What you need to know
- 11 bit studios has announced that Frostpunk 2's release date has been delayed until September 20, 2024.
- This is due to the developers needing more time to incorporate gameplay improvements and new features based on player feedback from the Frostpunk 2 Beta two months.
- Frostpunk 2 is a city-builder with survival elements that's planned to be released on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5 on September 20, 2024.
On June 27, 2024, 11 bit studios announced has delayed the release date of the highly-anticipated city-builder game, Frostpunk 2, from July 25, 2024, to September 20, 2024. This hard decision was made because the developers have stated they need more time to improve the game based on player feedback they received during Frostpunk 2's beta two months ago.
Just over two months ago, you had the chance to play the Beta, and we greatly appreciate the feedback you shared with us. Your observations, along with the existing backlog of features that we were already working on, made us realize that we can prioritize things better to… pic.twitter.com/iTMG3853DGJune 27, 2024
As we analyzed your feedback and prioritized things we want to add to the game, we realized that to properly do them justice – and to guarantee the best possible experience at launch – we need more time to finish the development of Frostpunk 2. That’s why we made the difficult decision to postpone its release to September 20th, 2024.
Kuba & Łukasz, 11 bit studios
The developers ensure players that the wait will be worth it as they have provided a small preview of the many new gameplay features and improvements that will be coming to Frostpunk 2 at launch.
Additions to the game mechanics
First up is a sneak peek at some of the gameplay improvements that will be added to the final product of Frostpunk 2 (as taken from the official Frostpunk 2 news post on Steam):
- Changes to temperature, Heat and proximity-based gameplay, including new and rebalanced Hubs, that will make the city-building gameplay deeper and more impactful,
- More detailed and flexible workforce management,
- More direct-use abilities in the game loop, to allow you to react to crises more dynamically,
- A new resource to make city-building and expansion more strategic, helping you stabilize the city’s economy,
- Ability to reshape your districts after their construction,
- Factions’ behavior that is better aligned with their lore,
- A more thorough and complex approach to dealing with protests.
Extensive UI & UX enhancement –
The second piece of new info showcases a couple of improvements to the game's user interface and user experience to be more user-friendly, such as:
- Improving the HUD (Head-Up Display) to make it clearer and more intuitive,
- Adding a new construction menu along with five new city Hubs,
- Improving the clarity, readability and look & feel of the Idea Tree and Frostland.
Zoom Stories
The final piece of new gameplay info is the inclusion of a new mechanic called Zoom Stories. With this, players will be able to zoom in close on specific parts of the city they're running and witness the daily lives of their citizens.
Mark your calendars for the new frosty release date of Frostpunk 2
• 7 common PC gaming mistakes
• How to check graphics card on Windows 11
• How to build your own PC
• How to upgrade RAM in a laptop
• How to get started with PC gaming
With this delay, it will give 11 bit studios more time to refine Frostpunk 2 to near perfection when it releases. It's easy to see why they are going the extra mile for this upcoming Xbox title, as critics and fans praised the original Frostpunk as one of the best PC Games and Best Xbox Games in the city-builder genre.
Even our own Jez Corden lavished the original Frostpunk with praise when he reviewed the Xbox One version. Also, judging by our own Samuel Tolbert's preview for Frostpunk 2, the sequel is aiming to be more ambitious than its predecessor with bigger cities to manage and more difficult challenges to overcome.
Will Frostpunk 2 be able to live up to the expectations of fans who loved the original Frostpunk and will these gameplay changes for this upcoming PC title be well received by the gaming public? Find out when Frostpunk 2 launches on September 20, 2024, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Windows, Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG. It will also be released on PC Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass on the day it releases.
