The Frostpunk Series Is Getting A Surprising New Entry
More reason to stay frosty.
The developers behind the Frostpunk series announced it’s making another entry in its civilization-survival game just a few months after the release of its critically acclaimed sequel. And while it’s still a ways off from release, the announcement offers a glimmer of hope to those who didn’t quite gel with the sweeping changes of Frostpunk 2.
Frostpunk 1886, the next project from developer 11 Bit Studios, is currently in production and will be released sometime in 2027. The game will be a total remake of the original Frostpunk with added new ideas and remixes of others. The studio released a teaser trailer alongside its announcement.
“We’re rebuilding Frostpunk in Unreal Engine 5,” the studio tweeted on X. “Expanding it with a completely new Purpose Path, the long-awaited mod support, and more — all the while staying true to the legacy of the original.”
The game’s Steam page specifies that it will give players more tools to manage their citizens and infrastructure, new events, game mechanics, laws to put into place, technologies and buildings to build, and more.
What makes this remake such a big deal is twofold. For one, it’s refreshing the lifecycle of the beloved first game. The original Frostpunk was built using proprietary tech created by 11-Bit Studios called the Liquid Engine. While it served its purpose of bringing the 2018 post-apocalyptic city-management game to life, it was also less flexible than something like Unreal Engine 5. With a more modern engine powering the original game, it’ll be easier for the game’s community to integrate mod support. It will also be easier for 11 Bit to release additive future official expansions.
“The development of Frostpunk 2 made us realize how much the experience of the original could be improved using the Unreal Engine,” the team writes on its Steam Page. “It became apparent that rebuilding Frostpunk in the Unreal Engine will make it a richer, more immersive experience with enhanced visuals and performance.”
The original Frostpunk was a much smaller-scale city builder compared to its 2024 sequel.
This remake will also be great for players disappointed with how much of a departure Frostpunk 2 was from the first game. The original Frostpunk was a much more intimate city builder than its sequel. Meanwhile, Frostpunk 2 had players delicately balancing the needs of multiple city districts and even multiple cities at a time, as they assumed a more presidential role overseeing what’s left of civilization. The original was all about running a single city building by building, as if the player was mayor of a closely knit group trying to survive the harsh conditions of this alternate history.
While some enjoyed how Frostpunk 2 upped the stakes, diehard fans of the original wanted a more direct sequel to the first game’s smaller scope. Frostpunk 1886 is essentially the sequel that those fans would have preferred. Who knows if the two games can co-exist, but at the very least it will give the cult classic a second lease on life.
It’s been a good week for video game remakes. Earlier this week, Bethesda Game Studios released a remaster of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion on Game Pass and PlayStation 5. Like Frostpunk 1886, the remake is powered by Unreal Engine 5, cleaning up the dated visuals of the original without sacrificing the game’s unique look and feel.
