Den of Wolves had an official worldwide gameplay reveal during The Game Awards last December. Developed by the creators of GTFO, this intense heist-themed cooperative first-person shooter wowed fans and is now one of the most anticipated upcoming games in this unique genre.
During GDC 2025, I attended a hands-on preview event for Den of Wolves hosted by 10 Chambers. Here are my thoughts on the overall experience and what you can expect from this game when it releases.
High Caliber Heists
Den of Wolves is a four-player cooperative first-person shooter heist techno thriller developed by 10 Chambers, a Sweden-based game development studio founded by PAYDAY and PAYDAY 2 Game Designer Ulf Andersson. This title is built entirely in Unity 6.
The game takes place in a dystopian, corporate-controlled metropolis named Midway City. With advanced AI-driven cyber attacks tearing the world apart and greedy corporations looking for solutions to feed their monetary needs, you and your team are positioned to capitalize on the increased mayhem and steal intel from the human minds of giants.
Players step into the role of skilled criminal entrepreneurs for hire. The jobs include executing industrial espionage, corporate sabotage, and high-profile assassinations for rival corporations. With some missions focused on stealth and action, the authentic feel of a heist game remains intact but has evolved in a futuristic setting.
The Setup
Once I arrived at the preview event and got a brief overview of the concept, I was paired with another journalist and two 10 Chambers team members for my first game session. After choosing my character and loadout, the next step was to have a practice mission to familiarize myself with the overall gameplay experience.
Playing on keyboard and mouse, the controls were very straightforward and are fully accessible for anyone interested in checking out the game. You can use standard firearms, bombs, and several high-end technology tools like shields and drones to help you complete your mission. Our team’s goal was to use stealth to complete this practice run. While we started strong, eventually, guards were alerted, and firefights ensued.
When the fighting started, everything got intense pretty quickly, but it still seemed manageable by working together. As with most co-op team-based games, it’s vital to communicate effectively and protect each other. After some time, we were able to complete the mission and move on to the next phase of this gameplay session.
The Blueprint
Before starting a story mission, we stepped away from our computers to plan our team approach to the big heist. We had a physical blueprint of the bank and discussed which vaults we wanted to hit first and why. When the full game drops on PC, 10 Chambers plans to offer a similar feature where you can pre-plan your strategy. There is also a possibility that there will be mini-missions where you’ll have to steal certain items you’ll need to use in the main mission.
It’s important to take time devising the right plan. While we finalized our plan, I asked if there was a right or wrong way to approach a mission. The answer given seemed to suggest there could be endless ways to devise a game plan. Regardless of the plan, a successful outcome is only determined if everyone is on the same page and handles their tasks accordingly.
The Real Deal
Den of Wolves gets elevated to a new level once you start the main story mission. The premise started with our team arranging a fake deal with another corrupt organization within the bank. Once he discovered that we were robbing him, all hell broke loose, and it became a nonstop fight against enemies. Everything we learned in the practice mission was immediately tested, and we had to save each other multiple times to keep the fight going.
As I mentioned above, human intel is the most valuable currency in this game. For this reason, there are instances where players will have to hack and dive into mental dimensions. When you dive, you temporarily enter a surreal environment where you use parkour to jump from one section to another until you reach the end. There is a time limit. Also, diving scenarios can happen multiple times through the same heist mission.
This unique mechanic is the main driving force that separates Den of Wolves from other heist games. It plays upon the fact that this is a technology-driven world with dangerous states and unexpected changes. While I didn’t get to spend too much time seeing every aspect of this game and the story, I did get an adrenaline rush from completing my mission with the team. I’m curious to see what else 10 Chambers has planned for this game during Early Access and beyond.
Final Verdict
Den of Wolves is coming along nicely as an intriguing cooperative heist FPS experience. If you loved GTFO‘s intensity and the original PAYDAY, this game should be 100% on your radar.
Den of Wolves will launch on PC when it’s ready. Are any of you looking forward to the upcoming game? Let us know in the comments section below.
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