Rage 2 launch trailer has sandworms, cat memes, and Walmart Canada

Rage 2 has had a long line of pretty darn good and increasingly bonkers trailers, and the launch trailer released today may be the best and bonker-est yet. I mean, it opens with the game's final boss - cyborg maniac General Cross - but it ends with… cat memes and the Big Bang, I guess? There's a cool giant sandworm, too.

If you've seen the previous Rage 2 trailers - especially the one before this, which is basically an all-caps FAQ - you're probably familiar with the bulk of the launch trailer. You play as the last Ranger in the post-apocalyptic wasteland, and it's your job to, I don't know, save the ruined world by shooting some dudes I guess. There's certainly plenty of dudes that need shooting, from cyborg ninjas to monstrous mutants. You can also explode said dudes using a variety of powers, or just run them over in a death race.

It's the little things that really make this launch trailer, like the dig at the original Rage at around 2:00, featuring a fake - but not unduly critical - review of the game's abrupt ending. Around 1:55, there's a nice throwback to Walmart Canada, which previously leaked info on Rage 2. As part of the trailer's time travel gag, we also get a glimpse at the male and female playable characters around 1:50. But yeah, that sandworm I mentioned? It comes in around 2:26, and it's definitely the high point of the trailer for me. Desert wastelands need giant sandworms. It's the law.

We spoke to Avalanche Studios about how the studio's building a better open-world wasteland for Rage 2.

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.