The first Alan Wake game was a bit of a cult hit - it didn't necessarily shift seismic numbers of copies but its spooky story, about a horror writer haunted by monsters that he might have created, hit home with many who played it.

Now, after remastering that game for modern hardware, developer Remedy has released a proper sequel - Alan Wake 2 is here, and you can play it now.

Alan Wake 2 release date

Alan Wake 2 released on 27 October 2023, as revealed by Remedy in mid-August - after a delay of 10 days to take it out of the orbit of Spider-Man 2.

Before that, the game had been headed for a 17 October release date.

Alan Wake 2 platforms

Alan Wake 2 has been released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and the Epic Games Store on PC.

This means it's joined the growing ranks of games that are skipping the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One generation, older hardware that would simply hold back Alan Wake 2's visual prowess.

Alan Wake 2 trailers

We got our first teaser for Alan Wake 2 back in 2021 during The Game Awards, and it's an atmospheric one.

We had to wait quite a while before we got another look at the game, but when it came it was a proper gameplay trailer, which is always welcome.

Alan Wake 2 story and gameplay

The trailers released so for Alan Wake 2 suggests that our tortured writer will still be undergoing some psychological struggle, with the darkness continuing to haunt him as it did in the first game and its DLC.

It also hints that Alan might be forced into some dark situations, with ambiguity over whether he considers himself one of the "monsters" that his voiceover mentions.

The big reveal in the gameplay showcase is that Alan Wake 2 will feature two playable characters - Alan himself along with FBI agent Saga Anderson, who's investigating ritualistic murders in Bright Falls and sees connections to the disappeared writer.

Remedy says that, after an introduction, the game will let you play Saga and Alan's stories out in whatever order you like, which could lead people to experience the narrative in different ways - a lovely idea.

We would expect the game to bring back the central mechanic, involving Alan managing the batteries in a flashlight and trying to stay in well-lit areas to avoid monstrous presences and possessed enemies.

We know that it will still be a third-person game, and also that various voice actors from the first game will reprise their roles, suggesting there will be a moderate amount of continuity. The game's creator, Sam Lake, has also said that knowledge of the first game won't really be required, though.

Expect a lot of tension both from resource management and the carefully-crafted scares that the game will drop on you - Remedy says that Alan Wake 2 will be the most purely scary game it's ever made, which means we could be in for a pretty horrifying time at points.