The Frostpunk franchise recently released its second installment. In this frozen world, your only priority is keeping your city alive. You’ll need to make tough decisions that could mean life or death for your citizens, all while trying not to freeze to death yourself.
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Summary |
The Frostpunk series has been around since 2018. The first Frostpunk game came out on April 24, 2018, developed by 11 Bit Studios. It’s a mix of city-building and survival. Originally released for PC, it sold over 250,000 copies in its first three days. In 2019, it was released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Set in an alternate timeline in the year 1886, the world is plunged into an ice age due to unknown circumstances. The temperatures worldwide have dropped dramatically, covering most of the planet in snow. As a result, crops failed, chaos spread, and millions of people died, leading to the rise of new empires, like the British Empire. This empire sent expeditions to the Arctic, where vital coal reserves led to the founding of new human settlements.
In Frostpunk, you manage one of these settlements. You’re responsible for building new structures to provide shelter and comfort for your citizens. This requires resources, which can be gathered from the frozen landscape. You also need to make sure your people are fed, which is crucial in this harsh environment, as hunger can quickly lead to death and the collapse of your settlement.
Throughout the game, citizens will approach you with requests, or you’ll encounter people from the outside. This is where moral decisions come in, and your choices will determine the fate of many. It’s up to you to decide what’s best for your people, and more importantly, what will ensure their survival.
The recently released Frostpunk 2 builds on the foundation of the original game but introduces new complexities and moral dilemmas. A major change is the addition of oil as a key resource, alongside coal.
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Key Features |
Frostpunk 1 |
Frostpunk 2 |
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Moral Decision-Making |
Tough choices affect survival |
New ethical dilemmas with resource ethics |
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Resource Management |
Coal as the main resource |
Oil as the central energy resource |
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Survival Mechanics |
Keep citizens warm and fed |
Manage oil, factions, and resource scarcity |
Frostpunk 2 was released on September 20. Those who pre-ordered the Deluxe Edition got early access on September 17. The game is available for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. If you have the Xbox Game Pass, you can play it at a discount. For better deals on Frostpunk 2 check out AllKeyShop, where you can find video games at the lowest prices.
Let’s go back to the first Frostpunk game, released in 2018. This is the game that put the franchise on the map. It’s all about survival in the freezing cold of the Arctic. Your only hope of keeping your settlement alive is the giant furnace, known as the Generator, which needs constant fueling. The Generator creates a warm zone around it, and without it, everyone would freeze to death. But coal can run out, and when the Generator shuts down, survival becomes nearly impossible.
This makes resource management one of the game’s most important mechanics. You’ll need to make sure the Generator is fueled with enough coal and that your citizens have food. If the Generator fails, sickness can spread rapidly, decimating your population. You can gather coal from nearby sources or mine it, but eventually, you’ll run out and have to send exploration teams into the wilderness to search for more. These expeditions are dangerous and can lead to fatalities.
In addition to coal and food, you’ll need to gather materials for building new infrastructure. This is where classic city-building mechanics come into play. However, you won’t have access to all buildings from the start, and time is limited. You’ll need to prioritize which technologies to research to keep your city functioning.
And that’s not the only decision you’ll face. In Frostpunk 2, you’ll encounter moral dilemmas that will shape the future of your city. You’ll set laws that can be either strict or lenient. Sometimes, to keep the Generator running, you may have to resort to extreme measures like child labor or extended work hours. Every choice you make impacts your citizens’ mood and trust, which in turn affects their efficiency and morale.
You’ll also have to deal with random events like diseases, wandering groups of people, or specific citizen requests. Your goal is to make decisions that keep as many people alive as possible.
As the game progresses, it becomes increasingly difficult, culminating in a massive endgame storm that threatens your settlement. You’ll need a well-thought-out strategy to keep the Generator running through this final challenge. If the fire goes out, it’s game over.
Main features of Frostpunk 1:
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Frostpunk 2, the recently released sequel, stays true to the original while introducing new content and mechanics. The biggest change in the gameplay of Frostpunk 2 is the shift from coal to oil as your main resource. Additionally, factions now play a major role in shaping the dynamics of your city, adding a new layer of strategy.
Let’s start with the transition from coal to oil. In Frostpunk 2, the city’s Generator has been upgraded and now runs on oil instead of coal. This brings new moral questions to the forefront, like how much oil can be extracted without damaging the environment, and whether the environment even matters anymore. Oil can also be used to boost the city’s prosperity, but if you exhaust your supply, you’ll endanger the lives of everyone in the settlement.
Another big addition is the introduction of factions. These groups will make demands of you, and you’ll need to address them to maintain the overall morale of your citizens. But with multiple factions come different priorities—one group might want to focus on research, while another pushes for maximum oil production. Balancing these conflicting interests is crucial for the survival of your city.
You won’t always have to comply with every faction’s demands. There’s room for negotiation, and you can strike compromises that fit better with your plans. However, factions are key to the game’s outcome, and without their trust, your city’s survival is in jeopardy.
Exploration has also been revamped. In Frostpunk 2, you can send out expeditions to explore new regions, gather resources, and rescue survivors. You’ll also face more complex dangers along the way, requiring better planning and strategy. These expeditions are critical to your city’s survival, as resources are scarce in the frozen wasteland.
New features in Frostpunk 2:
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The world of Frostpunk is defined by its icy landscape and bleak atmosphere. While the environment isn’t vast, it’s highly detailed. Dynamic weather changes highlight just how tough survival is in this world. Your city is packed with small details, and the dense population shows how important warmth and proximity are in this cold environment.
The visuals are dark and dreary, fitting the overall mood of the game. The contrast between the warmth of the Generator and the deadly cold just outside its reach is striking—a constant reminder of the fine line between life and death.
In Frostpunk 2, the visuals have been upgraded even further. The city feels more alive, with more intricate details and an even stronger sense of cold. The dynamic weather system has been improved, introducing more realistic and unpredictable weather events like storms and extreme temperature shifts. This forces you to adapt your strategy to the changing conditions, ensuring you don’t waste resources or leave your citizens vulnerable.
The weather now plays a much bigger role in the gameplay of Frostpunk 2. For instance, extreme snowstorms can halt your oil production, leaving you without fuel to heat the city. You’ll need to act fast to prevent a disaster.
The world of Frostpunk tells a story beyond its main narrative. You can feel the weight of every decision, and the atmosphere grows more oppressive with each passing day. Every death is a setback, but where life ends, new opportunities may arise. Your city is the last refuge for humanity, so it’s your duty to protect it in both Frostpunk 1 and Frostpunk 2.
Although Frostpunk 2 just released, the developers have already confirmed that DLCs are on the way. We don’t know exactly how many yet, but there will be at least three. If you bought the Deluxe Edition, you’ll get them as soon as they’re released. If you have the Standard Edition, I’d recommend checking AllKeyShop for the best deals when the DLCs drop. Additionally, you’ll find out there if there are any more news about Frostpunk 2.
The Frostpunk franchise is one of the coldest out there—both literally and figuratively. You’ll need to survive in freezing conditions while making icy, hard decisions. Remember, you’re humanity’s last hope, and you must protect that hope at all costs. This means making tough choices and staying calm under pressure. Manage your people, gather resources, and do whatever it takes to survive.
This series combines many different elements into one perfect package—research, building, exploring, making difficult decisions, and surviving. That’s the essence of both Frostpunk 1 and Frostpunk 2. While there are differences between the two games, both are worth playing.
Quick comparison of the key differences:
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Feature |
Frostpunk 1 |
Frostpunk 2 |
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Primary Resource |
Coal |
Oil |
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Key Mechanic |
Generator management |
Oil-driven economy, factions |
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Moral Dilemmas |
Strict laws or freedom |
Resource ethics, faction conflicts |
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Exploration |
Scouts to gather resources |
Advanced exploration with diverse regions |
Both games are excellent in their own right, so it doesn’t matter which one you play first. But if you want to challenge yourself with moral dilemmas and strategic survival, definitely try one out. Both Frostpunk 1 and Frostpunk 2 are available on Xbox Game Pass for free. What are you waiting for? Winter is coming… oh wait, wrong franchise!
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By 
Kilian
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