Publisher Good Smile Company and developer Chime Corporation have announced that PATLABOR the Case Files, 3D action game based on the Mobile Police PATLABOR franchise, will launch for PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam on September 17, 2026. The game supports English, Japanese, Korean, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese text, with Japanese voice acting. The last dedicated PATLABOR title was a Japan-only PSP game back in 2005, and the franchise ended up skipping the entire PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 generations.
Built in Unreal Engine 5, the game lets players relive the most iconic moments of the franchise across three distinct modes. The Main Missions put players in control of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police’s Special Vehicles Section 2. In an interview with Dengeki Online, producer Masanori Sato explained that these missions recreate scenes from four key eras: the 1989 TV series, the New Files OVA, and both Patlabor theatrical films. For change of pace, Another Side Missions let players pilot the enemy machines instead. This includes iconic mechs like the AV-X0 Type Zero from the first movie and the AFH-028 Hellhound from the second. Sato noted this mode was created specifically to give fans an experience they could never get from watching the anime. Finally, a Simulator Mode offers target practice and one-on-one Labor duels. Altogether, there are more than 20 playable Labors to choose from, featuring fan favorites like the AV-98 Ingram, the Type-J9 Griffon, and the AV-X0 Type Zero.
What makes this revival significant is the direct involvement of the original Patlabor creators. The franchise was born in 1988 from Headgear, a five-person team that included acclaimed film director Mamoru Oshii. Three of those founding members are returning to supervise the game: Yutaka Izubuchi on mechanical design, Kazunori Ito on the scenario, and Akemi Takada on character design. Legendary composer Kenji Kawai, who scored Oshii’s two Patlabor theatrical films, is also back on board. He composed the entire 30-track score for the game, including a brand new opening theme titled “The Case Files.”
Pre-orders are open now, and Good Smile Company is also offering an exclusive physical Special Edition directly through its online storefront, which comes bundled with a soundtrack CD and a MODEROID Griffon model kit. This video game release is just one piece of Good Smile’s larger effort to revive the franchise, a campaign that includes a fresh line of model kits and an upcoming anime series called Patlabor EZY.
PATLABOR the Case Files is available to wishlist now on Steam.