Code Violet is a 2026 action horrorthird-personshooter game created by TeamKill Media. The game is exclusive to PlayStation 5 and is not available on PC. It was officially released on January 10, 2026.[2] The player controls a woman named Violet Sinclair, who is trapped in a research facility located on an exoplanet overrun by dinosaurs, which she has to fight to escape.[3]
Upon release, the game received negative reception from both critics and players. Nevertheless, the game was featured on PlayStation Store's "Best Sellers" list of new games, taking first place,[4] and became TeamKill Media's best-selling game.[1]
Plot
In the 25th century, a cataclysmic event called "The Cataclysm" turns Earth into a wasteland. Remaining humans lived on an exoplanet TRAPPIST-1e that circles around a dwarf starTRAPPIST-1, located 40 light years away from the Earth.[3] Humans on the planet used a time machine to kidnap women and turn them into surrogates to save humanity. Violet, the main character, is one of the women. After briefly waking up on the planet, she is forced to undergo decontamination and be taken to a research facility called "Aion Bioengineering Complex". Upon awakening again, she finds herself in surrogate facility and watches how her friend gets eaten by a dinosaur. Violet arms herself with a knife and a gun and attempts to escape the facility, killing the attacking dinosaurs.[5]
Development
TeamKill Media, a studio that previously created Quantum Error, announced the development of Code Violet on January 17, 2025, and released an announcement trailer on YouTube. The game was described as a third-person shooter horror game, its launch was scheduled for July 2025.[6] Reportedly, the game's mechanics were inspired by Dino Crisis, Alien: Rogue Incursion and The Last of Us. The game would be paid and only be sold in Playstation Store.[citation needed] TeamKill Media had chosen for the game to be released exclusively on PlayStation 5, with no PC version available. The studio said that the reason for this decision was because they wanted to avoid modders creating "vulgar versions" of the game's main character and other characters.[7] The studio also said that it does not want users "tarnishing the reputation" of the characters' voice actors.[8] The statement was posted on X and viewed 1.3 million times. It sparked discussions among users about the decision[9] and criticism of the game and the studio.[7]
The price of the game was reported to be $49.99.[10] In August 2025, TeamKill Media announced that the game's release was delayed due to it clashing with the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, the release date was changed to December 12, 2025. The studio said that as a compensation, all players will receive an exclusive Christmas-themed skins of Violet upon the game's release.[11] In December 2025, when the game was about to be released, TeamKill Media announced that it will be delayed again due to techical difficulties with the certification of preorder and deluxe versions of the game. The date was moved to January 10, 2026.[12]Code Violet, as scheduled, was released on January 10, 2026.[13] On January 15, the studio released a patch after receiving negative reviews from players complaining about bugs. The patch fixed combat system, bugged items and softlock situations.[14] The game was patched again on January 19, which changed interface and fixed several bugs.[13]
Code Violet received generally unfavorable reviews from critics, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[15] Fellow review aggregator OpenCritic assessed that the game received weak approval, being recommended by 13% of critics.[16]
The release of Code Violet was not well received; it received negative reviews from both critics and players.[14] Jarrett Green of IGN described Code Violet as a "bad game," stating that its characters are "flat" and "empty", including Violet, whom he described as an "empty shell". He rated the game 4 out 10.[17] Rafa Del Río of IGN Spain also rated the game 4 out 10.[19] Dia Lacina of The A.V Club gave the game F-rating, criticizing its gameplay and story.[3] Michael Gerra-Clarin of Game8 also criticized the game's story, saying that it was poorly written and that none of its characters were likable. He stated that Code Violet is "not worth" the price of $50, rating it 42 out of 100.[20]
GamingBolt commended the game's visuals and audio design, but criticized Violet as a character, saying that she is "bland" and not relatable. He called the game a "disappointing addition" and rated it 3 out of 10.[21]Men's Journal said that Code Violet isn't a "truly bad game" and that it can be turned into a "worthwhile experience" if the developers patched it. The game was rated 5 out of 10.[22] Logan Moore of ComicBook.com called Code Violet the "worst game of the year" (2026), saying that its one of the lowest-rated games of 2026 that may become the "worst game of this console generation".[23]The Escapist said the game has potential and featured some "beautiful segments". It said that the game has the "soul" of Dino Crisis.[5] John McCormick of the Push Square called the game a "mess" that has various problems. He rated the game 4 out 10.[18] The game has a rating of 2.93 on the PlayStation Store based on 1,530 user reviews, with 46% of reviews giving the game one or two stars.[4] On Metacritic, the game received a score of 27/100, based on 14 aggregated reviews.[23]
Adressing negative reviews, TeamKill Media made a statement on social media, saying; “We make games for our fans and players who actually spend their hard earned money on our games and support us, not critics”. The studio said Code Violet became its best-selling game of 2026, achieving high sales and a large player base despite negative reviews.[1]
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