NEW ON STEAM
The Sinking City 2
At a glance
The Sinking City 2 game facts
Steam store information checked 2026-09-02。- Studio
- Frogwares Published by Frogwares
- Release
- Aug 18, 2026 Released
- Official genres
- Action · Adventure
- Play mode
- Single-player
- Desktop platforms
- Windows
- Steam Deck
- Unsupported No additional compatibility detail
- Controller
- Full support
- Steam features
- Achievements · Trading Cards · Cloud · Family Sharing
- Languages
- 15 listed languages English, French, Italian, German
What that means for your setupThe Sinking City 2 is developed and self-published by Frogwares, the Ukrainian studio best known for their Sherlock Holmes detective series and the original 2019 Sinking City. The game released on Windows on August 18, 2026, as a single-player Action-Adventure title, so there is no co-op partner to lean on when the Deep Ones come shuffling out of the tide. It carries full controller support and offers Steam features like Achievements, Trading Cards, Cloud saves, and Family Sharing. Frogwares advertises audio and text support across fifteen languages including English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Arabic, Czech, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Turkish, and Ukrainian. Steam Deck is listed as Unsupported with no additional compatibility detail provided, so portable play is not something you can count on right now.
If you have ever wanted a survival horror game that feels like stumbling through a flooded 1920s nightmare while rationing every bullet, The Sinking City 2 is shaping up to be exactly that kind of trip. Frogwares has traded the original's open-world detective wandering for tighter, Resident Evil-style corridors, but the studio clearly brought its signature love of Lovecraftian lore along for the ride. Across the early Steam buzz, players keep landing on the same compliment: this is a beautiful, atmospheric horror game with combat that finally holds together, made by a small Ukrainian team working through unimaginably difficult circumstances.
What the game actually feels like
You spend most of your time inching through waterlogged Arkham streets, cramped hospitals, and a fish market where the merchandise snaps back, managing a limited inventory while deciding whether each fight is worth the ammo it will cost. That pressure-relief loop, push forward, fall back to a safe room, craft and reload, then push again, is the heartbeat reviewers consistently call out as the strongest part of the package.
Combat finally feels like it belongs. Multiple long-time Frogwares fans explicitly say this is the first time the studio's shooting and melee carry real weight, with reviewers describing satisfying impact and tense encounters even if it does not reach the polish of the biggest survival-horror names. Enemies like reanimating Slither and surging Deep Ones punish sloppy aim, so you learn to make every shot count.
Exploration is still the soul of the game. Optional cases and side rooms are not required to progress, but they hand back hard supplies, safer routes, and gear upgrades that meaningfully change how you survive the next encounter. The map even color-codes cleared rooms from red to blue, which several players singled out as a small but very satisfying quality-of-life touch.
The setting is the star. Reviewers keep calling the city drab, water-worn, and atmospheric in a way that genuinely sells Arkham as a place buckling under a supernatural flood, with Art Deco ruins and tide-stained avenues that feel lived-in rather than dressed up.
What early players are seeing
What is landing
- Multiple reviewers independently called it the most beautiful and atmospheric Lovecraftian game they have played, with one early review simply reading 'The most beautiful and lovingly crafted Lovecraftian horror game to date.' Another long-time Frogwares follower wrote that this is the first time the studio has shown they can deliver a true blockbuster-quality survival horror experience while keeping their signature attention to detail intact.
- Players keep highlighting the moment-to-moment tension of survival horror done right. One reviewer summarized it as 'a REAL survival horror game, forcing you to carefully manage your resources and remembering every moment that you are just a dude,' and several others compared the feel favorably to Resident Evil while noting it brings its own Lovecraftian identity rather than copying wholesale.
- There is also a strong undercurrent of appreciation for the studio's context. Reviewers openly acknowledged that Frogwares built this during an active war in Ukraine, and multiple players said that context made them want to support the team even before they ever pressed Start. One backer even reported that their own voice is in the game, which speaks to how closely the community was invited in.
What still needs watching
- The detective side of Frogwares' identity is intentionally dialed back here, and fans of the original's open-world investigation can bounce off the more linear, combat-heavy design. Several returning players said outright that if you came for Sinking City's sprawling mystery loops, this sequel will feel like a different game.
- Melee combat is the most consistent technical complaint. Reviewers describe swinging weapons as feeling clunky with inconsistent hitboxes and negligible damage, which can push you toward ranged combat and make ammo scarcity feel even more punishing.
- The Premium Edition is a sore point for a self-published studio. Multiple reviews flagged that the soundtrack is sold separately even at the top tier, and a Day 1 DLC revolver is not balanced by an equivalent base-game sidearm, which some players felt gave paying customers an unfair edge on harder difficulties.
Is The Sinking City 2 worth buying now?
Current decision
Worth tryingThe Sinking City 2 leans hard into atmospheric survival horror with real teeth, and the early Steam reception is broadly positive, but it is a meaningful departure from the detective-focused original, has clear melee and Premium Edition rough edges, and sits at full price with no discount on Steam. That combination makes it an easy recommendation for horror fans who like Resident Evil-style resource pressure and Lovecraftian flavor, while players who specifically want Frogwares' classic investigation depth should temper expectations or wait for a sale.
Who this is for
A good fit if you…
- Survival horror players who like resource-lean combat and tense inventory decisions in the vein of Resident Evil
- Lovecraftian horror fans who want a game that takes Arkham, cults, and eldritch dread seriously rather than just decorating a shooter with them
- Players who appreciate a smaller, self-published studio and want to support a Ukrainian team making ambitious genre work under difficult real-world circumstances
- Anyone who enjoys atmospheric, exploration-driven levels with optional side cases that reward thorough searching with upgrades and safer routes
- Single-player horror fans who want a self-contained 10 to 15 hour campaign without any co-op or live-service hooks
Wait if you…
- You mainly want the original Sinking City's open-world detective investigation, because several returning fans felt this sequel traded too much of that identity for action
- You dislike clunky melee combat and limited ammo pressure, since both are recurring criticisms in early reviews
- You are sensitive to Premium Edition value, because the soundtrack being sold separately and a Day 1 DLC revolver that outclasses base-game sidearms frustrated multiple reviewers
- You need Steam Deck playability, since Valve's handheld is currently listed as Unsupported with no additional compatibility detail
If The Sinking City 2 is not quite your game
SIMILAR OPTION · 20% OFF
Crimson Desert Enhanced
Choose it ifChoose Crimson Desert if you want a sweeping open-world adventure with big battles; choose The Sinking City 2 if you want a focused horror campaign with Lovecraftian atmosphere
How it comparesAmbitious single-player action-adventure with a large world Crimson Desert Enhanced is a vast open-world action-adventure on the continent of Pywel with large-scale combat and exploration, while The Sinking City 2 is a much smaller, linear survival-horror experience built around tight levels and resource scarcity
SIMILAR OPTION
Metro Exodus
Choose it ifChoose Metro Exodus if you want a longer, more shooter-driven journey through a ruined open region; choose The Sinking City 2 if you want tighter, scarier horror spaces with investigation flavor
How it comparesSurvival-horbor tone and atmospheric dread Metro Exodus is a first-person shooter with heavy shooting, vehicle traversal, and a year-long story across post-apocalyptic Russia, while The Sinking City 2 is third-person, slower, more puzzle-focused, and swaps gunplay weight for claustrophobic horror and Lovecraftian lore rather than nuclear wasteland survival
SIMILAR OPTION
REMNANT II®
Choose it ifChoose REMNANT II if you want repeatable co-op or solo runs focused on ranged combat and boss fights; choose The Sinking City 2 if you want a quieter, story-led horror campaign you can play alone
How it comparesThird-person action-horror with exploration REMNANT II is built around gunplay, builds, and up to three-player co-op runs through randomly rolled worlds, while The Sinking City 2 is strictly single-player, more linear, and leans harder on inventory management, puzzles, and a fixed Lovecraftian story
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