From Gamestation Sales Clerk to PlayStation Star: The Remarkable Journey of Rahul Kohli

A Gamer's Dream Turned Reality

For most people, a childhood passion for video games leads to countless hours on the couch. For British actor Rahul Kohli, it led to something far more extraordinary — a starring role in one of the year's most anticipated video game releases.

Kohli is the lead in Saros, an action game exclusive to PlayStation 5, developed by Finnish studio Housemarque. But what makes his journey particularly compelling is where it all began.

Humble Beginnings Behind the Counter

Long before the cameras started rolling, a young Rahul Kohli was standing behind the counter at Gamestation — a now-defunct British High Street video game retailer — helping customers pick out their next purchase. It was his first paid job, and he still vividly remembers the distinctive "burning smell" of the shrink wrap machine the stores used to reseal second-hand consoles.

His love affair with gaming started even earlier than that. During primary school, when asked to present his dream career to classmates, Kohli didn't talk about becoming a doctor or a lawyer. He showed them a tape of video game trailers.

Early Acting Roots in the Gaming World

When Kohli eventually broke into acting, the gaming world was never far behind. His earliest on-screen appearances included advertisements for Sony's handheld PlayStation Vita console and the popular party game series Buzz. Even then, he recognized the significance of those moments.

"Wow, I'm doing a PlayStation commercial, look how far I've come," he reflected.

As his career expanded into television and film — including his breakthrough role in the horror-comedy series iZombie and prominent parts in Netflix productions such as Midnight Mass — Kohli never lost his passion for gaming. He became a frequent guest on gaming podcasts and lent his voice to titles including Call of Duty and Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun. On social media, alongside posts about films, Warhammer, and his beloved Liverpool FC, gaming content consistently resonates with his fanbase.

Landing the Role of a Lifetime

When Housemarque came knocking, Kohli needed no introduction. The Helsinki-based studio, known for its critically acclaimed arcade-style shooters, approached him to portray Arjun Devraj — an enforcer working for the futuristic Soltari corporation, dispatched on a dangerous rescue mission to the unforgiving planet of Carcosa.

For Kohli, Saros also marked his first experience with motion capture technology, and he embraced it wholeheartedly.

"It's the purest form of acting," he said. "It's the closest to being kids in the garden doing make-believe."

Game director Gregory Louden confirmed that Kohli's commitment went well beyond what was expected, with the actor insisting on recording even incidental animations typically handled by specialist performers.

A Growing Trend: Hollywood Meets the Gaming Industry

Kohli's casting reflects a broader shift in the entertainment landscape. The boundary between traditional acting and video game performance continues to blur, with more high-profile names making the crossover.

Recently, Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul and Westworld actor Jeffrey Wright appeared in the superhero title Dispatch, while Daredevil's Charlie Cox featured in the critically praised Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Cox openly admitted he's "not much of a gamer" but acknowledged that the response to the game had revealed the sheer "enormity" of the games industry to him.

Saros: Building on Returnal's Legacy

Housemarque was acquired by Sony following the 2021 launch of Returnal, a PS5 title widely regarded as one of the console's finest games — albeit one infamous for its punishing difficulty. Saros carries forward a similar gameplay style but introduces new features allowing players to adjust the level of challenge to better suit their preferences.

Louden explained that the studio made a deliberate choice to "make it more approachable for more people" while preserving the intensity the developer is known for. "For us, it was about taking this formula that we love and then expanding it, but making sure we kept our edge so more players can love it as well," he said.

While Returnal earned widespread critical praise, available sales data suggests it fell short of the commercial performance achieved by Sony's bigger first-party titles. With Saros, the studio is clearly aiming for broader appeal — and having a lead actor as genuinely passionate about gaming as Rahul Kohli may prove to be one of its greatest assets.