Alan Wake 2 release date, trailers, gameplay, story & more

Alan Wake 2 is one of the most anticipated games of the year, and we've got everything you need to know about the release date, gameplay, and the latest trailers right here.

Launching 13 years after the first game, Alan Wake 2 brings our titular writer back to the action-horror-filled woods for further dangers. After the success of games like Control, it's fantastic to see Remedy return to a game like Alan Wake and give it the sequel that it deserves.

Ready to dive straight in? Check out everything you need to know about Alan Wake 2 below, as we've got all of the latest information.

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When is the Alan Wake 2 release date?

Alan Wake 2 is scheduled to launch on October 27th, 2023. While it was initially announced to be released on October 17, Remedy has stated that they have pushed it back 10 days to give "more space for everyone to enjoy their favourite games."

This is, of course, in reference to the highly-packed month of October when it comes to video games, which also follows on from a full September. This date gives Alan Wake 2 more of a distinct spot in the calendar, which hopefully will lead to more players overall.

Remedy CEO Tero Virtala had previously revealed that the game was in "full production" as part of the company's financial results in February 2023.

“The game will soon have all content in place, and it is playable from start to finish," Virtala explained (thanks, VGC).

“We will then move onto polishing the experience. Alan Wake is a unique brand that holds high value for the company today.”

In the run-up to release, the precise release times for Alan Wake 2 have also been revealed in preparation for its global launch.

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Are there any Alan Wake 2 trailers?

Reveal Trailer

The first trailer for Alan Wake 2 was the CGI reveal trailer. It featured Alan narrating over a camera slowly creeping forward between environments that change from a forest to a big city, and a small town.

It eventually reaches Alan who turns to face the camera and whispers, "this story is a mGamescomonster" before it jump cuts to a scary blood-soaked face. The trailer gives off heavy horror vibes and looks like it's set to be Remedy's scariest outing yet.

PlayStation Showcase 2023

Then, we got a second in-engine trailer for Alan Wake 2 at the PlayStation Showcase. Here, we got a much closer look at the main characters of the story, as well as some of the enemies we'll encounter. The third trailer was the first to show actual gameplay and was released during the Summer Game Fest 2023.

Gameplay Trailer

Alan Wake 2 was featured prominently at Gamescom Opening Night Live. There, we finally got our first look at the playable gameplay of Alan Wake. He's been trapped in the 'Dark Place' dream dimension for 13 years, ever since the first game's events.

Interestingly, Remedy has opted to utilise a mix of both rendered gameplay and live-action segments, just like in Control. It offers a unique visual experience, which is very on-brand for Remedy. Oh, and there are horror elements galore, too.

An extended gameplay demo of Alan Wake 2 from Gamescom has also surfaced online, showing off 14 minutes of footage playing as the titular Alan Wake in the Dark Place. Much of what was shown involved the player exploring the New York City streets and fighting a couple of enemies before delving down into the subway.

A particularly interesting section saw the game zoom out into a pin board, where the player highlighted an image of the area in front of Alan before selecting a keyword, altering how the area looked completely.

Launch Trailer

In the final days of the run-up to release, a launch trailer for Alan Wake 2 appeared at the first Xbox Partner Preview, which also gave us our first look at some in-engine gameplay for the Metal Gear Solid 3 remake. 

In this launch trailer, we get a brief glimpse of the murder that lights the spark of this story, and the circumstances that lead Saga Anderson to searching for Alan as he grapples with his entanglement in The Dark Place.

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What gameplay details are there for Alan Wake 2?

Some comments from Sam Lake have illuminated a little about the experience so far. While he was being interviewed during The Game Awards, he said Alan Wake 2 would be a survival-horror game as opposed to the first, which was an action game with horror elements. He followed this up, stating it would be very psychological in nature with a deep, layered mystery.

Like the first game, it's third-person with an over-the-shoulder camera, featuring combat and exploration. Due to the survival horror focus this time, it may contain more puzzle-like elements, especially connected to the murder you'll solve in the story.

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What Alan Wake 2 story details do we know?

Story-wise, we'll be following Alan Wake and his partner Saga investigating a series of ritualistic murders in the Pacific Northwest of America. It was also confirmed that you would be playing both characters and switching between them during the story at your own will. 

In an interview with IGN, he also commented on the M rating, saying it was "liberating to not make compromises or censor yourself with the content," so we can expect the game to go in some pretty dark, and potentially twisted directions.

We also know it will be connected to the last Remedy title, Control, in some way, as both IPs are part of the Remedy Connected Universe. How clear the crossover will be remains to be seen, but it could range from a few references to a full-blown merger, where Control's protagonist is part of the Alan Wake 2 story.

• Looking for some more horror goodness? Check out our list of the best Resident Evil games here

Alan Wake 2 platforms

As a next-generation title, Alan Wake 2 will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and on PC it will be an Epic Games Store exclusive.

As you can see, Alan Wake 2 is a current-gen-only title, so you will have to upgrade your console (and potentially your PC too) if you want to reunite with your favourite writer.

So, that's everything we know so far about Alan Wake 2, giving you the latest updates when it comes to the game's release date, gameplay, trailers, platforms, and more.

For more on all of gaming's latest upcoming titles, make sure to check out our releases homepage.