The Sinking City 2

A third-person survival horror from Frogwares, set in a flooded, Lovecraftian 1920s Arkham. Launches August 18, 2026 on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. It's $49.99, the free demo it launched with is no longer listed on Steam (checked September 26, 2026), and Premium Edition pre-orders played 24 hours early.

What is The Sinking City 2?

It's the sequel to the 2019 detective-horror The Sinking City, but it's not the same game twice. Frogwares leaned hard into survival horror this time: deliberate pacing, tight resources, inventory you actually have to think about, and fear as something you manage rather than a jumpscare generator. You explore drowned Arkham on foot and by skiff, double back through shortcuts for supplies, and take on optional investigations that open safer routes and upgrade your gear.

The story: a ritual went wrong and trapped the woman you love in the Dreamlands. Malevolent forces stole her body, and you walk a flooded city toward the source of the disaster to get her back.

Frogwares built the game in Kyiv through Russia's war in Ukraine, after a years-long court fight with its former publisher over the original IP. Worth knowing when you see the price below — this is a $50 game from a studio that deliberately undersold a AAA-sized idea.

How it plays

• Resource-lean survival horror. Pressure builds the deeper you go. Relief lives in brief safe spots, and running low on bullets is a real state to be in.
• What you're facing. The Slither animate the dead, Deep Ones surge out of dark water, and Shadows bend space. Some fights you take head-on; some you retreat from, rearm, and come back better prepared.
• Parkour by water. Arkham is a Roaring '20s port city buckling under a supernatural flood — tide-stained streets, dead speakeasies, a hospital where science hides its face, a fish market where the merchandise bites back.
• Investigations are optional but worth it. They never gate the main story, but they unlock shortcuts, hard supplies and upgrades. One optional case ends with an upgraded gun.

Getting started (before you even buy)

The smartest first step used to be the free demo on Steam — the same opening that sold the community on the game months before launch. It is not listed on Steam any more (checked September 26, 2026), so the equivalent now is watching the opening on YouTube. People on r/survivalhorror called it "shockingly excellent" the week it dropped, and the "are you looking forward to it" thread pulled 323 upvotes.

When the full game unlocks, a few habits help from hour one:

• Don't hoard, but don't waste. Resources are meant to be spent. The game is designed around scarcity, not around letting you end the run with 40 rounds unused.
• Do the optional cases as they appear. They don't gate progress, but they're your main source of permanent upgrades and safer routes.
• Mind the shortcuts. Unlocking them is the difference between a quick supply run and a slog through enemy water.

Quick facts & FAQ

• When does it come out? August 18, 2026, worldwide. See the release date & editions page.
• What platforms? PC (Steam, Windows only), PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. No Mac or Linux version.
• Is there co-op or multiplayer? No. Single-player only.
• Is there a demo? Not any more — the free demo that ran from June through launch has been pulled from Steam (checked September 26, 2026). What it contained →
• Is it on Game Pass? No Game Pass availability at launch, and no Xbox Play Anywhere either.
• How long is it? Not confirmed yet — Frogwares hasn't published playtime numbers. The original Sinking City ran 20–30 hours for most players; expect comparable scope, but that's an estimate, not a fact.
• What specs do I need? Minimum needs a GTX 1070 / RX 5700, 16 GB RAM and 70 GB on an SSD (Windows 11, DX12), targeting 1080p/30 on Low. Recommended is an RTX 4070 Ti / RX 7900 XT with 32 GB for 1440p/60 on Medium.
• Is it worth $49.99? Full honest take on the worth-it page.