The Sinking City 2 review coverage leans positive with the OpenCritic aggregate sitting at Strong, 81, top 17% across 40 critics as of 18 Aug 2026. PCGamer's Jody Macgregor calls it a "decent survival horror / incremental improvement over the original", wccftech praises it as "eldritch survival horror done right", and SixthAxis joins the positive camp. All reviews were embargo-locked at 17 Aug 2026 and lifted alongside the Premium Edition 24-hour early unlock. Critical consensus: a solid Cthulhu-cosmology horror sequel that builds on Frogwares' original.
Launch-Day Review Aggregates (Metacritic + OpenCritic)
As of 19 Aug 2026, the launch-day review window (17-18 Aug 2026) produced the following aggregate numbers: - **Metacritic** (https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-sinking-city-2): Metascore 79, Generally Favorable. Platform-split: PS5 79 from 33 critic reviews; Xbox Series X 84 from 5 critic reviews; PC 75 from 17 critic reviews. Distribution: 82% Positive / 18% Mixed / 0% Negative. - **OpenCritic** (https://opencritic.com/game/20806/the-sinking-city-2): Top critic average 81, 73% Critics Recommend across 41 critic reviews. - **Frogwares launch-day confirmations** (per GamingTrend, 17 Aug 2026): The game ships with a fully featured New Game+ mode (carry-over perk points, perks, and items into a fresh run; unlocks achievements and earns cosmetic and gameplay rewards). The previously planned HDR patch is now part of the game's free post-launch support — not a 1.0 launch feature. - **Steam user sentiment**: Very Positive, 94% of 137 user reviews on Steam AppID 2825860 (checked 19 Aug 2026).
Per-Critic Attributed Verdicts (17-18 Aug 2026 Window)
Named critic scores attributed to publication + author: - PCGamer — Jody Macgregor, 70/100 ("decent survival horror / incremental improvement over the original", <15-hour main story). - SixthAxis — Steve C, 8/10 (polished focused gameplay, Resident Evil influence). - Wccftech — Chris Wray, 8.5/10 ("far tighter story-driven game than the original"). - Hobby Consolas — Daniel Quesada, 82/100 (technical flaws but narrative and artistic design carry it). - PlayStation Universe — Thea Severance, 8.5/10 (Resident Evil-inspired recipe). - COGconnected — Stephan Adamus, 80/100 ("more unique than Silent Hill 2 remake and Cronos"). - Push Square — Liam Croft, 7/10 (solid Resident Evil-esque effort). - DualShockers — Eric Warner, 9/10 ("Frogwares' first survival horror triumph"). - Player 2 — 91 (17 Aug 2026, PS5). - Merlin'in Kazani — 88 (17 Aug 2026, PS5). - GamingBolt — 80 (17 Aug 2026, PS5). - Worth Playing — 80 (17 Aug 2026, PS5). - Gamereactor UK — 80 (17 Aug 2026, PS5). - GameOver.gr — 70 (17 Aug 2026, PS5). - Guardian — 60 (17 Aug 2026, PS5).
Sources
[PCGamer - The Sinking City 2 review](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/the-sinking-city-2-review) - `media/interview` - checked `2026-08-19` - Jody Macgregor's "decent survival horror / incremental improvement over the original" verdict and under-15-hour campaign note. [wccftech - The Sinking City 2 review](https://wccftech.com/review/the-sinking-city-2-eldritch-survival-horror-done-right) - `media/interview` - checked `2026-08-19` - "Eldritch survival horror done right" headline verdict and creature design praise. [SixthAxis - The Sinking City 2 review](https://www.thesixthaxis.com/2026/08/17/the-sinking-city-2-review) - `media/interview` - checked `2026-08-19` - 17 Aug 2026 embargo-lift verdict on the 1920s Arkham setting and Holloway Manor mission value. [Rock Paper Shotgun - The Sinking City 2 preview](https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/ive-walked-the-waterlogged-streets-of-the-sinking-city-2-and-we-might-finally-have-a-cthulhu-survival-horror-game-to-rival-resident-evil-and-silent-hill) - `media/interview` - checked `2026-08-19` - "Cthulhu survival horror to rival Resident Evil and Silent Hill" framing preview. [OpenCritic - The Sinking City 2](https://opencritic.com/game/20806/the-sinking-city-2) - `media/interview` - checked `2026-08-19` - Top critic average 81, 73% Critics Recommend, 41 critic reviews, per-critic attributed scores (PCGamer 70, SixthAxis 8/10, Wccftech 8.5/10, Hobby Consolas 82, PlayStation Universe 8.5/10, COGconnected 80, Push Square 7/10, DualShockers 9/10). [Metacritic - The Sinking City 2 reviews](https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-sinking-city-2) - `media/interview` - checked `2026-08-19` - Metascore 79 (Generally Favorable); PS5 79 from 33 critic reviews, Xbox Series X 84 from 5 critic reviews, PC 75 from 17 critic reviews; 82% Positive / 18% Mixed / 0% Negative. [GamingTrend - Frogwares launch-day New Game+ and free HDR patch confirmations](https://gamingtrend.com/news/frogwares-debuts-new-sinking-city-2-gameplay-confirms-launch-day-new-game-and-updates-fans-on-free-hdr-patch) - `media/interview` - checked `2026-08-19` - Frogwares confirmed a fully featured New Game+ mode ships at launch (carry-over perk points, perks, and items into a fresh run to unlock achievements and earn cosmetic and gameplay rewards); the previously planned HDR patch is now part of the game's free post-launch support. [DualShockers - The Sinking City 2 review](https://www.dualshockers.com/the-sinking-city-2-review/) - `media/interview` - checked `2026-08-19` - Eric Warner 9/10 "Frogwares' first survival horror triumph" verdict. [Push Square - The Sinking City 2 PS5 review](https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps5/the-sinking-city-2) - `media/interview` - checked `2026-08-19` - Liam Croft 7/10 verdict on the PS5 build. [The Sinking City 2 on Steam (AppID 2825860)](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2825860/The_Sinking_City_2) - `official/store` - checked `2026-08-19` - Frogwares Ireland Ltd., release 18 Aug 2026, Very Positive 94% of 137 user reviews.