The Sinking City 2 is an impressively revolting survival horror game. Frogwares fills its Lovecraftian world with worms, unnatural growths and plenty of slime, creating a consistently unpleasant atmosphere that is difficult to forget. The adventure is not flawless, but its scares, puzzles and forceful gunplay make it a compelling experience.
Released on 18 August 2026 for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Switch 2, The Sinking City 2 is a standalone follow-up to 2019’s The Sinking City. It introduces a new cast, a different New England setting and a separate story, so newcomers can begin here without playing the first game.
The change is even more pronounced in the genre. The original was a detective-focused adventure with a strong narrative and relatively weak combat. Its successor is a third-person survival horror game shaped by the modern Resident Evil remakes, with resource management, environmental puzzles and dangerous close-quarters fights.
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From detective work to survival horror
Frogwares’ shift in direction works better than expected. After a few hours, counting bullets and health items becomes more important than comparing the sequel with its predecessor. The studio has built a focused horror experience rather than simply adding combat to its earlier detective formula.
The game takes place in Arkham, Massachusetts, a city being consumed by the sea. As the water rises, grotesque worms spread through the streets, animate corpses and become one of the major threats facing protagonist Calvin Rafferty. Other cosmic-horror creatures appear throughout the roughly 10-hour campaign and its smaller side missions.
Calvin has a personal reason for entering this dying city. The woman he loves is trapped in a supernatural coma after a spell goes wrong, and he must find a way to save her before the answers he needs disappear beneath the water.
He travels through several key Arkham locations on foot and by boat. Among them are a disturbing hospital and a run-down nightclub whose central attraction requires assistance. Each area feels large enough to reward careful exploration without becoming an empty open world.
Maps help with navigation, while locked routes encourage players to search for keys, equipment, levers and other unusual objects. The nightclub is particularly effective, using narrow corridors, ambushes and multiple levels to guide Calvin into spaces most people would sensibly avoid.
Powerful weapons, limited resources
Enemies are common, and The Sinking City 2 often presents more creatures than Calvin can safely defeat. Ammunition and healing supplies need to be managed carefully, making retreat a sensible option rather than a sign of failure.
When a fight is unavoidable, the weapons have satisfying impact. The shotgun is excellent against worm-ridden undead, while the starting pistol sounds surprisingly aggressive. Upgrades can make the pistol and other firearms increasingly effective, provided players conserve ammunition and land their shots. Some attack animations are noticeably stiff, however.
- Developer: Frogwares
- Genre: Third-person action survival horror
- Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Switch 2
- Release date: 18 August 2026
- Play time: 11 hours for the main story and most side missions
- Strengths: Revolting creature design, effective scares, powerful guns and a fitting conclusion
- Weaknesses: Minor performance issues, stiff animations and too many wave-based combat encounters
When the fights become repetitive
The biggest problem is the number of forced arena battles. These sequences trap Calvin in a small area and send enemies towards him in waves. Escape is unavailable, so the only way forward is to eliminate everything while opening scattered crates that provide limited ammunition and health supplies.
Combat and controls are solid enough for ordinary encounters, but they lack the responsiveness and depth needed to support so many prolonged firefights. These moments feel like the clearest example of Frogwares pushing the action further than the game’s systems can comfortably manage.
Fortunately, the rest of the campaign remains disciplined. Levels do not become bloated, the weapon selection stays manageable, and cutscenes avoid dragging. Safe rooms offer optional upgrades, but the system is simple and can largely be ignored without undermining the experience.
That focus is one of the game’s greatest strengths. Instead of an oversized world or elaborate RPG skill trees, it concentrates on oppressive exploration, cosmic horror, unsettling puzzles and carefully controlled resource scarcity. Players who enjoy compact horror adventures may also appreciate RETROCADE’s arcade videos for more game-focused viewing.
A grim ending with real weight
The Sinking City 2 delivers an ending that feels unusually well matched to its Lovecraftian ideas. It is not cheerful, but it understands that stories about humans challenging ancient cosmic powers rarely conclude with a neat, happy resolution. The finale gives the journey a sense of purpose rather than simply stopping at the end of the final level.
The game’s creation also lends that conclusion a different kind of significance. Frogwares developed it in Ukraine while its team continues to live and work amid Russia’s ongoing war against the country and its people.
It opens with a message acknowledging what the team has endured and sacrificed. An optional hospital area contains X-rays depicting real injuries suffered by people known to the developers during the invasion. It is a confronting reminder of the circumstances in which the game was made.
The war continues, and the uncertainty surrounding the studio has not disappeared. Yet Frogwares has produced a confident, efficient survival horror game despite circumstances that could have stopped its development entirely. The Sinking City 2 is uneven when it leans too heavily on wave-based combat, but its atmosphere, level design, monsters and ending make it a strong recommendation for horror fans.
For readers building a home gaming setup, RETROCADE’s Arcade Machine Buying Guide offers practical advice on choosing the right cabinet.
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