General
What is TMNT: Empire City?
TMNT: Empire City is a single player and co-op VR action game developed by Cortopia Studios and published by Beyond Frames Entertainment.
When does it release?
It is scheduled for release on April 30, 2026 for Meta Quest, SteamVR and Pico.
Will it be an early access game?
No. The game is a full 1.0 game release.
How much does it cost?
The game will be available for $24.99 and you can save 20% by pre-ordering on Meta Quest prior to launch. PC players on Steam will be able to get the same 20% discount during the launch window of the game (for two weeks).
What platforms is the game coming to?
The game will be released on Meta Quest (3 / 3s / Pro), Steam VR, and Pico.
Any plans for additional platforms?
We’d love the chance to bring TMNT: Empire City to more players. We’re a smaller team and this is not a small project. We have to prioritise our initial launch before considering anything further.
Does the game work on Quest 2 natively?
We haven’t announced the game for Quest 2. We’re currently focused on the development of the game for current gen systems. We’ll be sure to announce if/when support extends beyond that.
Is the game available to pre-order?
Yes! It’s available to pre-order now on Meta Quest with a 20% pre-order discount. Those who pre-order will also unlock an Owari Mask cosmetic for the Ninja Turtles.
Can I not pre-order the game on Steam?
We’re unable to offer pre-orders on Steam, however, the game will also be available for a 20% discount for the first two weeks after its Steam launch. Those that purchase during this window will also automatically receive the Owari mask bonus unlock.
Can I play the game cooperatively?
The full game supports up to four play co-op throughout the whole campaign as soon as the tutorial is completed.
Does the game feature crossplay?
Yes. You’ll be able to play with your loved ones across devices.
Does the game have online matchmaking?
The full game uses a room code system. Share your code with your family, friends, and community to play together and take on the challenges of Empire City as a team. The host will be provided with a room code when they decide to host a session from the multiplayer cabinet in the Turtle’s Lair. The current room code can be viewed at all times while the session is in progress via the Turtle Watch.
Does the campaign progress for everyone in cooperative play?
No, only the host will progress their campaign and you will join them wherever they are in the storyline.
What happens if I get disconnected from my team?
As long as you’re not the host, you can rejoin a session by reloading the game and entering the room code of your friend’s active session into the multiplayer cabinet in the lair.
What playstyles does the game support?
Sitting, Standing, and Roomscale.
What's the age rating?
PEGI 16 / T for Teen
What's the game's genre?
Action adventure, with elements of sim, fighting, and platforming.
Is the game localised to different languages?
The game is fully voiced in English, with menus and subtitles fully localised for English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese (Simplified).
Does the game feature bHaptics integration?
Although it’s not currently on our roadmap, we’d love to hear if players would want this.
Does the game feature bHaptics integration?
Although it’s not currently on our roadmap, we’d love to hear if players would want this.
Game
Will the game have a story mode or is it a sandbox brawler?
The game is first and foremost a narrative action adventure. There’s divergent paths the story can take and emergent crimes/side quests you can tackle (not to mention collectibles)…but the original TMNT story is at its core.
Does the game include boss fights?
Yes, it does! Depending on the divergent paths you take, you’ll face 10-11 boss-like fights, many of those will feature some of TMNT’s iconic roster of foes and villains.
Do you get to choose which Turtle you play as?
Yes, once finishing the introduction to the game, you’re able to freely switch between each brother in the Lair using the arcade cabinet. You won’t be able to switch to a different Turtle during missions without heading back to the Lair. When playing cooperatively, only one person can play as each Turtle at a time.
Is there any difference between the Turtles you play as?
Yes! Raph has the most health, for example. Donnie (pre-upgrades) would be more of a stealth-first kind of choice. Their differences lean into who they are as Turtles and their personalities.
Are the other Turtles AI controlled if you play solo?
When playing solo, the other Turtles will be regularly in your ear over comms, but they won’t be physically present except for core story beats. The game is balanced and appropriately scales for both solo or cooperatively play, so those lone wolves among you won’t feel short handed.
Any plans for post launch content?
We’re very much focused on the launch of TMNT: Empire City right now. We want to make sure we do the brothers justice and the game that ends up in your hands is as good as it can be. We’d love the opportunity to explore beyond that if players enjoy what we’ve created.
Can I practice with weapons outside of combat?
Yes! In the Lair each of the Turtles’ signature weapons can be found on the table in the main hangout area. Even playing as Raph, for example, you can pick up the nunchucks and go wail on the punchbag or the Wing Chun dummy in Leo’s room. The Lair also contains things like a dart board to practice your aim when throwing shurikens.
Does the game require you to engage in stealth?
Stealth is never mandatory, and can be Turtle-dependent (i.e. Donnie with no upgrades is more designed for stealth encounters), but it’s recommended no matter who you choose. You can absolutely brute force encounters if you’re more Raph minded, however, it’ll be easier to thin the herd before going all-in.
Will any potential additional content/DLCs be paid for?
Yes, it’s likely future additions to the game may be paid for.
Does the game include character customisation?
You’ll be able to pick up scrap and components in the environment to use at Donnie’s workbench to upgrade your gear. Instead of a skill tree, we have a modular system that allows you to install and uninstall specific upgrades. So you can play around with your own builds and loadouts. In terms of cosmetic upgrades, this is something we’re currently exploring balancing requests, what we’re allowed to do in the universe, as well as time to implement.
Does the game have options for teleport/node-based navigation?
The game will feature unique options for getting up and down buildings for those who prefer to use teleport over free locomotion. Those using teleport will lose out a bit on the complexity and fun of the traversal gameplay, but it still means they can enjoy combat and the narrative!
Can you disable the speed lines and shell inventory UI?
Yes, you can! That’s available in the in-game settings.
Inspirations
Where did the art style come from?
We’re inspired by the entirety of the TMNT franchise, but it’s the IDW and Mirage era comics we’re primarily influenced by and paying homage to. You can delve into the dev diary about this with our Art Director, Marcus Fritze.
Will there be any fan favourite characters?
We’re definitely pulling from a whole lot of familiar faces from the TMNT franchise. Some you’ll expect, like Shredder or Karai, others will come as a surprise!
Will the game have an original story?
It will! The game takes place after the defeat of The Shredder and the power vacuum that it leaves behind. The story was created by our very own Creative Director, Ace St. Germain, with dialogue written by Jason Weight, creator of Starship Goldfish. Rosie Packwood, our Narrative Designer, edited the script, with the whole project fine tuned with Narrative Consultant (and TMNT legend) Tom Waltz (TMNT IDW 1-100, The Last Ronin, and much more).
Will the game have an original soundtrack?
It will! Our Audio Engineer and Composer, Alex May, delved into his history with TMNT and his inspirations in a recent dev diary. We’ve also released a preview of the first track on streaming platforms like Spotify. The whole OST has been originally mastered on cassette for that authentic sound and feel!
Dev diaries, you say?! Where can I find out more?
We’ve got you! You can delve deeper and get behind the scenes of TMNT: Empire City with our team through our dev diaries that focus on specific aspects of the game and our inspirations.