There’s no hand-holding, no scaled encounters, no divine blessings to make you tower over your enemies. Eat your meal, check your map, grab your backpack: an unforgiving, rewarding adventure awaits.

The original Outward challenged conventional open-world RPGs by trading the typical power fantasy for an adventure that demands preparation, persistence, and tactical execution. Outward 2 takes the formula that gathered a dedicated community and injects it with new and enhanced features fueled by the same intention and effort the developers ask of its players as they embark.

Aurai is more than just breathtaking landscapes. It is a perilous world where most people never dare to leave the safety of their hometown walls. When you choose to go out there, come prepared: hunger, thirst, exhaustion, and harsh weather can be just as deadly as the creatures that roam the wilds. You're only human, struggling to survive against the odds. Don't count on mounts or fast travel to make things easier for you.

In Outward, every factor matters, and each one influences your playstyle. Every weapon type has its own unique moveset. The weight of your armor affects your movement speed, and its materials determine how well it protects against different weather hazards. Beyond weapons and armor, you also need to consider what you eat and drink, what kind of tent you sleep in, and which backpack suits you bests.

Beyond your equipment, you also need to master the right skills. In Outward 2, you are not innately powerful. As a commoner, you don't even start with any magical affinity. You must earn your growth and use the tools at your disposal to gain the upper hand. Fortunately, trainers scattered throughout Aurai will teach you the skills needed to survive even the most brutal encounters...for a price. By studying under them, you can specialize in up to three classes at once, allowing you to shape your own unique playstyle.

Will you be an imposing warrior who overwhelms his adversaries, a weapon in each hand, a deadly bowman entrenched behind your traps, or a cunning mage who draws power from elemental sigils? Or will you try to combine a little bit of all three?

You are just a regular person. Don’t expect to be a legendary hero who slays all without breaking a sweat. The enemies you face are bigger and meaner than you. Jumping into danger and relying solely on reflexes and improvisation will get you killed. You must assess the threat and your environment, devise a strategy, and prepare accordingly if you want to be the last one standing. Knowing how to use traps, potions, spells, poisons, and specialized gear effectively is key to prevailing against the most dangerous beasts

Besides, there is no shame in avoiding unnecessary confrontations. As you venture into Aurai, you will develop a sense of whether you stand a good fighting chance against a creature or if it is wiser to only engage once you have the right resources at your disposal.

“With Outward 2, we finally have the means to deliver the vision we had for the game — a believable and grounded adventurer experience. We kept the same ingredients, stayed true to our vision and improved on what was not up to what we wanted - our combat system, immersion and character creator. When we started working on Outward in 2015 with our kickstarter, we wanted to create the ultimate simulation of an adventurer's life. With a small team of 11 dedicated people, we surpassed expectations and delivered something greater studios could not have achieved. With Outward 1 we learned a lot from our players, we improved from their feedback and gave them what they wanted with our DLCs. We stayed true to our vision that they loved while elevating the experience of living a true adventurer's life. Much better graphics, better immersion and better combat,” said Nine Dots Studio CEO and Creative Director Guillaume Boucher-Vidal.

Register for upcoming playtests here.

The combat system in Outward 2 is both flexible and responsive. You can seamlessly transition from a dodge step into a roll, into an attack, into a block, then into a skill, prodding your enemy’s defenses until they stagger and open themselves up for a devastating combo that sends them to the ground.

You can wield a weapon in each hand, flowing smoothly from one piece of equipment to another. This allows for a wide range of combinations, such as sword and shield, dual axes, mace and pistol, lantern and chakram, and more.

In the same spirit as the first Outward, spellcasting is an involved process that requires combining a variety of actions and reagents. Explore the possibilities and find which combinations unleash your arcane abilities. Will you find new ways to interact with your Sigil of Darkness, or will you draw the runic words that shield you from harm?

Since you're only human, don’t expect your failures to go unpunished. Getting knocked out means living with the scars of your defeat. If luck is on your side, you might be saved by a kind traveler passing nearby. Or you could wake up back in town, badly injured. Maybe you were robbed and left to rot...or worse. Every defeat is a chance to discover something new.

Constant auto-saving discourages reckless decisions and rewards careful planning. For those who crave even greater stakes, a Hardcore mode is available. In this mode, every defeat carries a 20% chance of ending your adventure permanently by deleting your save file.

Outward 2 is fully playable in both online and split-screen co-op. While there is no matchmaking system, you can join our Discord to find fellow adventurers to play with. Whether you're teaming up for the full journey or just a single quest, the game allows players to seamlessly drop in and out of each other’s worlds.

Who do you want to be? First, you must choose one of three distinct starting scenarios. Are you a miner hoping to strike it rich in the northern mountains of Tramontane, a lucky homeowner in the underground city of Haboob, or a vagrant barely surviving in Simeon’s Bastion? Beyond these choices, you’ll also pick a character background. Are you from the distinguished Aberdeen family line? A devout worshipper of Elatt? Or a deadbeat who has accomplished nothing so far?

Finally, you'll choose personality traits such as Hoarder, Gourmet, or Lone Wolf. Each trait affects your dialogue options, starting gear, and initial aptitudes. Creating a character in Outward 2 comes with a promise: your adventure will truly feel like your own.

Your bag is essential to your journey through Aurai. Pack it with provisions, potions, weapons, and camping gear to survive until you reach your destination. You'll need to manage its weight carefully, as not everything you find will be worth the space. When danger strikes, you may want to drop your backpack in the middle of a fight to stay nimble and keep all your evasive options available.

But the traveler's experience isn’t about constant overstimulation. It’s about the contrast between the mundane and the astonishing, the calm and the chaos. The pacing gives you space to take it all in, from the beauty of a sunset to the sharpness of your foes’ claws.

Once feared as monstrous beings known as the Scourge, the Immaculates have now been pacified by a powerful runic spell. These ageless creatures, who require neither food nor rest, still carry the weight of their dark legacy. Incapable of reproduction, the Immaculates now seek meaning and acceptance in the world of Aurai, a world that cannot seem to forgive the impact of the Scourge.

Depending on which faction you choose to join, you’ll uncover a unique perspective on their quest and the consequences that follow. Become a founding member of a budding mercenary company, help a society of historians gain political relevance by unraveling the mysteries of Aurai, or embark on a noble humanitarian mission to aid those in need. Whatever path calls to you, your fate will become entwined with the Immaculates’ quest for purpose and acceptance.

Key Features

• An Average Joe On A Remarkable Journey — You’re not a hero of legend. Shape your modest and meager beginnings through three distinct starting scenarios and eleven backgrounds, which will determine where to start in this brutal world. Whether you’re a devout worshipper of Elatt trying to strike it rich as a miner or a vagrant deadbeat in Simeon’s Bastion, the world of Aurai will not be kind… not even in defeat. If you’re knocked out, your journey continues, and you must live with the consequences. You could be robbed and left to rot, be saved by a kind passerby, wake up in town badly injured, or… worse.
• A Living, Evolving World — A full-year seasonal cycle transforms the world of Aurai. Merchants and other NPCs relocate, frozen rivers become traversable in winter, and more. Comprising of four distinct areas, regions will feature their own biomes, seasons, and specific gameplay. From the blizzards of the Gilded Mountains to the acid rains in the Gathes of Catharsis, players will find a renewed challenge every time they travel.
• Growth Through Mastery — Every factor in Outward 2 molds your playstyle. Your tactical choices as a player, from the weight and material of your armor to particular weapons you use, are reinforced by the new Exercise system, where passive skills will spark and grow based on how you play. Seek out special trainers scattered around Aurai, who will teach you how to survive the most brutal encounters for a fee.
• Ritual Spellcasting & Tactical Combat — Wielding magic in Outward 2 is no mere button press. Cast spells through rituals, like sending a fire stone into the air to create a ring around you that allows you to empower your skills with deadly flames. Challenging combat, where every weapon has its own distinct moveset, is further enhanced in the sequel with a larger variety of tools and weapon combinations, along with animations that bring more fluidity and control to players. Major combat improvements were cultivated based on extensive player feedback from the original.
• Intentional Inventory Management —Your backpack is your lifeline, and every space within is worth its weight in gold. Pack provisions, potions, weapons, and camping gear for an expedition, but manage it carefully as you gather more along the way. Some discoveries won’t be worth the precious space. In a fight, you may want to drop your backpack to attack and evade more deftly. The sequel adds a mule you may earn to carry your wares throughout your journey, but its vulnerability may influence your path as well. Weigh each decision carefully.
• Two-Player Split Screen & Online Co-op — Aurai is a grueling place, but you mustn’t go alone. Plan and prepare alongside a friend, covering each other’s weaknesses and marrying your strengths. Teamwork expands the opportunities and options for tackling the many challenges you will face in Outward 2.

Outward 2 is coming to PC (Steam) in Summer 2026.