Darkest Dungeon II

Darkest Dungeon II is a turn-based roguelike RPG from Red Hook Studios. A party of four travels by carriage through a land threatened by ruin. The expeditions combine tactical battles, route planning and dealing with stress and relationships within the group.

The game offers two different campaign structures: Confessions, built around individual journeys, and the later-added, strategy-focused Kingdoms mode. Both modes are continued and managed separately.

Darkest Dungeon II was released on May 8, 2023 for PC. The versions for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S followed in July 2024. The standalone Nintendo Switch 2 Edition was released on Oct 22, 2026.

For iOS and Android, Darkest Dungeon II is expected in 2027. Playdigious is publishing the mobile versions of Red Hook Studios' RPG.

Since Jan 27, 2025, the Kingdoms campaign mode has added to the original expeditions. The Nintendo Switch 2 Edition includes both game modes.

Darkest Dungeon II is out on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. The Nintendo Switch 2 Edition has been available as a separate version since Oct 22, 2026, and is not merely the backward-compatible Switch version.

iOS and Android follow in 2027. Playdigious brings the roguelike RPG to smartphones.

Anyone who owns the Nintendo Switch version can use the Switch 2 Edition via a separately sold upgrade pack. The respective versions remain in place for the other platforms.

Four heroes with different roles fight enemies in turns. Their position in the formation determines which abilities can be used. The token system visibly shows combat states such as protection or dodging, so the next moves remain plannable.

The game also requires control over stress and harmful effects. A hero's condition affects not only the current fight but the rest of the expedition.

The Binding Blade adds extra playable heroes to Darkest Dungeon II. Inhuman Bondage brings the transformable Abomination hero and the Catacombs as a special exploration region. The Infernal Supporter Pack contains cosmetic extras, while the free Hero Origin Pack adds alternative hero appearances.

The Oblivion and Resolute editions combine the base game with different additional content.

On Windows 10, Steam lists a minimum of 8 GB RAM, an AMD Athlon X4 or Intel Core i5-4460, an Nvidia GTX 950 or AMD R7 370, and 6 GB free storage. The recommended CPU is an Intel i7-6700K with 16 GB RAM.

For macOS, the listed minimum is version 10.13.6, a dual-core processor at 2.4 GHz, 4 GB RAM and Metal-compatible graphics on the level of an Intel HD 5000.

In Confessions mode, a party of four travels by carriage through hostile regions to the mountain. Choosing the route, visits to inns and preparing the heroes shape every attempt. A failure ends the current expedition, but certain long-term progress is kept for later journeys.

Confessions is the original campaign structure of the game and remains available alongside the Kingdoms mode added later.

The free Kingdoms mode puts the defense of a threatened kingdom at the center. A lasting hero roster, resources, inns and quests are managed through a larger campaign. Progress is separate from the Confessions mode.

Three permanent adventure modules are available: Hunger of the Beast Clan, Secrets of the Coven and Curse of the Court. Each brings different enemies and tasks into the Kingdoms structure.

Relationships between heroes develop over the course of the journey. Through shared experiences, they can support each other or increasingly work against each other. High stress and negative bonds make the next fights harder, while positive relationships unlock new advantages.

Affinity is therefore not just part of the story. It creates its own strategic reason to watch the mental state of each party member.

The characters have different combat abilities and personal pasts. In special memory sections, their stories are explored and further options unlocked. The choice of the four party members therefore changes both the available strategies and how the exploration unfolds.

The Altar of Hope forms a permanent progression system between the roguelike expeditions. Resources from completed or failed journeys can be invested in further options for heroes, items and the coach. This means later attempts open new combinations and approaches, without a single failure wiping out all progress.

Between dangerous routes, inns serve as places to rest and prepare. The party can affect its stress there and stabilize relationships. Because the coach connects different stops along the way, supplies and the choice of the next route play a role of their own alongside the turn-based combat.

The journey leads through landscapes of varying danger, including the burning Sprawl and the disease-ridden Foetor. Different enemy types and challenges call for changing group strategies. Overall, Red Hook describes five different regions as the core of the expeditions.

The PC version supports the Steam Workshop. Community-made mods can be found and subscribed to there. The official Steam description also points to options for creating your own mods. The Workshop integration does not mean automatic mod support for all console versions.

On Steam, English is listed for full voice acting. Subtitles and the interface are also available in German, as well as French, Italian, Polish and Japanese, among others. Wayne June returns for the English narration. A fully German-voiced version is not listed on the PC store.

Red Hook Studios has built on the predecessor's visual style with three-dimensional characters, animations and effects. The dark drawing style remains as a recognizable design element. Stuart Chatwood composed the music, while Wayne June again narrates. The interplay of image, music and commentary accompanies the expeditions throughout.

Darkest Dungeon II is designed as a single-player game on the officially listed platforms. The Switch version supports touchscreen controls and the console's three usual play modes. On Xbox, features such as Smart Delivery, cloud saves and cross-platform Xbox purchases via Play Anywhere are listed. These platform features are not signs of a cooperative multiplayer mode.

The Nintendo Switch 2 Edition supports 1080p in handheld mode and 1440p on TV at up to 60 frames per second. Joy-Con 2 can be used in mouse mode. Options for faster coach travel and quicker combat are also added.

The game remains a single-player RPG. The coach expeditions and the standalone Kingdoms mode are included.