Hot off the release of The Alters, 11 Bit Studios has announced the long-awaited console release date for its difficult city-builder survival simulation title, Frostpunk 2. The game took home the award for Best Sim/Strategy Game at The Game Awards 2024, and now it will be made available for a wider audience this September.
Frostpunk 2 puts you in the shoes of “The Steward,” the leader of New London in a wintry apocalypse set 30 years after the first title, which earned an 8.75 out of 10 from Game Informer when it was released in 2018. Throughout the campaign, players must manage a much larger city and its resources and people, making near-impossible decisions along the way to ensure the populace’s survival.
11 Bit claims to have implemented many lessons from its console port of the first Frostpunk, which arrived in 2019, a year and a half after the PC version launched. The circular interface has been fine-tuned to allow for the intricate keyboard controls to translate even better on gamepad. Players will be able to use controller bumpers to cycle between districts and access a dynamic radial menu for actions involving resource piles. For those on PC who would like to use gamepad controls, the PC version will receive a free update adding this control scheme as an option.
“Initially, we tried to carry over as many interface solutions as possible,” production coordinator Igor Skibinski said in a press release. “But the two games differ so much in terms of gameplay that we had to adapt and rework those systems over time. Still, our main focus was to make interaction with the game feel seamless – so players never have to think about how to play while they’re playing. Our ambition is to once again prove that even complex strategy games can feel intuitive and satisfying on consoles.”
Additionally, 11 Bit Studios partnered with Skybound Games to create two premium physical editions to accompany the digital release. The Icebreaker Edition includes the full game on disc, a pop-up diorama of New London, a digital novella called Warm Flesh, and a digital artbook that chronicles the creation of Frostpunk 2’s world. The Whiteout Edition includes all of the Icebreaker Edition content, plus a multi-layered shadow box with integrated LED lighting, a Deluxe Edition upgrade that grants access to three upcoming DLC releases, a metal-and-enamel keychain, two New London art postcards, Frostpunk-themed stickers, and one of two possible embroidered faction patches. The Icebreaker Edition will be $50, while the Whiteout Edition retails for $100.
Frostpunk 2 arrives on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S (including Game Pass) on September 18. Although Game Informer was shut down during the time when we would have otherwise reviewed it, we came away from a 2024 hands-on session with very positive impressions.