Cronos: The New Dawn

Cronos: The New Dawn is a third-person survival horror game from Bloober Team. You take on the role of a Traveler serving the enigmatic Collective and move between a devastated future and Poland in the 1980s. At its core is the search for people whose essences are to be recovered from the past and carried into the future.

The game world blends East European brutalism, retrofuturism and body horror. Many locations draw on Nowa Huta near Kraków, while time anomalies link past and future.

Cronos: The New Dawn released on Sep 5, 2025 for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2. The Deluxe Edition already offered early access on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series from Sep 3.

In 2026 the main game received the more accessible difficulty level Temporal Diver. The story expansion Cronos: Lazarus releases on Dec 3, 2026 for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series. On Switch 2 it follows in Q1 2027.

Cronos: The New Dawn released natively for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2. On PC, Windows, macOS and Linux share one PC version. Operating system variants are not separate platforms.

The native Mac version for Apple Silicon released on Apr 28, 2026 and, according to Bloober Team, supports MetalFX Upscaling and ray tracing. The console versions are separate native releases.

Ammo and supplies are scarce, so combat depends heavily on preparation, positioning and resource management. The central enemy mechanic is The Merge: defeated Orphans can be absorbed by creatures that are still active and mutate into faster, tougher variants with additional abilities.

Whoever burns corpses in time prevents this merging. This creates constant tactical pressure between ammo use, room control and deciding which enemies must be taken out first or destroyed for good. This is complemented by exploration, crafting, puzzles and time anomalies that open new routes through the environment.

The Deluxe Edition Upgrade adds resources, ammo, two suit skins, a digital artbook and the soundtrack on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series. On Nintendo Switch 2, the Traveler Toolkit includes resources, ammo, energy and two suit skins. The soundtrack is also sold separately on Steam.

The story expansion Cronos: Lazarus releases on Dec 3, 2026 for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The Switch 2 version follows in Q1 2027. It tells the Warden's backstory and requires the respective main game.

For Windows, Steam lists at least 16 GB RAM, plus among others a Core i5-8400F or Ryzen 5 3600 and a GeForce GTX 1080, Radeon RX 5700 XT or Intel Arc A770. Recommended are also 16 GB RAM and, for example, a Core i7-10700K or Ryzen 5 3600X and a GeForce RTX 3080, Radeon RX 6800 XT or Intel Arc B580. Around 30 GB of storage space is needed.

Alongside the standard mode Anvil of the Collective and Forged in Fire, which unlocks after one playthrough, Bloober Team added the more accessible mode Temporal Diver in early 2026. It increases the player's health points and reduces enemy toughness without replacing the rest of the game's structure.