Alan Wake II will arrive on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S on October 17th, 2023. The news was announced this morning during the PlayStation Showcase, but soon after, much more information was shared by Remedy on the official website.

The game has two key characters: Alan Wake and Saga Anderson. 

Wake is the bestselling writer that went missing while on vacation (as seen in the first game’s events). For the thirteen years between the first game and Alan Wake II, he’s been trapped under the Caldera Lake, trapped in the Dark Place and attempting to write a story that could let him escape his prison. 

Saga Anderson is a new character in Alan Wake II, an FBI Agent known for solving impossible cases. She has come to Bright Falls to investigate a string of ritualistic murders.

Saga Anderson is played by Power Book II, and This Is Us actress Melanie Liburd, while Matthew Porretta returns as Alan Wake. 

“Alan Wake 2 is an intense story and a layered mystery that takes players on two disturbing journeys, running in parallel and echoing each other in strange and unexpected ways,” said Sam Lake, Creative Director and Lead Writer of Alan Wake 2. “A newcomer to Alan Wake’s world, FBI Agent Saga Anderson’s investigation offers players a unique lens into this survival horror experience.”

Remedy Entertainment has stated that you could play Alan Wake II without having played the first game. However, there will be, of course, plenty of references and details for fans of this universe to uncover. 

One detail that may annoy some players is that Alan Wake II will only be available digitally on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. On the FAQ page for Alan Wake II, Remedy said the following about why they’ve made this choice:

“There are many reasons for this. For one, a large number of have shifted to digital only. You can buy a Sony PlayStation 5 without a disc drive and Microsoft’s Xbox Series S is a digital only console. It is not uncommon to release modern games as digital-only.

Secondly, not releasing a disc helps keep the price of the game at $59.99 / €59.99 and the PC version at $49.99 / €49.99.

Finally, we did not want to ship a disc product and have it require a download for the game — we do not think this would make for a great experience either.”

Are you excited to play Alan Wake II when it releases on October 17th? Let me know in the comments section below.