Alan Wake 2 release date, gameplay and everything we know

Alan Wake 2 launches later this year, finally giving fans another mystery to untangle after the first game came out over 13 years ago.

From what we’ve seen so far, this sequel looks set to double down on the horror elements showcased in the first game, and it’ll have not one but two playable characters.

Alan Wake 2 is definitely one of this year’s most anticipated games. Want to know more? Read on for everything we know about Alan Wake 2 so far, including its release date, a look at gameplay, and all of the latest news.

Alan Wake 2: cut to the chase

What is it? The sequel to psychological thriller Alan WakeWhen does it come out? October 17, 2023What can I play it on? PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (via Epic Game Store)

Alan Wake 2 release date

(Image credit: Remedy Entertainment )

Alan Wake 2 will launch on October 17, 2023. This was confirmed recently during the May 2023 PlayStation Showcase, alongside some new gameplay details and a look at a new protagonist.

Alan Wake 2 platforms

(Image credit: Epic Games)

Remedy has confirmed that Alan Wake 2 will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC (via Epic Game Store). Interestingly, the game will be a digital-only release. This could change in the future, but according to an FAQ on the game’s official website, Remedy is skipping physical in order to “keep the price of the game at $59.99 / €59.99 and the PC version at $49.99 / €49.99.”

Alan Wake 2 trailers

The latest trailer for Alan Wake 2 was shown at Summer Game Fest, giving us some insight into the gameplay and showing off the game’s two protagonists, Alan Wake and Saga Anderson. Although the trailer is fairly short, it’s filled with tension, jump scares, and deer-headed foes. The full trailer can be seen below. 

It’s worth keeping an eye on the Remedy Entertainment YouTube channel for any Alan Wake 2 trailers you might’ve missed. The channel also boasts an anniversary update which, though not a trailer per se, is full of exciting tidbits about the design decisions behind the game. We’ve also included some additional trailers throughout this article.

Alan Wake 2 story and setting

Is Alan Wake still trapped in the “Dark Place”?
Though little has been confirmed about the specifics of Alan Wake 2‘s story, the finale of the first game, as well as the subsequent DLC have written some pretty big cheques, story-wise.

At the end of the first game, Alan found himself trapped in the “Dark Place”, the Lovecraftian parallel dimension from which the darkness that hunted him seemed to originate. In DLC episodes entitled “The Signal” and “The Writer”, Alan was able to free himself by confronting a twisted, mirror version of himself.

It seems likely that Remedy will seek to develop these themes in Alan Wake 2 – it’s certainly what we want to see in the sequel. From what we’ve seen in the trailers so far, Alan Wake is definitely still trapped in a nightmarish Hellscape. He appears to be writing a horror story in an attempt to escape, a story which is becoming true in the real world.

Alan Wake 2 will play out over three hub areas: Bright Falls, the primordial forest surrounding Cauldron Lake, and the run-down town of Watery. The Dark Place will also feature, presenting a shifting, looping reality. In the latest trailer, Anderson and Alan Wake do meet each other, so it seems as though Alan may be getting out of the nightmare realm at some point in the game. Time will tell.

Who is Saga Anderson?
Agent Saga Anderson’s an FBI Agent sent on an investigation to solve a string of ritualistic murders in Bright Falls. She then discovers a page from a horror story , which then starts to describe real world events happening in the town. This is how she learns of Alan Wake, and his disappearance almost 13 years prior. 

Anderson served as the game’s co-protagonist, and will be one of two playable characters. So far, it’s unclear whether she holds a secret connection to Alan Wake, but knowing Remedy, we’re betting she’s got some secrets of her own.

Alan Wake 2 gameplay

Things seem to be a pretty standard over-the-shoulder third-person shooter, akin to more modern survival horror titles like Resident Evil 2 remake. We know that guns will once again be used to dispatch monstrous enemies and that the flashlight will be a key tool for keeping them at bay and for exploration.

As mentioned previously, Alan Wake 2 will feature two playable protagonists in the form of Alan Wake and Saga Anderson. It’s unclear how the two characters will differ in terms of gameplay, but it’s clear that their stories are intertwined as featured in the trailers we have seen so far. 

Though we’ve seen a decent amount of gameplay now, information as to what we might expect from Alan Wake 2 is still fairly sparse. There are a few nuggets of information floating about that can help us piece things together, however. 

In a special 12th Anniversary blog post Remedy announced that Alan Wake 2 would be the developer’s “first survival horror game”. The implication, here, is that we will see more survival elements in the sequel than we saw in the original Alan Wake, which focused more on psychological horror. This certainly tracks with the footage we’ve seen so far, especially with the cultish vibes represented by the deer-headed folk seen in the newest trailer. 

Alan Wake 2 news

(Image credit: Remedy Entertainment)

Alan Wake 2 now has build that can be played from start to finish
In February 2023, Remedy’s CEO Tero Virtala announced that “Alan Wake 2 is in full production… and it is playable from start to finish” (via Video Games Chronicle). Virtala went on to say that the studio “will then move on to polishing the experience”, affirming that “Alan Wake is a unique brand that holds high value for the company today.”

It’ll remain third-person with original voice actors returning
Sam Lake has confirmed on Twitter that Alan Wake 2 will be third-person, like the first game, and that voice actors from the original game (Ilkka Villi and Matthew Porretta) will return for the sequel. 

That’s everything you need to know about Alan Wake 2 so far. For more on the game, be sure to read our article on how Remedy tells a story better than anyone else in gaming.