Why Pragmata Might Be Capcom’s Next Big Hit

After playing Pragmata for the first time at Summer Game Fest 2025, I was already sold on this promising new IP. With the release of Resident Evil Requiem, Capcom continues to deliver incredible, unforgettable experiences that fans, including myself, are always eager to dive into.

During GDC last week, Capcom invited me to their San Francisco office to play 2 hours of Pragmata, and I walked away even more excited than I was before. Here are more details on the game, my overall experience, and why this title might be Capcom’s next big hit.

Pragmata is an upcoming single-player third-person perspective science-fiction action-adventure game developed and published by Capcom. Set on a Lunar Research Station, the story follows Spacefarer Hugh Williams and a child android named Diana. The unlikely duo must work together to stop a hostile AI that has taken over the station, with several robot enemies running amok. Hugh also aims to get back to Earth and will need Diana’s help to do so.

Capcom released a free Pragmata Sketchbook Demo that you can play now on every platform. I recommend playing this demo to familiarize yourself with the characters, storyline, and the clever hacking gameplay loop that ties everything together.

My 2-hour preview session consisted of a build that’s still in development and doesn’t fully reflect the final game. All of the footage you’re looking at now is b-roll provided by Capcom and running on a PlayStation 5 console. The setting was the New York Times Square-inspired area shown in the latest trailer. Hugh and Diana’s main objective is to contact Earth from the Comms Tower located directly in the city. The IDUS system senses their presence and restricts access with a six-locked node gate. Our duo now has to disable the lock codes and hack the beacons to continue their mission.

From this point on, I scanned the area to identify my next objective. Exploring this marvelously designed printed city was an intriguing experience full of stories of how this unique world used to be. Hugh would answer Diana’s questions about how the world used to be, which should set the tone for great back-and-forth character dialogue and dynamics between the two in the final game.

This demo showcased new enemy encounters, more hacking puzzles, and new weapons as our duo searched for these beacons. Some of the new weapons included the Grip Gun, Riot Blaster, Charge Piercer, and Shockwave Gun, which felt like a Shotgun. The newer enemies were also tougher and moved faster, which added more tension to hacking puzzles during combat and when trying to access other technology while on the mission.

Cabin also played a key role in this demo, thanks to a full introduction to the Shelter area. Here, you can give Diana newly discovered presents and objects to help her learn even more about Earth. You can also print weapons, upgrade Hugh’s suit health and integrity, primary unit weapon effectiveness, and Diana’s hacking damage and duration. This is an ideal place to revisit in between fights, as you may want to recover and upgrade your weapons and abilities before jumping back into the fray.

The demo concluded with a massive robot boss fight that was an absolute adrenaline rush, requiring Hugh to move around often to avoid oncoming attacks. This felt like the next step up from the boss battle in the Sketchbook demo, and if this is an early indication of what we can expect, then there definitely are even more exciting battles to come.

While my time with Pragmata was short, I saw more than enough to be convinced this title has massive potential. If you love science-fiction action-adventure games and enjoyed the demo, you’ll definitely be blown away by the final product. Stay tuned for more details on this game and our review next month.

Pragmata launches on April 16th for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC. Let me know if you plan on checking out this game and other major titles dropping next month.