11 bit studios, the award-winning team behind Frostpunk, has officially launched the first free major content update for Frostpunk 2—and it’s a big one. Released today, this update brings a fresh blast of gameplay variety and player customization tools to the acclaimed city-building survival sequel. For those already navigating the icy ruins of New London, there’s never been a better time to revisit the frostland. For everyone else, it’s a perfect time to jump in.
You can check out the official update trailer here:
Frostpunk 2 | Free Major Content Update Trailer
And if you’re ready to try the game, it’s available now at:
Steam | Epic Games Store | GOG | PlayStation Store
The Frost Deepens: What’s New in the Update
This free update marks the first of several major expansions planned for Frostpunk 2 and introduces sweeping new content across multiple gameplay pillars—strategy, survival, narrative, and community creation. Let’s break down the highlights.
🗺️ A Craterous New Frontier: The Pit
The update introduces The Pit, a sprawling new map for the game’s Utopia Builder mode. Set around the remnants of a failed Generator site, this map offers a visually dramatic and tactically challenging crater landscape. Harsh terrain forces players to rethink their city planning strategies, especially when it comes to managing heat, spacing buildings, and gathering resources from precarious cliff-side locations.
The setting not only provides new logistical hurdles but also reinforces Frostpunk 2’s signature theme: survival is an ongoing negotiation with a hostile environment. Every expansion into The Pit feels like defying the frost with every brick and beam.
📖 Tales from the Frostland: Narrative Replayability
Perhaps the most exciting addition for lore lovers and long-term fans, Tales from the Frostland are optional narrative challenges that introduce hand-crafted quests, stories, and branching choices. These self-contained scenarios explore different factions, moral quandaries, and survival dilemmas, expanding the universe beyond the main campaign.
Better yet, they’re built with modding in mind. Players will be able to create and share their own Tales using the newly updated Frostkit tools, potentially turning Frostpunk 2 into a community storytelling platform.
😌 Serenity Mode: A Gentler Frostpunk
Not everyone plays Frostpunk to suffer—and 11 bit studios finally gets that. Serenity Mode offers a less punishing experience for players who prefer building, exploration, and narrative to white-knuckle decision-making.
In Serenity Mode, weather conditions are milder, resources are more abundant, and faction conflict is disabled. It’s not easy mode exactly—but it removes the sharpest edges of the game’s survival knife. For newcomers or players looking for a reflective, meditative take on city-building in the frost, this is your mode.
🔥 Heat Gets Real Again: Overhauled Temperature System
Veterans of the original Frostpunk will appreciate the return of heat as a serious strategic layer. In Frostpunk 2, the heat system has been reworked to function at the district level, mirroring the intensity of the first game.
Your citizens now react to temperature on a more visible and personal level, with district-wide discomfort affecting productivity and morale. Laws and research options tied to temperature management have been expanded, and heating solutions can be tailored to the unique geography of your city.
🛠️ Frostkit 1.0: Full Modding Tools Launch
After months in beta, Frostkit—the official modding toolkit—is now fully operational. Version 1.0 includes in-editor testing, new scripting options, and deeper access to the game’s architecture. Whether you want to tweak temperature curves, add new building types, or create your own narrative challenges, the door is now open.
Modders can share their creations through Steam Workshop integration, and given how active the Frostpunk community has been historically, this could fuel months (or years) of player-generated content.
🔮 What’s Next: Console Launch and Frostpunk 1886
The studio has already confirmed more updates are coming in 2025, including long-awaited DLC and the console version of Frostpunk 2. Also announced was Frostpunk 1886, a new title built in Unreal Engine 5 that reimagines the Great Storm from the original game.
This upcoming entry is set to dive deeper into the origins of New London, focusing on the days before the Generator was completed. It promises more than just prettier graphics—it’s a fresh narrative experience with new mechanics and a tighter scope that emphasizes story and exploration.
🏆 A Game of the Year Winner Keeps Getting Better
It’s worth noting that Frostpunk 2 was named Best Strategy/Sim Game at The Game Awards 2024—and today’s update shows exactly why. Rather than resting on their laurels, 11 bit studios is doubling down on the systems and ideas that made Frostpunk 2 such a powerful evolution of the original.
From its commitment to community-created content to the addition of multiple playstyles (hardcore, narrative, chill), Frostpunk 2 is shaping up to be one of the most replayable strategy games in years.
🧊 Why You Should Jump In Now
With this update, Frostpunk 2 becomes a more complete and welcoming experience. Whether you’re a returning player or a newcomer, there’s something here for you:
- A new map (The Pit) for deeper strategy
- A less stressful mode (Serenity) for relaxed play
- Narrative challenges (Tales from the Frostland) for story-driven players
- Full mod support with Frostkit 1.0
- Improved core systems like district heat management
It’s all free, and it’s all available now for anyone who owns the game on Steam. If you haven’t yet picked up Frostpunk 2, this update makes a strong case to do so.
👉 Buy Frostpunk 2 on Steam
👉 Or on Epic Games
👉 Or on GOG
👉 Or on PlayStation
The City Must Not Fall
Frostpunk has always been about more than cold. It’s about resilience, moral ambiguity, and the cost of progress. With this first free major update, Frostpunk 2 continues that legacy—while also offering new ways to play, new stories to explore, and new worlds to build.
If this is the beginning of 11 bit’s post-launch roadmap, then the frostland’s future looks anything but frozen. Stay warm out there.