Control 2, or as it’s now called, Control Resonant, has finally been revealed with a release window—courtesy of a trailer shown during the 2025 Game Awards. After its initial announcement from Remedy in 2022, we’ve been patiently waiting for any sort of update on its development, and it’s finally here.
The surprise announcement was spoiled slightly after a European trademark filing for “Control Resonant” was spotted by MP1st ahead of The Game Awards. But even then, the brand new trailer has still caused quite a stir, and now we’ve got some concrete information about the game and when we can expect to play it. Here’s everything you need to know about Control Resonant.
When will it release?
Control Resonant doesn’t currently have a concrete release date, but as shown during the announcement trailer, a window of 2026 is what we currently have to work with.
Control Resonant Trailers
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The first, and only, trailer for Control Resonant was shown during The Game Awards. It gives a good introduction to the setting, introducing the protagonist Dylan Faden—which marks the first step away from the previous game. We also got to see some gameplay footage mixed in with all the flashy cinematics; which show off a shift in focus, from third-person shooting to more of a hack ‘n’ slash romp.
Control Resonant story and setting
The story of Control Resonant follows Dylan Faden, rather than Jesse Faden, who was the protagonist of the first game. Taking place years after where the first leaves off, the Federal Bureau of Control is in a state of lockdown, and Dylan Faden is being deployed at the peak of a “supernatural crisis”.
You’ll need to leverage Dylan’s ability to use the Abberant—an artifact that can shapeshift into a variety of melee weapons—to take down a huge number of threats throughout the world, all while tracking down his sister. This story will unravel across multiple areas of Manhattan, rather than the Oldest House, and each area will be brimming with various enemies to hit with your shapeshifting stick.
The world won’t look like Manhattan as we know it, either. As the trailer states, these overwhelming forces can alter reality, resulting in the world being broken up into chunks, twisting everything into confusing new forms.
As shared on the Remedy Games website, Control Resonant has been “designed as both a sequel and a new entry point” to the series. Meaning you also don’t have to know the ins and outs of the first game to jump right into the action here. In fact, Mikael Kasurinen, the Creative Director of Control Resonant, shared: “You don’t have to know the first game to jump into the sequel, we’ve made this one easy to pick up and hard to put down.”
Control Resonant gameplay
With only one trailer under the belt, it’s hard to know what exactly to expect from the full game, but there are some noticeable differences we can dissect from the trailer that will make it play completely differently from the first game. For example, we won’t be scrabbling around the corridors of the Oldest House anymore—instead, we’ll be set free to romp around New York. You’ll also be playing as the first game’s villain, Dylan Faden, rather than Jesse.
Dylan’s penchant for getting up close and personal is the main difference, here. Rather than the third-person shooter setup from the first Control, Resonant looks like a straight-up action RPG. You’ll have to get up close and personal with New York’s newest creeps, all of which look a lot more surreal in comparison to its predecessor.
Control Resonant will also offer “deep progression systems” which you’ll get to unlock as you make your way through the game. These will allow you to define a playstyle that suits you, and make the experience more unique, though the details on how exactly it works are yet to be revealed. According to a post shared to the Xbox blog, we do know that this will involve “raw melee power, ability-drive agility, or environmental manipulation, or a mix of all three.”
It’s a big change, but Remedy seems quite confident in their execution. As stated by Creative Director Mikael Kassurinen: “We’re pushing the scale beyond anything we’ve done before, elevating combat, exploration, and storytelling into a bigger, more memorable experience. It’s ambitious, a little wild, and we can’t wait for players to get lost in it.”
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