11 bit studios has exciting news for fans of the Frostpunk series: they've announced Frostpunk 1886, a highly anticipated remake of the original game, set to launch in 2027. This announcement comes just over six months after the release of Frostpunk 2, showcasing the studio's dedication to expanding the Frostpunk universe. The first Frostpunk hit the shelves in 2018, meaning this remake will mark nearly a decade since the original's debut.

Frostpunk is a captivating city-building survival game set in an alternate late 19th-century world gripped by a volcanic winter. Players are tasked with constructing and managing a city, juggling resources, making critical survival decisions, and venturing beyond the city limits to find survivors, gather resources, and uncover valuable items.

IGN's review of the original Frostpunk awarded it a commendable 9/10, describing it as "an engaging and unique, if occasionally unintuitive, strategy game" that skillfully blends various thematic ideas and gameplay elements. Frostpunk 2, on the other hand, received an 8/10 from IGN, praised for its "ground-up rethinking of its ice-age city builder mechanics" which introduced a larger scale and increased social and political complexity, though it was noted to be less intimate than its predecessor.

11 bit studios has confirmed that they will continue to support Frostpunk 2 with free major content updates, a console launch, and additional DLCs, even as they develop Frostpunk 1886. The original game's engine, the studio's proprietary Liquid Engine, is no longer in use, prompting the team to seek a new foundation for the franchise. They've chosen Unreal Engine 5 for Frostpunk 1886, aiming to carry forward the legacy of the first game.

The studio stated, "With the studio’s proprietary Liquid Engine, which powered not only the original Frostpunk but also This War of Mine, no longer in development, the team has long sought a new foundation to carry forward the legacy of the first game." They added that Frostpunk 1886 is not just a visual update but an expansion on the original game, introducing new content, mechanics, laws, and an entirely new "Purpose" path, ensuring a fresh experience even for veteran players.

The switch to Unreal Engine 5 will also enable Frostpunk 1886 to become a living, expandable platform with long-awaited mod support—a feature previously unattainable due to the technical limitations of the original engine—and the potential for future DLC content.

11 bit studios expressed their vision for the future, saying, "Fans can look forward to a future where Frostpunk 2 and Frostpunk 1886 evolve side by side — two paths forged in parallel, each carrying the vision of survival into unrelenting cold." Alongside these projects, the studio is also preparing for the release of The Alters in June.