There is an old saying in the halls of 11 Bit Studios: The biggest challenge for a band is to record a second album that surpasses the debut. This sentiment echoed through our minds as we discussed a sequel to Frostpunk. The first game wasn’t necessarily designed to have a direct sequel, but to create a world where different kinds of games could take place. And yet here we are, more than six years later, on the eve of Frostpunk 2‘s launch on Windows PC and PC Game Pass.
When you create something new, there is always a desire to say something fresh – be it a new idea, a new story, or an innovative gameplay experience. The challenge for us was to make sure we had something meaningful to say about life in a post-apocalyptic city that resonated just as deeply as the first game, but on a much larger and evolved scale. We wanted to explore new aspects of human survival that felt both familiar and entirely new, delivering a genuine and creatively necessary sequel.
It didn’t feel right to simply let players survive a harsher winter or a more violent storm. That wouldn’t push the boundaries or fulfill our ambitions. By the end of 2019, the vision for Frostpunk 2 had begun to take shape, taking a significant step beyond mere survival. A leap forward of 30 years, in fact – that’s how much time has passed between the first and second games. While the original Frostpunk was about keeping a single city alive and not giving up hope in an icy world of despair. In the sequel, society itself is treated like a liquid. Humanity has tamed the frost and now it is time to deal with ideologies and visions of the future.
As the newly elected administrator replacing the departed captain, it is the player’s job to manage this fluid society – one that can flow, simmer, or even ignite. Players must consider the needs of the factions and know when to push for votes, even if it means getting caught in a web of conflicting promises. Sometimes it’s better to step back, let the delegates whims run wild, and watch the consequences. Frostpunk 2 It is not about authoritarian rule, but about political and ideological conflicts.
The aspect of “survival in society” of the first game is reinforced in Frostpunk 2. To really feel the impact of long-term decisions, we have expanded the game. Instead of days, weeks and months pass. Instead of building individual buildings, you build entire districts. The social impact is also more profound in Utopia Builder Mode similar to the Endless Mode from the original game, where players can freely develop their cities and societies without being hampered by the narrative constraints of the campaign.
And for those who want to expand their creativity even further, we introduce mod support with our Frostkit Tool. It will begin in beta and will allow players to change almost every aspect of the game – from maps and models to entire scenarios. With all of this, we couldn’t be more excited to welcome players back to the frozen world of Frostpunk 2is released today for Windows PC, with Game Pass.
Frostpunk 2
11bitstudios
Frostpunk 2 takes the city survival genre to a new level. Take on the role of an administrator and lead your city through a cascade of disasters in a post-apocalyptic, snowy environment. Build large city districts with their endless needs and demands. Navigate the conflicting interests of the factions that populate your metropolis. As the city’s needs grow and the power of the factions at its core increases, only you can steer society into an uncertain future. The city is growing. The world is ravaged by an ever-present winter that makes city expansion humanity’s only means of survival. To grow, the metropolis needs resources like coal and oil, just as its citizens need food and warmth. In Frostpunk 2, it’s your job to manage this never-ending cycle of supply and demand. City Districts Your city is divided into zones that serve different purposes, such as housing or mining. It’s up to you to build new ones and make sure the ones you already have work perfectly together. Special Buildings Over time, you’ll need to build places like the City Hall or the Research Institute. In these buildings, you’ll introduce laws and projects to make sure your city is developing in the right direction. Colonies To ensure your city’s growth doesn’t stall, you’ll need to venture into the Frostlands. There, you can build extensive colonies that will provide all the necessary resources. Perlis of Human Nature Your citizens are constantly growing in number, making the task of governing them and meeting their demands all the more challenging. As an administrator, you’ll need to carefully balance the interests of many groups that inhabit the city. New Londoners Your citizens can form communities and factions, each with different ideas about the city’s future. In the Council Chamber, you’ll introduce laws and negotiate them with the faction’s delegates. Council Chamber Supporting each faction in the Council Chamber is expensive, as the rise of one faction causes discontent among the others. This means you must think carefully about each alliance. Towards Progress At the Research Institute, you forge the future of the city. Each new project must be entrusted to a faction, forcing you to maneuver and form strategic alliances. Factions The people of your city want to have a say in how you proceed. Each faction has its own ideology and vision of the future, but they also have one thing in common – an insatiable hunger for power. Choose your allies wisely in the Council Chamber. Story Mode and Utopia Builder Frostpunk 2’s story introduces a multi-chapter saga set in the icy desert. Spanning the life of the Administrator, this campaign lets you feel the burden of leadership as you take responsibility for thousands of lives. At the same time, the sandbox mode called Utopia Builder with unlimited playtime gives you room for limitless social and infrastructural experimentation.
