Frostpunk 2 Release Date Confirmed

07.03.2024 - 03:31 / gamerant.com

After years of speculation, survival city builder Frostpunk 2 has a release date of July 25, 2024. Announced over two and a half years ago, Frostpunk 2 looks to offer an even more distressing experience than before, and in greater detail.

Both the city-building and survival genres have long been well-established in the gaming space, with the latter experiencing a relatively recent surge in popularity thanks to the likes of Valheim, Palworld, and Sons of the Forest. But Frostpunk merged and took them to a glacial extreme — surviving a new Ice Age as players attempt to build a haven amid an inhospitable landscape. The often nerve-wracking and harrowing approach was so successful that Frostpunk was nominated for its writing at the 2019 BAFTA awards, but ultimately lost out to God of War. Between Frostpunk and This War is Mine, 11 bit Studios has carved out a niche for bleak but nonetheless gripping tales and experiences of surviving war and wastelands.

A rumored release leak for Frostpunk 2 was quickly shot down by its developer two years ago, which claimed the game would be out early 2024. Although that window has passed, fans anticipating 11 bit Studio's newest chilling endeavor will not have to wait too much longer, as it was revealed during an Xbox Partner Showcase that Frostpunk 2 will release on July 25, 2024. Those who pre-order the deluxe edition are offered access to a week-long beta in April, which limits players to the sandbox mode — a feature that will be familiar to owners of the previous game. The deluxe edition additionally includes 3 paid post-release DLCs, 72-hour early access to the story mode, digital artbook, soundtrack, exclusive in-game item, and a Frostpunk novella. According to the Steam page, the standard edition foregoes all the aforementioned extras and is only a purchase of the base game.

Frostpunk 2 looks to be a sequel in both name and narrative, taking place approximately three decades from the events of the first title. Although the freezing cold has seemingly been dialed back slightly, humans and their different factions will pose much more of a threat. Beyond the frozen wastes and politics of survival, Frostpunk fans are deeply passionate about its soundtrack and hope that Piotr Musiał returns to score the sequel. Even after half a decade since its initial release, the Frostpunk soundtrack was launched for a second time on vinyl, and as of February 2024, pre-order stock was almost sold out.

The trailer shown during the Xbox Partner Showcase reiterated previously known information that Frostpunk 2 would be coming to Xbox Game Pass, but it is not an Xbox exclusive. It continues a trend of Xbox Game Pass curating a healthy collection of survival titles, from Valheim to Palworld