With the Polish studio’s game moving to a new engine, the team wasn’t kidding about being serious about the Frostpunk franchise.

With the studio’s proprietary Liquid engine, which powered not only the original Frostpunk but also This War of Mine, no longer in development, the team has long sought a new foundation to continue the legacy of the first game. While Frostpunk 2 continues to forge ahead with free major content updates, a console launch, and downloadable content, this newly announced project marks a return to the franchise’s roots, offering both newcomers and longtime citizens of New London an evolved take on the harsh, morally challenging survival experience that started it all.

But Frostpunk 1886 – titled to honor a pivotal moment in the universe’s timeline when the Great Storm descended upon New London – is more than just a visual overhaul. It builds on the core of the original and expands it with new content, mechanics, laws, and – perhaps most excitingly entirely new Purpose Path, offering a fresh experience for even the most seasoned players. Reimagining Frostpunk in Unreal Engine also allows the game to become a living, extensible platform, bringing long-awaited mod support – a community request that was previously impossible to implement due to the technical limitations of the original engine – as well as the ability to add future downloadable content.

Frostpunk 1886 is scheduled for release in 2027, with development beginning in early 2025. The title marks the beginning of a new era for 11 Bit Studios – one focused on delivering in-house projects more frequently than ever before. More details, including a deeper look at the game, will be revealed in the coming months. In the meantime, fans can look forward to a future where Frostpunk 2 and Frostpunk 1886 evolve side by side-two paths forged in parallel, each carrying the vision of survival into the unrelenting cold.

Frostpunk 1886 is currently only announced for PC. It will launch in 2027.

Source: Gematsu