Alan Wake 2 digital-only release, DLC plans and pre-order bonuses confirmed

A host of new Alan Wake 2 details have been revealed, coinciding with the news that the game will be released on October 17, 2023.

In an FAQ, Remedy Entertainment said the game will be a digital-only release for multiple reasons.

“For one, a large number of [players] have shifted to digital only,” it wrote. “You can buy a Sony PlayStation 5 without a disc drive and Microsoft’s Xbox Series S is a digital only console. It is not uncommon to release modern games as digital-only.

“Secondly, not releasing a disc helps keep the price of the game at $59.99 / €59.99 [£49.99] and the PC version at $49.99 / €49.99 [£39.99].”

“Finally, we did not want to ship a disc product and have it require a download for the game — we do not think this would make for a great experience either.”

In addition to the standard version of the game, a Deluxe Edition is available for $69.99 / €69.99 / £54.99 on PC and $79.99 / €79.99 / £64.99 on consoles.

It will include the following exclusive content:

• Expansion Pass (Night Springs Expansion and Lake House Expansion)
• Nordic Shotgun Skin for Saga (Part of the Expansion Pass)
• Parliament Shotgun Skin for Alan
• Crimson Windbreaker for Saga
• Celebrity Suit for Alan
• Lantern Charm for Saga

Remedy revealed on Wednesday that Alan Wake 2 will feature a co-lead protagonist and second playable character called Saga Anderson.

Customers who pre-order either version of the game will receive an Ornate Revolver Skin for Alan and a Survival Resources Pack for Saga.

A story outline for the game reads: “Saga Anderson, an FBI profiler with a reputation for solving unsolvable cases, arrives in Bright Falls to investigate a string of ritualistic murders. The case slides into a nightmare when Anderson discovers pages of a horror story, a horror story that starts to come true…

“Alan Wake, a lost writer trapped in a nightmare prison beyond our world, writes a dark story to shape reality in a desperate bid to escape. Hunted by an insatiable horror, Wake struggles to retain his sanity and beat the devil at his own game.

“Anderson and Wake, two heroes on two desperate journeys. Two separate realities connected in ways neither of them can understand. Echoes become reflections. Reflections that can reach out to each other.Trapped in a horror story where there are only victims and monsters, can they break out to be the heroes they need to be?”