'Alan Wake II' will drop on October 17th for Xbox Series X, PS5 and PC

Alan Wake II, the sequel to Remedy Entertainment's 2010 cult hit, is scheduled to come out on October 17th, 2023, for Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 5 and PC. There are two playable protagonists in Alan Wake II: Wake himself and FBI agent Saga Anderson. The sequel is a single-player psychological horror experience, just like the original.

In the new game, Anderson is investigating a rash of ritualistic murders plaguing the small town of Bright Falls in the Pacific Northwest. She connects the incidents to the disappearance of horror writer Alan Wake (who vanished 13 years ago, appropriately), and things get spooky very quickly from there. Meanwhile, Wake is trapped in the Dark Place, attempting to write his way out of a hellish, surreal prison. Wake's world is full of shifting spaces and looping realities, while Bright Falls is a picturesque canvas ripe for hidden horrors.

"After certain events have transpired, fans can play Wake and Anderson’s respective stories in any order they choose," a Remedy Entertainment spokesperson said on the PlayStation Blog. "Their journeys echo and foreshadow each other, in this intense atmospheric story, taking players on two separate dark and disturbing paths."

In a FAQ, Remedy said that the game will exclusively be a digital release and not available on disc, The Verge reported. Reasons cited are that a large number of titles have shifted to digital, it will help keep the price down and it didn't want a download on top of a disc. It's full explanation is below.

Update 5/25/2023 1:48 AM ET: In a FAQ, developer Remedy Entertainment said that Alan Wake II will exclusively be a digital release and not available on disc. The article has been updated with that information.