When is the Blackfrost: The Long Dark 2 releasing on PC? Not every announcement at The Game Awards 2024 was for a massive triple-A game. Plenty of smaller games had their moment of glory too. A highlight for people into survival games with a strong visual style was Blackfrost: The Long Dark 2. After years of a strong community being built around the original game and its DLCs, it’s time to embark on a new journey… when the sequel is ready.
The Long Dark continues to be one of our favourite survival games to play alone, but that doesn’t mean its formula couldn’t be improved upon. The first teaser for the sequel not only looks remarkably sharper and shinier; it also promises much deeper gameplay and even more oppressive environments. It looks utterly brutal but also quite beautiful. The problem? It’s gonna take a while to arrive and even longer to reach a 1.0 launch. Read on below for all the details on its release date.
When is Blackfrost: The Long Dark 2 releasing on PC?
The announcement trailer, while seemingly quite advanced, crushed many fans’ hopes with the promised release window. We’re hoping it’ll be worth the long wait though.
- Blackrock: The Long Dark 2 will launch in early access at some point in 2026 for the PC.
The first game had a notoriously lengthy early access period until it reached its full release, and even then, it received further gameplay improvements and new content, so players familiar with the original shouldn’t be surprised that Hinterland Studio is once again letting this one simmer. Sure, we all would love to play it right now, but looking at the modern survival classic The Long Dark ended up becoming, we’re happy with playing something else in that genre until then.
What is new in Blackfrost: The Long Dark 2?
The game’s Steam page (you can wishlist it right now) has plenty of details up already, so the complete vision for the game is clear even at this early point in development. Here’s the rundown of the most interesting bits of info shared by Hinterland Studio:
- It takes place a year after the Aurora first appeared in the sky and rendered all technology inert.
- Both solo and co-op play are supported this time around.
- There’s a strong focus on NPC communities, but shared shelters can be made and improved along other players.
- Instead of adding survival mechanics to an open-world RPG, Blackfrost aims to be a survival RPG from the ground-up, whatever that means.
- Urban survival is a big part of the experience, introducing new opportunities and hazards.
- ‘Psychological’ survival has been added to the mix with sub-stats, doubts, and fears that have to be managed alongside physical needs.
- While Permadeath is still an option, a ‘Permalife’ system turns deaths into a way to evolve your character with new risks and fears that can also be overcome.
For now, Blackfrost: The Long Dark 2 has only been confirmed to hit PC (Steam) in 2026.
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