Frostpunk 2 review

Frostpunk 2 is the city builder for players who want governing to hurt. Set 30 years after an apocalyptic blizzard, it casts you as the Steward of a growing city that needs coal, oil, food and warmth to survive. 11 bit studios replaces single buildings with large districts, and the real pressure comes from factions with their own ideologies, which you deal with in the Council Hall when passing laws. A Heat Management system with a temperature overlay forces choices about which districts stay warm. There is a multi-chapter story campaign, a Utopia Builder sandbox with no time limit, and the FrostKit tool for custom maps and scenarios. It runs on Windows and macOS. Our USD price check is pending because the game was on a temporary Steam discount when we checked. English reviews are 77% positive across 9,823, lower than most picks, and it needs an SSD.

Who it is for

Players who want hard moral choices and politics on top of city survival.

Price

See vendor pricing (USD check pending).

US price check pending. See the vendor pricing page.

Key features

• Large city districts with their own needs and demands
• Factions with their own ideologies, debated in the Council Hall
• Heat Management system with a temperature overlay
• Multi-chapter story campaign
• Utopia Builder sandbox mode and the FrostKit modding tool

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Politics and factions give city choices real consequences
• Strength: Utopia Builder sandbox offers endless play beyond the campaign
• Strength: Windows and macOS with full controller support
• Weakness: 77% of 9,823 English Steam reviews are positive, below most picks here
• Weakness: Needs an SSD and 30 GB of storage
• Weakness: Regular US price is higher than the top-ranked picks

Key facts

• Developer: 11 bit studios
• Publisher: 11 bit studios
• Released on Steam: September 20, 2024
• Minimum RAM: 8 GB
• English Steam reviews: 77% positive of 9,823

Where it ranks

Frostpunk 2 is No. 8 in our Best City Builder Games verdict.