Survival action RPG Outward 2 set to launch in Summer 2026 for PC

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Nine Dots Studio showed off a new trailer for their upcoming game, Outward 2, during the PC Gaming Show: Tokyo Direct, announcing it will be released in Summer 2026. The last update we saw was a pre-alpha trailer in March 2024.

Nine Dots Studio recently announced that the original *Outward*, released in 2019, has been played by over 3 million people.

Those interested can sign up to participate in upcoming playtests for Outward 2 can do so here.

Nine Dots Studio has released a trailer, description, and screenshots for Outward 2. The game will be available on PC through Steam and the Epic Games Store.

Nine Dots Studio announced today that Outward 2, the follow-up to their unique action RPG Outward, will be released in Summer 2026. The news was shared during the PC Gaming Show: Tokyo Direct at Tokyo Game Show 2025, accompanied by a new trailer.

The original Outward, recently reaching over 3 million players, offered a different kind of open-world RPG experience. Instead of focusing on becoming a powerful hero, it emphasized careful planning, determination, and smart strategy. Outward 2 builds on that successful formula, adding new and improved features while maintaining the same spirit of adventure and demanding preparation that defined the first game.

Outward 2 Features

You begin as an ordinary person, not a legendary hero. Choose from three different starting situations and eleven unique backgrounds to define your humble beginnings in this harsh world. Whether you’re a faithful miner seeking fortune or a drifter in a dangerous city, Aurai won’t be easy on you – even if you fail. Getting knocked out doesn’t mean the end; your story continues, and you’ll have to deal with the aftermath. You might be robbed, rescued, wake up injured, or face something even worse.

The world of Aurai is constantly changing with a complete seasonal cycle. This means merchants and characters move around, rivers freeze over in winter allowing new paths, and the environment generally shifts. The world is divided into four unique regions, each with its own landscapes, seasons, and gameplay experiences. Whether it’s battling blizzards in the Gilded Mountains or surviving acid rain in the Gathes of Catharsis, players will always face fresh challenges as they explore.

In Outward 2, how you play directly shapes your character’s abilities. Everything, from your armor and weapons to your strategic choices, contributes to growth through the new Exercise system. This system passively improves your skills based on your actions. You can also find trainers throughout the world of Aurai who will teach you valuable survival skills – for a price.

In Outward 2, casting spells isn’t just about pressing a button. You’ll perform rituals – like launching a fire stone to create a fiery circle that boosts your abilities. The game features challenging combat with unique moves for each weapon, and the sequel expands on this with more tools, weapon combinations, and smoother, more responsive animations. These combat improvements were directly inspired by feedback from players of the first Outward game.

Okay, so as a gamer, let me tell you, managing your inventory is HUGE in this game. Your backpack is seriously important – every single slot counts! You gotta pack all the essentials for a trip – food, potions, weapons, camping stuff – but you can’t just hoard everything. You’ll find a lot of junk that isn’t worth the space, trust me. Sometimes, in a tough fight, I even drop my backpack to move faster and attack better. The good news is, the sequel lets you get a mule to carry extra stuff, but you gotta protect it, because if it goes down, you lose everything! So, you really need to think about what you’re carrying and what you’re leaving behind.

Okay, so as a fan, I’m really excited about the co-op in Outward 2! Aurai is a tough world, and thankfully you don’t have to go it alone. You can team up with a friend – either locally with split-screen or online – and really work together. The cool thing is, combining your skills and covering each other’s weaknesses opens up a lot more possibilities for how you can overcome the game’s challenges. It sounds like teamwork is *super* important this time around!

Director Comments

Guillaume Boucher-Vidal, the CEO and Creative Director of Nine Dots Studio, shares insights into the development of the sequel.

Outward 2 lets us fully realize our original vision for the game: a realistic and immersive adventure. We’ve kept the core elements players enjoyed while significantly improving areas like combat, immersion, and character creation. Back in 2015, when we started with a Kickstarter campaign, our goal was to create the ultimate adventurer simulation. Despite being a small team of just 11 people, we exceeded expectations and achieved something even larger studios couldn’t. We listened to player feedback on the first Outward, and our DLCs reflected those improvements, staying true to the vision players loved while enhancing the overall experience. Outward 2 features dramatically improved graphics, deeper immersion, and a much more refined combat system.

Wishlist Outward 2 on Steam and register for upcoming playtests here.

Outward 2









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2025-09-28 20:57