Alan Wake 2 trailer reveals release date and what looks like a second playable character

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Alan Wake 2 is bringing some serious horror vibes

Alan Wake sits at his desk in Alan Wake 2 with dark all around.
(Image credit: Remedy)

We've finally got a real, substantial look at Alan Wake 2, confirming an October 17 release date and showing what appears to be an additional playable character.

The trailer offers a lot of mystery without much clear context, but it's certainly putting an even greater emphasis on horror than the first game. Perhaps the most notable thing is that we see several shots of what look like over-the-shoulder, in-game action featuring a police officer who is definitely not Alan Wake. My favorite bit, however, has to be the wonderful CG version of Sam Lake, head of developer Remedy. Those cameos are getting more substantial than ever before.

A post from the PlayStation Blog confirms that the new character is named Saga Anderson, and is billed as "a co-leading protagonist." She's an FBI agent who begins the game looking to solve a series of ritualistic murders in a town that will be familiar to Alan Wake fans: Bright Falls. The mystery leads her to find Alan Wake himself, after he disappeared some 13 years before the start of the new game.

Remedy says you can play the stories of Wake and Anderson in whatever order you want after you've reached a certain point in the game. The studio also promises to share "much more on Alan Wake 2 in the coming months." That October 17 release date is coming up surprisingly fast. In addition to PS5, the game is also set to hit Xbox Series X and PC.

Dustin Bailey
Dustin Bailey
Staff Writer

Dustin Bailey joined the GamesRadar team as a Staff Writer in May 2022, and is currently based in Missouri. He's been covering games (with occasional dalliances in the worlds of anime and pro wrestling) since 2015, first as a freelancer, then as a news writer at PCGamesN for nearly five years. His love for games was sparked somewhere between Metal Gear Solid 2 and Knights of the Old Republic, and these days you can usually find him splitting his entertainment time between retro gaming, the latest big action-adventure title, or a long haul in American Truck Simulator.