Beautiful Freaks of the Desert is a speedrunning FPS flipping the middle finger at all things data center
Beautiful Freaks of the Desert world premiere trailer - PC Gaming Show Tokyo Direct 2026 - YouTube
I'm a simple man. I like first-person shooters and making jokes about AI before a combination of data center-enabled climate change and Skynet leads to the end of humanity.
Beautiful Freaks of the Desert then, is poised to make me a very happy man indeed. Beautiful Freaks of the Desert's debut trailer, shown for the first time at the PC Gaming Show, does a great job of showing what the speedrunning FPS is about, using all 50 seconds to showcase intense blasting, striking title cards, and an anti-Data Center sentiment that warms my heart. Give it a watch, the trailer really does have to be seen to be believed.
Wishlist Beautiful Freaks of the Desert on Steam
Release date: Q4, 2026
Beautiful Freaks of the Desert is a world premiere announcement set in a future where competing AI corporations are screwing everyone over. It's fiction, we promise. The speedrunning FPS is reminiscent of Neon White, and will release Q4 2026. Wishlist it on Steam.
The speedrunning shooter should remind people of Neon White with the clean aesthetic, which channels the golden days of the boomer shooter—a term that's slipped into general usage despite the fact I get at least one angry email every time I use it—and sets it against the backdrop of a seemingly endless war between squabbling technology corporations. There's something charmingly lo-fi about the trailer, which gives me a similar irreverent vibe to the cult classic Cruelty Squad, although this promises to be less of an immersive sim and more a game about jumping around exploded spiders and other enemies with a variety of weaponry.
The game promises 50 bite-sized levels, six different weapon systems, and an open world desert that connects the levels that you can explore on foot or by bike.
If that all sounds like a bit of you can wishlist the game here, or go to the PC Gaming Show Toyko Direct Steam page to see every game from today's show. There are some real crackers in there, don't be shy, take a look. You can also read our roundup article which includes every announcement from the show in the order it aired.
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Jake Tucker is the editorial director of the PC Gaming Show but has worked as a journalist and editor at sites like NME, TechRadar, MCV and many more. He collects vinyl, likes first-person shooters and turn-based tactics games and hates writing bios. Jake currently lives in London, and is building a comprehensive list of the best places to eat in the city.