Alan Wake 2
Games review
As of Jun 23, 2026, Alan Wake 2 is rated 89/100 on OpenCritic (175 critic reviews).
Is Alan Wake 2 worth it in 2026?
An 89/100 from 175 critics is not a fluke, Alan Wake 2 is a genuinely ambitious survival-horror game whose meta storytelling was the single most-praised element across sampled reviews, with five critics calling it Remedy's best work outright. The dual protagonists and strong horror atmosphere give it real substance beyond the gimmick, but the meta ambition is also its own worst enemy: three reviewers specifically said the narrative badly needs an editor, and structural pacing problems compound that self-indulgence into stretches that drag regardless of how willing you are to go along for the ride. Tedious exploration sections and cheap jump scares are design failures, not tonal mismatches, they will bore and frustrate players even sympathetic to the weirdness. One reviewer noted that technical issues directly undercut the visuals, which is the game's most-praised surface feature, making that a meaningful compromise rather than a footnote.
Players who loved Remedy's Control and want a surreal, literary survival-horror experience built around writers-writing-about-writing, someone who will accept narrative excess as part of the deal and is not primarily here for tight mechanical horror.
The pacing and overindulgence are structural, not atmospheric, reviewers describe momentum collapsing mid-game and a narrative that loses discipline precisely when it should be tightest.
ReviewPond's conclusion, drawn only from the verified scores and review themes below. Not a paid or editorial opinion.
Pros
- ambitious meta storytelling10
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- Remedy's boldest experiment yet is a beautiful storm of surreal storytelling and genuinely frightening survival horror.
- In its quest to be the most meta game ever made, Alan Wake 2 becomes a spectacle about writers and writing that badly needs an editor.
- This feels like the game this developer has wanted to make for years, unrestrained in the best possible way as it goes hard on layered storytelling, flawed yet fascinating heroes a...
- best remedy game yet5
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- Alan Wake II is a superb survival-horror sequel that makes the cult-classic original seem like little more than a rough first draft by comparison.
- Remedy delivers its greatest game to date by turning a long-awaited sequel into a uniquely meta multimedia masterpiece.
- Lake has always been a good spokesman for the game. He talked about Remedy’s “dream game” a while back and said, “Where we are now is fiction becoming reality.” It’s kind of a clic...
- strong horror atmosphere4
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- Remedy's boldest experiment yet is a beautiful storm of surreal storytelling and genuinely frightening survival horror.
- In a superb blend of reality and fiction, Alan Wake 2 will earn its place as one of the best horror games out there.
- Alan Wake 2 is the perfect release for Halloween as it presents a psychological horror movie into video game format.
- impressive visuals3
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- Alan Wake 2 has incredible graphics and some memorable moments, but it's dragged down by technical issues and tedious gameplay.
- Alan Wake 2 weaves together two compelling protagonists across a unique, multi-dimensional, narrative that is often seriously strange but still surprisingly engrossing. However, th...
- Lake has always been a good spokesman for the game. He talked about Remedy’s “dream game” a while back and said, “Where we are now is fiction becoming reality.” It’s kind of a clic...
- compelling dual protagonists3
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- Alan Wake 2 is hardly some flawless masterpiece. It sometimes overindulges in easy jump scares, and while its narrative highs are very high, the momentum also flags from time to ti...
- Alan Wake 2 weaves together two compelling protagonists across a unique, multi-dimensional, narrative that is often seriously strange but still surprisingly engrossing. However, th...
- Alan Wake 2 is an incredible sequel, fully realizing the ambitious storytelling established in the first game and combining it with fantastic moment-to-moment gameplay. DualShocker...
- subverts player expectations3
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- "Whenever I thought I had a handle on where Alan Wake 2 was leading me it upended my expectations"
- Alan Wake 2 is a spectacular sequel that was more than worth the wait, with a story that simply has to be experienced to be believed.
- In a sea of exemplar video games released in 2023, “Alan Wake 2” is the work most interested in pushing the boundaries of its franchise, its genre and even its medium.
Cons
- pacing and momentum issues3
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- For longtime Remedy fans and those who want to see what happens next for Alan Wake, the sequel is a success, but making it to the end includes unnecessary hurdles.
- Alan Wake 2 is hardly some flawless masterpiece. It sometimes overindulges in easy jump scares, and while its narrative highs are very high, the momentum also flags from time to ti...
- Alan Wake 2 weaves together two compelling protagonists across a unique, multi-dimensional, narrative that is often seriously strange but still surprisingly engrossing. However, th...
- overindulgent narrative3
see reviews +-
- In its quest to be the most meta game ever made, Alan Wake 2 becomes a spectacle about writers and writing that badly needs an editor.
- Alan Wake 2 is hardly some flawless masterpiece. It sometimes overindulges in easy jump scares, and while its narrative highs are very high, the momentum also flags from time to ti...
- Alan Wake 2 is a stylistic tour de force and one of the most unique and confident horror games in recent years. It might not hit every beat perfectly, but Remedy's daft and over th...
Themes and quotes are drawn from 19 sampled reviews with text; the scores above reflect all 175 ratings. Counts are how many of the sampled reviews mention each point.