Cosmic and Lovecraftian horror Survival horror

The Sinking City 2

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Survive a drowned 1920s Arkham where the dead walk and old gods stir.

Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox
Stores: Steam, Epic, GOG
Price: Paid
Rated: Very Positive on Steam (82% of 2,051 reviews); Metacritic 78 on PS5, 76 on PC, 75 on Xbox; 4.51 of 5 from 2,506 PlayStation Store ratings
Length: 8 to 12 hours
Players: 1
Controls: Keyboard and mouse or controller; Steam lists full controller support, including DualShock and DualSense.
Made by: Frogwares
Released: 2026

No. 13 of the boat and ship horror games · No. 14 of the parasite horror games

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What frightens Arkham in the 1920s is drowning in a supernatural flood. You wade and row through dark streets, a hospital and a fish market stalked by the dead, Deep Ones from the water and shadows that bend space, with little ammunition and an inventory to manage, while an eldritch deity stands behind it all.
Content: violence, blood and gore, partial nudity, sexual themes, strong language.

The Sinking City 2 is a third-person survival horror game from Frogwares set in 1920s Arkham, a port city sinking under a supernatural flood. You explore its streets on foot and by skiff, manage scarce supplies and fight or retreat from Lovecraftian creatures while you try to rescue the woman you love. Optional investigations reward you with safer routes, supplies and upgrades.

About The Sinking City 2

The Sinking City 2 is a survival horror game by Frogwares, released on 18 August 2026 for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. It follows the studio's 2019 detective game The Sinking City but moves the series to Arkham, the New England town from H. P. Lovecraft's stories, and leans much more into survival horror.

You play Calvin Rafferty, an adventurer trying to save the woman he loves: a ritual went wrong, her soul is trapped in the Dreamlands and something else has taken her body. To reach the source of the flood you cross a semi-open city of tide-stained avenues and dark speakeasies, travelling on foot and by skiff, with districts that change as the water rises.

The store page calls it deliberate, tense and resource-lean. You mind your inventory, scavenge and craft, solve unnerving puzzles and open shortcuts so you can double back for supplies and upgrades. Enemies include corpses animated by the Slither, Deep Ones that surge from the water and shadows that bend space. Some fights you take head on with guns and melee weapons; others are better left until you have rearmed or changed your build.

Frogwares' detective roots show in the optional cases. You read ritual residue, sift through clues and link testimonies on an investigation board, and solving a case unlocks safer routes, rare supplies or a better gun, though none of them block the main path.

It suits players who want a slower, inventory-driven survival horror game with the Cthulhu Mythos at its heart, and fans of the first Sinking City who want more fear and less open-world detective work.

How to play The Sinking City 2

Buy The Sinking City 2 for PC on Steam, the Epic Games Store or GOG, or for consoles on the PlayStation Store or Xbox store.
Explore Arkham on foot and by skiff, picking up ammunition, healing and crafting materials.
Manage your inventory and decide which fights to take and which to come back to later.
Take on optional investigations, reading clues and linking evidence on the investigation board.
Spend what you find on upgrades and open shortcuts that make the next trip through an area safer.

Screenshots

Calvin Rafferty steers a small motorboat down a flooded Arkham street lined with ruined shopfronts

Calvin holds a rifle outside the rain-soaked Arkham Fish Market, an octopus sign over its door, beside a collapsed road and a wrecked bus

Calvin, gun in hand, faces a glowing rune-carved obelisk by a church as blue energy crackles over the rubble

Calvin aims a flashlight and gun at a fleshy many-armed creature in a dark brick courtyard

Calvin stands in a dim, flooded hallway beside a marble statue while a figure lurches toward him from the far end

Calvin aims a shotgun at a pale crawling creature with a split, tendrilled head between dark bookshelves

A scaly-faced old woman in a hooded headscarf, fur collar and heavy chains stands in a wood-panelled office with a ship's wheel on the wall

Tips

Search side rooms and boarded buildings thoroughly; supplies are scarce and the store says exploration is the key to survival.
If a fight is going badly, retreat, rearm and return rather than spending everything you carry.
Do the optional cases: they unlock safer routes, extra supplies and weapon upgrades.
Check the map often; it shows each building's rooms and your current objective.

Questions

Is The Sinking City 2 a survival horror game?

Yes. Unlike the first game, which was an open-world detective game, the sequel is a third-person survival horror game with inventory management, scarce supplies and combat.

Do I need to play the first Sinking City?

The sequel has a new hero, Calvin Rafferty, and a new setting, Arkham, so it can be played on its own.

What platforms is The Sinking City 2 on?

PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Steam lists Windows only, with no Mac or Linux version.

Is there co-op?

No. Steam lists it as single-player only.

How long is The Sinking City 2?

Players on the Steam forums report finishing it in about 8 to 13.5 hours, and quote the developers as giving 8 to 12 hours for a normal run and 14 to 16 hours to do everything.

Can I change the difficulty?

Yes. Steam lists adjustable difficulty, and players note that combat and puzzle difficulty are set separately. There is also a New Game Plus mode.

Is The Sinking City 2 on Nintendo Switch 2?

Not yet. A Switch 2 version is planned for 2027; at release it is on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Can I try it before buying?

On PlayStation 5, PlayStation Plus Premium members get a one-hour game trial from the PlayStation Store.