- Release
- 24 September 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC (Steam and Epic Games Store), one worldwide moment: 7am Pacific, 10am Eastern, 14:00 UTC (Remedy's launch map, as reported by Vice and Game Rant). Physical editions on 15 October; Mac later in 2026.
- Early access
- 48 hours, from 22 September, for the PS5 Digital Deluxe Edition only. The Xbox and Steam Deluxe listings do not include it.
- What it is
- The sequel to Control (2019): an action RPG from Remedy Entertainment, self-published, with melee combat in place of the first game's gunplay. You play Dylan Faden, Jesse's brother, in a warped Manhattan.
- Reviews
- Out since 18 September. Metacritic 83 on PS5, 83 on PC, 81 on Xbox Series X (read on 26 September); OpenCritic Top Critic Average 85 with 86% recommending (read on 23 September).
- Played by us
- Nothing. It has only been playable since 22 September, and only for PS5 Digital Deluxe owners. Every line here comes from an official post, a store listing or a published review.
Confirmed, and where it comes from
📅 One launch moment for everyone
24 September 2026 at 7am Pacific, 10am Eastern, 3pm in the UK and 14:00 UTC. It unlocks at the same instant everywhere rather than at local midnight, which puts it on 25 September in Australia and New Zealand (Remedy's launch map as reported by Vice and Game Rant; Remedy's own Steam FAQ gives 25 September for New Zealand).
🎮 PS5 Deluxe plays two days early
The PS5 Digital Deluxe Edition carries 48 hours of early access from 22 September (PlayStation Store listing). Vice checked the Xbox and Steam Deluxe editions and found no early access there, and the Steam listing's contents do not mention it.
🖥️ PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC
PC on Steam and the Epic Games Store, playable on GeForce NOW at launch, with Xbox Play Anywhere between Xbox and Windows (Remedy's launch post, Xbox Wire). A Mac version through Steam and the App Store follows later in 2026. Nothing has been announced for any Nintendo console.
🧬 A sequel, with a new lead
Remedy calls it the sequel to Control. You play Dylan Faden, the brother the first game's Jesse Faden was looking for, released after years in the Federal Bureau of Control's custody into a Manhattan being bent out of shape (Steam page, PlayStation Blog).
⚔️ Melee, not guns
Dylan's weapon, the Aberrant, changes shape between melee forms; the first game's shooting is gone. Remedy's game director Mikael Kasurinen says the sequel commits fully to being an action RPG, with character stats, talent trees and customisable weapons (Wikipedia, quoting Remedy).
🗺️ Zones, not an open world
Remedy's lead gameplay designer Sergey Mohov describes large, separate zones with side activities and optional finds, and says outright it is not an open world (PlayStation Blog, February 2026).
⏱️ 25 to 35 hours, by Remedy's count
Remedy's communications director Thomas Puha puts the main story at 25 to 35 hours, with more for completionists (PlayStation Blog, 15 September). Reviewers' own figures differ — see below.
👤 Single-player, offline
No multiplayer, and no internet connection needed to play (Remedy's FAQ on Steam; the Xbox store lists it as single player).
🏷️ Self-published, Annapurna co-financing
Remedy is developer and publisher this time. Annapurna Pictures co-finances and co-produces; Remedy bought the full Control rights from 505 Games in February 2024 (Remedy's game page, Xbox Wire, Wikipedia).
🔞 Rated Mature
The PlayStation Store lists ESRB Mature with Blood and Gore, Strong Language and Violence; the Xbox store lists Mature 17+ with the same three descriptors.
Where the sources do not line up
| On | One source | The other |
|---|---|---|
| How long the story is | Remedy's Thomas Puha: 25 to 35 hours for the main story (PlayStation Blog, 15 September). Push Square's review: a campaign of about 25 hours. Kotaku's reviewer played for 35 hours. | VGC's review: a straight run lasts a little over 12 to 15 hours, and roughly double that to do everything. |
| How many weapon forms you carry | Push Square: two weapon slots, on Square and Triangle, each with three forms to choose from. The PlayStation Blog's 18 September hands-on: six primary and secondary Aberrant forms by default. | Wikipedia: Dylan can equip a total of three melee weapons. We found no Remedy post that uses that number. |
| Pre-order bonus | Steam's listing: Hiss Corruption Outfit and Pickpocket's Tool Artifact. | The PlayStation Store listing adds an Occult Outfit, and Remedy's launch-trailer release calls that outfit PlayStation-exclusive. |
| OpenCritic's share of critics recommending it | OpenCritic's own page on 23 September: 86%, from 72 reviews, Top Critic Average 85. | Wikipedia's reception paragraph says 89%, while its own review box says 86%. |
| Install size | Insider Gaming, from the PlayStation Game Size account on X: PS5 89.27 GB, Xbox Series X|S 85.97 GB, PC 106.08 GB. | Game Rant: about 90 GB, 82 GB and 104 GB. Remedy's PC requirements ask for 120 GB free on an SSD. Remedy has not published console sizes that we found. |
Not announced, and worth not assuming
❓ Game Pass or PlayStation Plus
No source announces it for either. The Xbox store page we read shows it for sale only, and Remedy's own FAQ does not mention subscriptions.
❓ Story DLC
None announced. Remedy's Steam FAQ says the game is a complete experience at launch and will get updates and improvements as needed. The only post-launch addition announced is Arabic interface and subtitles, date to come.
❓ A Nintendo version
No Switch or Switch 2 version appears in any Remedy post or FAQ we read.
❓ Early access on physical copies
The 48 hours are tied to the PS5 Digital Deluxe Edition. No source says the physical SteelBook Edition, out 15 October, carries anything of the kind.
❓ Whether New Game Plus is there on day one
Remedy described New Game Plus in detail in April, but that post does not say whether it is in the launch version or comes later.
Cross-checked
Cross-checked on 23 September 2026 against Remedy's launch-date post of 2 June and its game page, Remedy's FAQ on the Steam community hub, the Steam store page and its store data for the US, UK and Spain, the PlayStation Store's Digital Deluxe listing, the Xbox store listing, the PlayStation Blog posts of 11 December 2025, 12 February, 4 March, 30 April, 10 September, 15 September and 18 September 2026, Xbox Wire's 8 May interview, Remedy's launch-trailer release as published on Nasdaq's news service, Wikipedia's article, Vice's and Game Rant's launch-time guides, Insider Gaming's preload report, and the Metacritic and OpenCritic pages. controlgame.com only served a cookie page and is not used; the Forbes piece and GameSpot's review returned HTTP 403 and are not used. Not from a playthrough: nobody here has played it, and what the sources do not describe is not on this page.