quick, punishing encounters instead of sprawling firefights.
A press release describes Better Than Dead as a game “built around immediacy and tension” that strips away excess to focus on movement, reaction and execution.
“Encounters are short, unforgiving, and decisive. Mistakes are costly. Success is earned.”
The result looks like a compact shooter chasing pressure over spectacle. The bigger question for Early Access will be how much variety the campaign has on day one, and how far the planned levels, harder mode and true ending can push it before the full launch.