Frogwares has announced that The Sinking City 2 will shift its release window to the first half of 2026 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. The Ukrainian studio cited ongoing war conditions and the significant genre transition from investigation adventures to survival horror as primary reasons for requiring additional development time beyond their initially hoped-for 2025 launch.
Development Under Wartime Conditions
Head of Publishing Sergiy Oganesyan detailed the challenges of game development during conflict: “Developing a game during a war isn’t something you can ever really prepare for, but something you need to keep adapting to. At one point, we were losing power for days as drones and missiles hit our power grid. When that tactic stopped working, it became mass drone swarms every other night, going from midnight until dawn.”
The studio experienced regular production slowdowns from infrastructure attacks, creating circumstances where team members worked full days before spending sleepless nights listening for explosions whilst attempting to function the following morning. Rather than rushing to meet a self-imposed deadline under these conditions, Frogwares opted to prioritise sustainable development pacing that accommodates unpredictable wartime disruptions.
Genre Transition Challenges
Lead Game Designer Alexander Gresko explained the learning curve inherent in switching genres: “We’ve been making investigation adventures for more than twenty years, but survival horror asks for a completely different kind of design thinking. Tension, pacing, combat, etc. We’ve always loved the genre as fans, but once you start building it yourself, you realize how much you still have to do.”
This represents Frogwares’ first fully-fledged survival horror game after two decades specialising in investigation-focused adventures. The different design requirements for maintaining tension, managing combat encounters, and pacing horror elements create development complexities beyond their established expertise.
Community-Driven Development
Senior Social Media Manager Anna Bieniek highlighted the role of early community feedback: “The Sinking City 2 is the first time we’ve done big, private beta tests with our community so early in the development process, and their feedback has been instrumental in shaping the game.”
This collaborative approach reduced anxiety about public reception whilst allowing iterative improvements based on actual player experiences. The studio plans to share significantly more gameplay footage over coming months as development enters final production stages.
Setting and Mechanics
The Sinking City 2 takes place in 1920s Arkham, where supernatural floods have driven out most residents whilst bringing decay and Eldritch monsters to the streets. Players utilise period-appropriate firearms and melee weapons against Lovecraftian abominations whilst exploring decaying mansions, flooded markets, and abandoned hospitals by foot and boat.
Resource scarcity and finite inventory management create survival tension as players decide what to carry and what to abandon. Optional cases and puzzles allow deeper environmental investigation, uncovering secrets, alternate options, and additional lore beyond main narrative requirements.
The morally grey story focuses on personal loss woven through Lovecraftian mythology featuring cults, rituals, and incomprehensible creatures.
Flexible Release Approach
No exact 2026 date has been set, with the studio acknowledging that circumstances can change unpredictably. Oganesyan stated: “We’d rather be certain than announce something now only to move it again. Rest assured, we’re currently aiming for the first half of 2026, so it’s a matter of months, not years.”
Thirteen new screenshots showcase the game’s setting, enemies, and signature Lovecraftian atmosphere, providing visual evidence of development progress despite the delayed timeline.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
