British actor Rahul Kohli has fulfilled a lifelong ambition by stepping into a leading role in a major video game, years after first working in game retail.

Before his rise in television and film, Kohli’s passion for gaming began at a young age. As a child, he once presented video game trailers in class when asked about his dream job. That early interest eventually led him to work as a sales assistant at Gamestation, where he handled consoles and game sales.

His connection to gaming didn’t stop there. Early in his acting career, he appeared in commercials promoting the PlayStation Vita and Sony’s Buzz quiz game, which at the time felt like a major breakthrough.

Now in 2026, Kohli has taken things a step further by starring in Saros, a PlayStation 5 exclusive developed by Housemarque. In the game, he plays Arjun Devraj, an enforcer sent on a mission to a dangerous alien world.

The casting of established film and TV actors in video games has become increasingly common, with the gap between both industries continuing to narrow. Recent examples include appearances by Aaron Paul, Jeffrey Wright, and Charlie Cox in major gaming titles.

For Kohli, however, gaming has always been more than just another role. Known for his work in series like iZombie and Midnight Mass, he has consistently shared his enthusiasm for gaming culture, including projects like Call of Duty and Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun.

When approached for Saros, Kohli immediately accepted the role. The project also marked his first experience with motion capture, a performance method that records an actor’s movements and expressions for use in-game. He described it as a raw and imaginative form of acting, similar to childhood role-play without physical sets or costumes.

The game follows in the footsteps of Returnal, another title from Housemarque known for its intense gameplay. However, developers have made efforts to make Saros more accessible by allowing players to adjust difficulty levels.

Game director Gregory Louden explained that the goal was to expand the studio’s formula while making it more welcoming to a broader audience.

Despite Returnal’s critical success, it did not achieve the same commercial impact as some of Sony’s larger releases. With Saros, the studio hopes that Kohli’s involvement and strong connection with gaming fans will help attract more players.

According to Louden, Kohli showed exceptional dedication to the role, even taking on additional performance tasks typically handled by specialists.

For the actor, the experience represents a full-circle moment. From working in a retail store selling games to becoming the face of one, he describes it as the realization of a dream he once thought unlikely.

1. He reflected on how surreal it feels to now have his image featured on game packaging that will be sold in stores similar to where he once worked, calling it the culmination of a long personal journey.