Most games ask you to pick a side. BLACKWOOD doesn’t bother. You’re Anton Blackwood: Brooklyn DVD shop owner by day, contract killer by night. Act 1 lands on PC via Steam on September 16, 2026, and it’s one of the more unusual third-person action games headed to PC this year. Here’s what to know before it drops.
The Setup: Living Two Lives in 2012 New York
The game is set in a meticulously recreated 2012 New York City. The dual-life structure is more than window dressing. Between missions, you manage the DVD store: stocking inventory, setting prices, decorating the space. It’s a light simulation layer, but it gives Anton Blackwood real weight as a character before you send him out on a contract.
This contrast between the ordinary and the violent isn’t a new idea, but the 2012 NYC setting gives it a specific texture. It’s grounded in a way that feels different from the slick power fantasy of Hitman or the over-the-top action of something like John Wick Hex.
What You’ll Actually Do in BLACKWOOD
Combat is the centerpiece. BLACKWOOD is a third-person shooter with cover mechanics, but it leans into fluid movement: slides, dives, rolls, and a dense system of contextual takedowns. The developers describe countless environmental executions, from hand-to-hand finishers to kills that use whatever’s nearby.
It’s not a pure stealth game, though stealth is available. The gunplay is described as fast and unforgiving, and the missions don’t appear to lock you into one playstyle. Four main story missions make up Act 1, alongside side objectives, and the developers estimate over six hours of total content.
How It Compares to Hitman and Sleeping Dogs
Hitman is the obvious comparison. Both games put you in the shoes of a professional killer navigating urban environments. But Hitman is largely a puzzle game dressed as action. BLACKWOOD looks more like a straight action-shooter that happens to have narrative ambition and a dual-identity premise on top.
The closer parallel might actually be Sleeping Dogs. Both games place you inside a criminal world while you hold down a civilian cover, and both treat melee combat as a real part of the experience rather than an afterthought. If you liked how Sleeping Dogs created friction between both lives, BLACKWOOD is built around that same tension.
Who Should Play This
BLACKWOOD Act 1 is worth watching if you like third-person shooters with story ambition, want something outside the usual military or open-world sandbox formula, and are looking for a game with a specific sense of place. A 2012 Brooklyn DVD store as your base of operations is genuinely unusual in a crowded genre.
One real caveat: this is Act 1 of a planned three-part story. The full narrative isn’t here yet, which is worth knowing at $24.99. That said, the developers have confirmed all future acts ship as free updates to anyone who buys in now. You’re paying for the full game upfront, not getting charged again per chapter.
Price, Release Date, and Where to Get It
BLACKWOOD: Act 1 releases September 16, 2026, on PC via Steam for $24.99. Future acts are free updates for existing owners. There’s no confirmed console release date as of this writing.
You can wishlist it on Steam now. If the dual-life premise and the grounded combat system sound like your kind of thing, it’s a release worth keeping on your radar heading into the weekend.
