Cinder City: Gameplay, platforms, and release window

Cinder City, formerly known as Project LLL, is an upcoming open-world looter-shooter with MMO features. From the marketing material I've seen so far, it seems to be a Korean UE5 hybrid between Anthem and The Division 2, with zombies, mechs, and cosmic horror thrown into the mix. While we're yet to sample any hands-on beta, there is a lot of live gameplay footage to pore through (including G-STAR 2023 and 2024).

Based on the available gameplay, as well as the official information we have at hand, here's everything known about Cinder City, a.k.a. Project LLL.

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Cinder City gameplay: What kind of looter-shooter is it?

Cinder City will be quite similar to Anthem in terms of gameplay (Image via NCsoft)

Cinder City will be an open-world tactical looter-shooter, with the usual shards of the genre: a PvE focus, and multiple player skills to separate class roles. So far, we have seen the crux of the gameplay being shootouts against cyborg-zombies, vehicles, and mechas.

The skills displayed so far include camouflage/invisibility, a squad-wide heal, barrier abilities ranging from putting down a basic barricade to a force-field to repel projectiles. It's uncertain whether the skills are part of a preset class/operator or hand-pickable individually.

Although mobility skills were not shown off, it's likely there are at least some options for 3D maneuvering, as the player suits are equipped with jetpack propellers.

From the gameplay footage, it's also apparent that Cinder City is not a cover shooter in the vein of The Division 2.

It is set in an open world (discussed in further detail below) where you drop in alongside other players and partake in various events. The events seen so far are mainly just horde-shooter sequences or showdowns against minibosses like mechs and choppers.

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Cinder City Open-world and setting details

Cinder City will be based on a somewhat large single-instance open world (Image via NCSoft)

Cinder City is a looter-shooter with at least a 30 sq-km open world (according to a 2022 build of the game; the size might have changed since then). This is a seamless, persistent open world with PvE events (and possibly PvP) set in the detritus of a post-apocalyptic Seoul.

NCSoft has also mentioned some segments blending elements from the 13th-century Byzantine Empire, which likely leans into its fantasy/magic mores. Project leader Jaehyun Bae has described the game as an "alt-history" shooter, so there may be some timeline-hopping shenanigans.

Other than the city itself, there are also overgrown segments into the greenery, and subway tunnels you can venture into, all without any loading-screen transitions.

There are also cosmic-horror entities similar to Once Human, but besides the spectacle of marketing trailers, their exact role has not been explained.

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When is Cinder City coming out?

Although we don't have any proper release date yet, NCSoft has narrowed down the release of Cinder City to a six-month window: the second half of 2026. The game was originally supposed to arrive in 2024 and might undergo delays in the future, given its reliance on highly demanding content-streaming tech.

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What platforms will Cinder City be on?

NCSoft has confirmed that Cinder City will be a global release on PC and consoles - although they have not clarified which "consoles" specifically. NCSoft's previous global product, Throne and Liberty, was on both Xbox and PlayStation - so it's likely we're getting Cinder City on Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5.

Given its possible high system requirements, last-gen console support is extremely unlikely. It might not arrive on Switch either. Switch 2 is a future possibility, but the game is not designed with a handheld environment in mind.

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That's all we know about Cinder City at the moment. Previously known as Project LLL, the game got its official title on the same day as Gamescom 2025 Opening Night Live. You can view the trailer here:

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