Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice was a bit of an unknown when it burst onto the scene in 2017, a new IP from Ninja Theory that did daring things with its portrayal of mental health in an unsettling period setting.

Now it's getting a sequel in the form of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, which was showcased in some style as the Xbox Series X and S were announced. Here are all the key details.

For more upcoming Xbox Series X and S games, check out our list of the most anticipated titles coming soon.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 - Release date

Hellblade 2 was announced way back in 2019, albeit with almost no details attached to it, so we've been waiting a long while to find out when it'll come out.

Thankfully things were narrowed down in June 2023, when the game got a new trailer at the Xbox Games Showcase and a release window at last - sometime in 2024.

This still leaves a pretty wide window in which Hellblade 2 could release, so we'll have to wait for a more precise date in time.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2- Platforms

Hellblade 2 is being developed for the Xbox Series X and Series S, as well as for PC, and won't come out on any other platforms.

The game will hit Xbox Game Pass on day one when it does eventually release, too, so if you're a Game Pass subscriber you'll get it at no extra cost, which is always welcome.

It's also been confirmed that Xbox Cloud Gaming will mean players who are still on an Xbox One will be able to access Hellblade 2 through streaming when it comes out.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 - Trailers

Xbox included Hellblade 2 in its Games Showcase in June 2023, but we got a slightly slimmer look than we were hoping for, with a fairly constrained demo that didn't contain much active gameplay.

Going back to the beginning, the first trailer for Hellblade 2 dropped in 2019, when Xbox unveiled its next-generation consoles, the Series X and Series S.

It's a fairly short, very enigmatic trailer that suggests Hellblade will once again be telling a dark tale when Senua returns.

That was all we had to cling on to until a couple of years later, when Ninja Theory dropped a longer trailer that's mostly gameplay.

The trailer shows what looks like a giant hunt, led by Senua, that involves a range of traps and obstacles that each get blown through in turn, with things going worse and worse for her tribe of Picts.

We didn't hear anything about Hellblade 2 for a long time before a showcase of Unreal Engine technology from Epic Games in March 2023 brought a quick look at the facial animation tech that'll be present in the game. It looks absolutely jaw-dropping, suffice to say.

If we can expect that level of fidelity throughout the game it'll be one of the most impressive technical achievements ever, so we cannot wait to see more.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 - Story and gameplay

Senua's first game was a harrowing one, as she went on a pilgrimage in an attempt to save the soul of her dead lover, one that ultimately ended with an acceptance that he was gone forever.

With an eighth-century understanding of the psychosis that she's living with, it was a disconcerting and at times disturbing game that was nonetheless impressively understanding in its treatment of Senua's condition.

From the looks of the two trailers so far, we're set for an escalation of that same topic, with Senua still hearing voices and dealing with the "Furies" she lives with, while the world of Pictish gods and monsters around her continues to be a terrifying one.

Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 - Trailer, story and everything we know photo 3
Ninja Theory

We don't know what the main drive of the story will be, at this stage, but the gameplay trailer from December 2021 suggests that the gameplay side of things will be fairly familiar.

Senua is still controlled in third-person with a tight over-the-shoulder viewpoint, and the game looks like it's still fairly slow and deliberate, rather than a rapid-action title.

That said, given the scaling up that Ninja Theory is applying (the first game was made by fewer than 20 staff), the combat system should be more intricate and rewarding, with more enemy types to encounter and prevail over.

The visuals look astonishing, pushing Microsoft's newer consoles to their limit, and we're eager to see how much more lies in wait.