The Sinking City 2 Early Reviews: Frogwares’ Survival Horror Sequel Impresses

Early reviews for the upcoming survival horror sequel The Sinking City 2 have started to roll in, and initial reactions to Frogwares’ follow-up are largely positive. Critics describe a strong continuation with an engaging story, an atmospheric world, and memorable characters—while also pointing out a few notable issues, including performance hiccups and a lack of a distinct “signature” that would make it stand out more clearly from other modern horror titles.

Release timing and platform availability

The Sinking City 2 is set to launch on 18 August on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

On OpenCritic, the game’s current score sits slightly higher at 81/100. For the Metacritic breakdown, PlayStation 5 has the largest review sample so far, while the Xbox Series X|S score isn’t shown due to the small number of critic reviews at the time this information was compiled.

What critics are saying about the sequel

Reviews highlight the game’s narrative and atmosphere as major strengths. Multiple critics praise the story as compelling and engrossing, with enough momentum that—after reaching the ending—some players feel drawn to revisit the experience with more knowledge of what’s going on. The world design and character work are also frequently mentioned as key reasons the game keeps pulling you forward.

Critics also single out the game’s puzzles, describing them as challenging and rewarding. Combat receives mixed-but-meaningful attention: ranged encounters, including shooting segments, are often called out as delivering strong tension and excitement, while melee combat is described by some reviewers as falling noticeably below the standard set by the rest of the gameplay.

Reception scores and selected review highlights

While overall sentiment trends positive, the reception isn’t uniformly high across platforms and outlets. A number of reviewers gave strong marks, with several landing at 90/100, though at least one outlet in the early set scored the game significantly lower.

• Player 2 — 91/100
• DualShockers — 90/100
• Gamer Social Club — 90/100
• CGMagazine — 85/100
• PlayStation Universe — 85/100
• Hobby Consolas — 82/100
• GamesRadar+ — 80/100
• GRYOnline.pl — 80/100
• GamingTrend — 80/100
• Push Square — 70/100

Player impact: what to expect on launch

The consistent thread across reviews is that The Sinking City 2 doesn’t try to reinvent survival horror. Instead, Frogwares leans on proven genre elements and executes them well enough that some critics believe the sequel can stand alongside major series entries like Resident Evil and Silent Hill.

However, not everything is settled. Several critics point to performance drops that can disrupt certain moments of play. There are also concerns that the project plays it too safe—using familiar approaches effectively, but without adding a standout feature or identity that would sharply differentiate it from other contemporary horror releases.

With the official release still ahead, the biggest remaining questions for players will be whether performance issues are addressed between now and launch, and whether the game’s “comfortably familiar” design will feel compelling—or merely competent—once you’re controlling it for hours.