A surprise announcement from Summer Game Fest 2026 was the return of Until Dawn with Until Dawn 2, and with two trailers now in the mix, we have more details than ever about the sequel.

The dormant franchise's original game was first released in 2015, and the sequel is arriving 12 years later. In between those games, Ballistic Moon released a remake of the original for PC and PS5.

But the sequel is being developed by Firesprite, a relatively new PlayStation Studio that Sony acquired during its pandemic spending spree. This has led to some trepidation about whether Firesprite has the ability to capitalise on what made the first game so great.

But after an initial trailer earlier this year that got fans hyped, a second trailer was livestreamed during Sony’s most recent State of Play, and we finally have a release date to look forward to.

Here is a breakdown of the game, its new story and cast, and when you can expect it.

When is the Until Dawn 2 release date?

Until Dawn 2 will be released on 28 January 2027, as revealed in the official release date trailer shown during State of Play.

Prior to this, the release date was shrouded in mystery, with a loose aim for the game’s launch to be somewhere in 2027.

Fans can now rest easy knowing there is something to look forward to after the Christmas period during the cold months that follow, despite the game's tropical island setting.

10 September 2026, you will be able to pre-order the game that, according to the trailer, is only coming to PlayStation 5. This is because Sony is pulling back from its PC release strategy, as reported by Bloomberg.

Until Dawn 2 has a completely new story with a fresh cast of characters. The crew visit the tropical Akishima island as a set of ghost hunters, looking to film the next episode of their ghost-hunting show for TV channel Dead True.

The only catch is that they fake all the horrors they see, and for the first time on the island, they stumble upon true ghosts and danger that they will have to overcome to survive until dawn.

The cast of Until Dawn 2 based off the trailer includes:

• Neil Newbon (Baldur's Gate III, Resident Evil Village)
• Camila Senna (Sea, A Rainha da Pérsia)
• Hannah Kepple (The Legend of Juan Jose Mundo, Cobra Kai)
• Janina Gavankar (Alan Wake 2, Star Wars Battlefront II)
• Dacre Montgomery (Stranger Things, Power Rangers)
• Sarah Catherine Hook (People We Met On Vacation, The White Lotus)
• Gavin Leatherwood (The Sex Lives of College Girls, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina)
• Tanner Buchanan (Star Wars: Visions, Cobra Kai)
• Spencer Moore II (Brilliant Minds, Creed II)

Peter Stormare is confirmed to be returning to the franchise, as shown in the initial announcement trailer where he can be seen briefly.

It was expected that Hayden Panettiere's character, Sam Giddings, from the first game would return after an end-credits teaser was included at the end of the Until Dawn remake. However, tragically Panettiere passed away on 16 August 2026, with many fans now calling for Until Dawn 2 to pay tribute to Panettiere in the game.

It is unknown whether or not Panettiere's character will now make an appearance in the sequel in memory of her legacy.

Very little has been shown about the gameplay in Until Dawn 2, but it seems to follow a similar flow to the original. Your choices matter, everyone can live, and everyone can die, and there will be split-second, in-the-moment decisions, as we see in both trailers, and long-term decisions that build up throughout the game.

Firesprite says on the PlayStation Blog that it is "honouring that core DNA: character drama, tough choices, and those unforgettable horror moments that made the first game so special".

Watch the first trailer here:

Watch the second trailer here:

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