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{{Infobox video game
| title = Alan Wake 2
| developer = [[Remedy Entertainment]]
| publisher = [[Epic Games Publishing]]
| image = Alan Wake 2 box art.jpg
| director = {{Unbulleted list|[[Sam Lake]]|Kyle Rowley}}
| programmer = Antti Kerminen
| artist = Janne Pulkkinen
| writer = {{Unbulleted list|Sam Lake|Clay Murphy|Tyler Burton Smith|Sinikka Annala}}
| composer = Petri Alanko
| engine = [[Northlight Engine]]
| series = ''[[Alan Wake]]''
| platforms = {{Unbulleted list|[[PlayStation 5]]|[[Windows]]|[[Xbox Series X/S]]}}
| released = 27 October 2023
| genre = [[Survival horror]]
| modes = [[Single-player]]
}}
'''''Alan Wake 2'''''{{efn|Stylized as ''Alan Wake II''}} is a 2023 [[Survival horror|survival horror video game]] developed by [[Remedy Entertainment]] and published by [[Epic Games Publishing]]. The sequel to ''[[Alan Wake]]'' (2010), the story follows best-selling novelist [[Alan Wake (character)|Alan Wake]], who has been trapped in an alternate dimension for 13 years, as he attempts to escape by writing a horror story involving an [[FBI Special Agent]] named Saga Anderson.

''Alan Wake 2'' was released for [[PlayStation 5]], [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]], and [[Xbox Series X and Series S|Xbox Series X/S]] on 27 October 2023. The game's [[Video game development|development]] and marketing budget reportedly was €70 million, making it one of the [[List of most expensive video games to develop|most expensive games to develop]] and one of the most expensive cultural products from Finland. ''Alan Wake 2'' received generally positive reviews from critics and was nominated for multiple [[Game of the year award|Game of the Year awards]]. It had sold over 2 million units by December 2024, making it Remedy's fastest-selling game. A [[downloadable content]] (DLC) expansion titled ''Night Springs'' was released on 8 June 2024, while a second expansion titled ''The Lake House'' was released on 22 October 2024.

==Gameplay==
[[File:Alan Wake 2 screenshot.jpg|thumb|right|alt=A screenshot of ''Alan Wake 2'', showing the player's character, Saga Anderson aiming her flashlight and handgun at an enemy, in an exterior environment|The player, as Saga, fights an enemy using a pistol and a flashlight. The ammo counter, [[health bar]], and flashlight meter are visible at the bottom right.]]

Compared to the original ''[[Alan Wake]]'', which is an [[action-adventure game]] with [[Horror game|horror]] themes, ''Alan Wake 2'' is a [[survival horror|survival horror game]], although it is still played from a [[Third-person (video games)|third-person perspective]]. Players play as Alan Wake or Saga Anderson in two separate [[Single-player video game|single-player]] stories, which can be [[Nonlinear gameplay|played in any order the player chooses]], although the opening and ending sequences of the game are linear.<ref name="PSBlog thomas">{{Cite web |last=Puha |first=Thomas |date=24 May 2023 |title=''Alan Wake 2'' launches on PS5 October 17 |url=https://blog.playstation.com/2023/05/24/alan-wake-2-launches-on-ps5-october-17/ |access-date=24 May 2023 |website=[[PlayStation.Blog]] |language=en-US |archive-date=25 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230525080208/https://blog.playstation.com/2023/05/24/alan-wake-2-launches-on-ps5-october-17/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="VGC interview" />

Wake and Anderson traverse environments and fight enemies using various firearms and a flashlight, the latter of which can be "focused" to render enemies vulnerable to firearm attacks. Focusing the flashlight drains its battery, and players need to strategically use a limited amount of batteries and ammunition in order to survive. When enemies are close, Alan or Saga can perform a dodge maneuver.<ref name="GSpot impressions">{{Cite web |last1=Indovina |first1=Kurt |last2=Caswell |first2=Tom |date=10 June 2023 |title=''Alan Wake 2'' Gameplay Impressions {{!}} Summer Game Fest 2023 |url=https://www.gamespot.com/videos/alan-wake-2-gameplay-impressions-summer-game-fest-2023/2300-6461603/ |access-date=11 June 2023 |website=[[GameSpot]] |language=en-US |archive-date=15 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230715143300/https://www.gamespot.com/videos/alan-wake-2-gameplay-impressions-summer-game-fest-2023/2300-6461603/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

''Alan Wake 2'' incorporates detective elements: when playing as Saga, players can access an enemy-free space dubbed the "Mind Place".<ref name="GSpot impressions" /> Described by Remedy as a "3D menu", the Mind Place is a visual representation of Saga's thoughts. In the Mind Place, players manage a pin board in which they can connect clues to piece together the main mystery, as well as profile characters to gather clues.<ref name="VGC interview">{{Cite web |last=Robinson |first=Andy |date=10 June 2023 |title=''Alan Wake 2'' interview: '''True Detective'' was definitely on our mind' |url=https://www.videogameschronicle.com/features/alan-wake-2-interview-true-detective-was-definitely-on-our-mind/ |access-date=11 June 2023 |website=[[Video Games Chronicle]] |language=en-GB |archive-date=30 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030194003/https://www.videogameschronicle.com/features/alan-wake-2-interview-true-detective-was-definitely-on-our-mind/ |url-status=live }}</ref> As Alan, players have access to the "Writer's Room", where they can see the [[Outline (list)|outline]] of a novel he is writing. By adding and changing plot details on the outline, they are able to manipulate the space around Alan.<ref name="MP & WR Guide">{{cite web |last1=Simelane |first1=Smangaliso |title=Alan Wake 2: How the Mind Palace and Writer's Room work |url=https://www.destructoid.com/alan-wake-2-how-the-mind-place-and-writers-room-work/ |website=Destructoid |access-date=12 December 2023 |date=27 October 2023 |archive-date=19 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240119053350/https://www.destructoid.com/alan-wake-2-how-the-mind-place-and-writers-room-work/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Both the Mind Place and the Writer's Room do not pause the outside world.

A returning element from ''Alan Wake'' is finding manuscript pages that foreshadow upcoming events in the story.

==Synopsis==
{{Redirect-distinguish|Saga Anderson|Saga Andersson}}

=== Plot ===
FBI agent Saga Anderson, known for her intuitive skills, arrives in Bright Falls with partner Alex Casey to investigate ritualistic murders linked to the Cult of the Tree. Their latest victim is Robert Nightingale, a fellow agent who went missing in a mass incident that occurred in the town in 2010 and was largely [[cover-up|covered up]] by the US government. During the autopsy, Nightingale's corpse reanimates and escapes. Guided by mysterious typewritten pages that seem to predict events, Saga hunts Nightingale through the Cauldron Lake woods and kills him, then finds missing novelist Alan Wake washed ashore, warning of his evil doppelgänger, Mr. Scratch. Back in town, Alan recounts his 13 years trapped in the Dark Place—a dimension tied to the lake and ruled by the Dark Presence, which manifests as Scratch. Alan has tried to escape by writing stories that alter reality, but his attempts always loop back to an apparition of his New York apartment with his wife Alice. Video diaries left by Alice in the apartment suggest she is also haunted by Scratch.

Alan eventually writes a story called ''Return'' about Saga's investigation, but realizes it has been twisted by Scratch. He warns Saga that Scratch is seeking the Clicker, a supernatural artifact capable of freeing or destroying the Dark Presence. As ''Return'' unfolds, Saga discovers her past has been rewritten so that her daughter Logan drowned. Determined to end the story, she retrieves the Clicker but is intercepted by the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC), led by Agent Kiran Estevez, who apprehends Alan and the Cult leaders, Ilmo and Jaakko Koskela.

Saga learns from Odin and Tor Anderson—her grand-uncle and grandfather—that her psychic abilities allow her to perceive changes in reality caused by ''Return''. When she attempts to give Alan the Clicker, he kills Jaakko and attacks Saga, convincing her he is actually Scratch. Using FBC light tech, she drives him off. Ilmo, grieving his brother, reveals the Cult's purpose was to defend Bright Falls from the Taken, humans possessed by the Dark Presence. Saga joins forces with Casey, Estevez, Odin, and Tor to summon the real Alan from the Dark Place using the Clicker.

In the Dark Place, Alan learns from his future self that his endless rewrites have created time loops. He discovers a [[suicide note]] from Alice and realizes the haunting was caused by his repeated trips to the apartment. Mistaking his past self for Scratch, an enraged Alan kills him, perpetuating the cycle. His despair allows the Dark Presence to possess him, and he subsequently disappears.

The ritual succeeds in bringing Alan back, but at an earlier point in the story, with the Dark Presence inside of him waiting to take over. The possessed Alan attacks the group. Saga and Estevez banish the Dark Presence from Alan, but it transfers to Casey, steals the Clicker, and throws Saga into the Dark Place. Alan re-enters the Dark Place to write a new ending, while Saga learns to navigate the realm, retrieves the Clicker and a Bullet of Light, and reunites with Alan to complete the story.

Saga uses the Clicker to purge Casey. Alan provokes the Dark Presence into possessing him again, and Saga shoots him with the Bullet of Light, seemingly destroying both Alan and the entity. As he dies, Alan realizes the story is trapped in a loop and will reset. Saga calls Logan to see if reality has been restored, but the screen cuts to black.

In a final video diary, Alice reveals she tricked Alan into believing she had died, explaining that he must break the cycle through “destruction” or “ascension.” Alan revives, declaring, “It's not a loop, it's a spiral.”

In the ''New Game Plus'' mode, ''The Final Draft'', repeated playthroughs bring the spiral to its end. Alan finishes ''Return'', severing the Dark Presence, which was born from his own darkness and tied to Alice. The Bullet of Light destroys it permanently. Logan answers Saga's call, and Alan revives, free from the loop, proclaiming himself the master of “not just two worlds, but many.”

=== Expansions ===

==== ''Night Springs'' ====
Within the Remedy Connected Universe, ''Night Springs'' was a horror anthology show akin to ''[[The Twilight Zone]]'', which had a few episodes written by Alan himself. Previously used during [[Alan Wake's American Nightmare|''American Nightmare'']] in a failed attempt to escape the Dark Place, a new season hosted by Warlin Door, a mysterious figure in the Dark Place who accosts Alan during the start of his chapters, covers three short and mostly disconnected stories featuring familiar faces from both ''Alan Wake'' and ''Control'' - it's implied that these were earlier drafts of Alan's that he rejected in favor of what would become the final version of ''Control'' and ''Return'', given the parallels between each story:<blockquote>'''Number One Fan:''' A pastiche of poorly-written self-insert power fantasies, the Number One Fan (Rose Marigold) fights through hordes of rabid critics in order to save her beloved writer (Alan Wake) from his evil twin (Mr. Scratch). Notably, the evil twin attempts to impersonate the writer at one point; this makes it into ''Return'' as Scratch hiding in Alan before he tries to take the Clicker from Saga.

'''North Star:''' Effectively a cut-down retelling of ''[[Control (video game)|Control]],'' the Sibling (Jesse Faden) is led to a coffee-themed amusement park, secretly a cover for an paranormal government agency, by her Guiding Star (Polaris), to search for her long-lost brother (physically Alan Wake, voice by Dylan Faden/Sean Durrie), only to find the park taken over by an corruptive and alien force imbued within the park's coffee (the Hiss).

'''Time Breaker:''' Actor [[Shawn Ashmore]] (who plays Tim Breaker in the main game) seemingly finds his own dead body in his dressing room while starring in a videogame developed by Poison Pill Entertainment (parodying Remedy), subsequently becoming embroiled in a multiversal conflict between the Ripple Effect Corporation, spearheaded by Agent Jesbet (Jesse) and Ashmore's many counterparts, and the Master of Many Worlds (Warlin Door & Alan Wake). Notably, a number of elements both in the base game and ''Time Breaker'' imply that Tim Breaker, Jesse Faden, and Warlin Door are alternate versions of characters in ''[[Quantum Break]]''.</blockquote>

==== ''The Lake House'' ====
After Alan washes up to shore from the Clicker ritual, the FBC is alerted to an Altered World Event occurring; Kiran Estevez and her team travel to a research facility dedicated to studying Cauldron Lake, the eponymous Lake House, to gather information and additional manpower in order to coordinate a response, only to find it under a state of emergency and seemingly abandoned. Estevez quickly finds out that the Dark Presence has managed to take over the facility - along with its two married heads, Jules and Diana Marmont, whose Taken forms subsequently slaughter the rest of her team. 

As the agent ventures further into the facility, Estevez discovers that the Marmonts began to chafe within their marriage and the continued stresses of running the Lake House, and exploited the Oldest House's continued lockdown to conduct increasingly unethical and deranged experiments with no oversight in an effort to one-up each other; Jules attempted to exploit the Dark Presence's abilities by abusing and drugging Rudolf Lane, artist and former patient of Emil Hartman, while Diana believed that attempting to emulate Alan Wake's writing style via automated typewriters and later "conscripting" a ghostwriter under false pretenses would better harness the reality-shaping effects of Cauldron Lake. Eventually, Rudolf broke and committed ritualistic suicide, using his own blood to paint a final, horrific self-portrait, the Painting, which was infused with his hatred and despair; Jules then used the Painting to open a Threshold directly into the Dark Place; the raw emotions within the Painting resonated with the Dark Presence, resulting in the entire facility being Taken. Estevez also encounters [[Control (video game)|Dylan Faden]] after briefly being transported to the Oldest House via the Oceanview Motel, where he warns her of [[Control Resonant|an upcoming cataclysm in New York City]].

Estevez eventually makes her way into the lower levels where the Painting is held, only to witness Jules having his head caved in by his wife, their sheer hatred for each other briefly overpowering the Dark Presence, before Estevez finishes off Diana herself and seals the Painting's Threshold. She then witnesses a vision of Alan writing about their later confrontation at Saga and Casey's safehouse following the Cult of the Tree's attack, and sets it in motion by calling what she learnt in, as a "good tip, nothing more", to her backup.

== Development ==
=== Pre-production ===
Remedy Entertainment released ''[[Alan Wake]]'' in 2010. Learning from ''[[Max Payne]]'', they wrote ''Alan Wake'' in a way that allows additional story to be told through sequels and further installments. The team began discussing sequel ideas after ''Alan Wake'' was shipped, which would continue to star Alan Wake as the protagonist, but also explore the stories of the supporting characters including Wake's friend Barry Wheeler and Sheriff Sarah Breaker. A prototype was created to show off the gameplay of ''Alan Wake 2'' when the studio was showing the game to potential publishers. The game would have been a direct sequel to ''Alan Wake'', featuring new enemies and new gameplay mechanics, such as being able to rewrite reality, which were showcased in the prototype. Ultimately, Remedy pitched the project to ''Alan Wake'' publisher [[Microsoft Studios]]. Microsoft, however, at the time was not interested in a sequel and instead, tasked Remedy to create a new game. This ultimately became ''[[Quantum Break]]'', released in 2016. It included, alongside other [[Easter egg (media)|easter eggs]] to ''Alan Wake'', a short live-action film, titled ''Alan Wake: Return''. It features two FBI agents, one named Alex Casey, investigating the reappearance of Wake, which had been created by Remedy as to help promote a sequel to publishers.<ref>{{cite web |last=Robinson |first=Nick |date=1 March 2016 |title=''Quantum Break'' is full of Alan Wake easter eggs |url=https://www.polygon.com/2016/3/1/11137694/quantum-break-is-full-of-alan-wake-easter-eggs |access-date=18 November 2023 |work=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Robinson |first=Martin |date=7 March 2016 |title=Remedy still in talks about ''Alan Wake 2'' |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/remedy-is-still-in-talks-about-alan-wake-2 |access-date=18 November 2023 |work=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |archive-date=1 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231001180727/https://www.eurogamer.net/remedy-is-still-in-talks-about-alan-wake-2 |url-status=live }}</ref> The other FBI agent was Saga Anderson, who was portrayed by [[Malla Malmivaara]]. She was later recast with [[Melanie Liburd]]. Most of the ideas for ''Alan Wake 2'' were implemented in ''[[Alan Wake's American Nightmare|American Nightmare]]'', a downloadable follow-up to ''Alan Wake''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Crecente |first=Brian |date=20 April 2015 |title=Introducing the ''Alan Wake 2'' you will never play |url=https://www.polygon.com/features/2015/4/20/8450329/alan-wake-2-prototype-video-interview |access-date=11 December 2021 |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |archive-date=5 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180805142821/https://www.polygon.com/features/2015/4/20/8450329/alan-wake-2-prototype-video-interview |url-status=live }}</ref> Remedy CEO Tero Virtala stated that any further sequels to ''Alan Wake'' would require Microsoft Studios' approval as the publishing rights holder, though Remedy otherwise owns all other [[intellectual property]] rights to the series.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Batchelor |first=James |date=16 July 2018 |title=How Remedy is taking ''Control'' of its own destiny |url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2018-07-16-how-remedy-is-taking-control-of-its-own-destiny |website=[[GamesIndustry.biz]] |access-date=11 December 2021 |archive-date=11 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211211101201/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2018-07-16-how-remedy-is-taking-control-of-its-own-destiny |url-status=live }}</ref>

When ''Quantum Break'' was announced, [[Sam Lake]] explained that a sequel to ''Alan Wake'' had been postponed, and that ''Alan Wake'' was not financially successful enough to receive the funding they needed to continue developing the sequel at the time.<ref name="awan_nosequel">{{Cite news |last=Narcisse |first=Evan |date=22 May 2013 |title=''Alan Wake'' Creator Explains Why We Are Not Getting A Sequel |work=[[Kotaku]] |url=http://www.kotaku.com/alan-wake-creator-explains-why-were-not-getting-a-sequ-509377931 |access-date=22 May 2013 |archive-date=7 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607185233/http://kotaku.com/alan-wake-creator-explains-why-were-not-getting-a-sequ-509377931 |url-status=live }}</ref> Director of communications Thomas Puha stated in April 2019 that Remedy had briefly returned to work on an ''Alan Wake'' property about two years prior, but the effort did not work out, and the company was booked for the next few years, between their own new game ''[[Control (video game)|Control]]'', supporting [[Smilegate]] on its game ''[[CrossfireX]]'', and another new project. Puha said that the only limited factor for them to work on an ''Alan Wake'' sequel was "time, money, and resources".<ref>{{Cite web |last=McKeand |first=Kirk |date=4 April 2019 |title='We were working on ''Alan Wake 2'' years ago and it just didn't pan out' – Remedy |url=https://www.vg247.com/2019/04/04/alan-wake-2/ |access-date=4 April 2019 |website=[[VG247]] |archive-date=6 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190406080817/https://www.vg247.com/2019/04/04/alan-wake-2/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Despite that, Lake continued to be part of a team in Remedy to brainstorm ideas and work on different incarnations for ''Alan Wake 2''. Internally, the project was code-named "Project Big Fish", which represented its importance and significance to Remedy.<ref name="PSBlog sam">{{Cite web |last=Lake |first=Sam |author-link=Sam Lake |date=9 December 2021 |title=''Alan Wake 2'' announced for PS5 |url=https://blog.playstation.com/2021/12/09/alan-wake-2-announced-for-ps5/ |access-date=11 December 2021 |website=[[PlayStation.Blog]] |archive-date=15 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211215161306/https://blog.playstation.com/2021/12/09/alan-wake-2-announced-for-ps5/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In the second [[downloadable content]] pack for ''Control'', Remedy's next game following ''Quantum Break'', Alan Wake was featured as a character. According to Remedy, ''Control'' established the "Remedy Connected Universe" which is shared by both ''Control'' and ''Alan Wake'', and that the next game released by the studio will also be set on this universe.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chalk |first=Andy |date=7 August 2020 |title=The next 'Remedy Connected Universe' game is already in development |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/the-next-remedy-connected-universe-game-is-already-in-development/ |access-date=7 August 2020 |website=[[PC Gamer]] |archive-date=11 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211211101202/https://www.pcgamer.com/the-next-remedy-connected-universe-game-is-already-in-development/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Remedy fully acquired the rights to ''Alan Wake'' from Microsoft in July 2019, including a one-time royalty payment of about {{euro|2.5 million|link=yes}} for the game series' past sales, which helped pave the way for a sequel.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Phillips |first=Tom |date=1 July 2019 |title=''Alan Wake'' developer Remedy regains publishing rights |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-07-01-alan-wake-developer-remedy-regains-publishing-rights |access-date=1 July 2019 |website=[[Eurogamer]] |archive-date=1 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701132231/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-07-01-alan-wake-developer-remedy-regains-publishing-rights |url-status=live }}</ref> Remedy had signed with [[Epic Games Publishing]] in 2021 for the release of two games. Remedy released ''[[Alan Wake Remastered]]'' in October 2021 as the first game of this partnership,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Marks |first=Tom |date=10 September 2021 |title=''Alan Wake Remastered'' Release Date Announced |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/alan-wake-remaster-release-date-announced |access-date=11 December 2021 |website=[[IGN]] |archive-date=11 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211211060547/https://www.ign.com/articles/alan-wake-remaster-release-date-announced |url-status=live }}</ref> while the second, larger game, ''Alan Wake 2'', was announced at [[The Game Awards 2021]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=McWhertor |first=Michael |date=9 December 2021 |title=''Alan Wake 2'' revealed, will be Remedy's first survival horror game |url=https://www.polygon.com/22827224/alan-wake-2-release-date-trailer-remedy-entertainment |access-date=11 December 2021 |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |archive-date=10 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211210071131/https://www.polygon.com/22827224/alan-wake-2-release-date-trailer-remedy-entertainment |url-status=live }}</ref> Remedy's communications director Thomas Puha said that Epic allowed Remedy to create the game they wanted to make with minimal publisher interference, while providing extensive feedback to help improve the game.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nelson |first=Will |date=30 October 2023 |title=''Alan Wake 2'' devs could make the game 'we wanted' thanks to Epic |url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/alan-wake-2/epic-games |access-date=12 November 2023 |website=[[PCGamesN]] |archive-date=12 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231112150238/https://www.pcgamesn.com/alan-wake-2/epic-games |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Production ===
With Epic as their publisher, Remedy began production on ''Alan Wake 2'' in August 2019.<ref>{{citation |title=Company announcement 09:00 am (EET) 12 November 2021 BUSINESS REVIEW January–September 2021 (unaudited) |date=12 November 2012 |url=https://investors.remedygames.com/announcements/remedy-entertainment-plc-q3-business-review-business-progressed-as-planned-outlook-unchanged/ |work=Remedy Investors |publisher=Remedy Entertainment Plc |quote=In September, we announced that the smaller of the two Epic Games Publishing projects, ''Alan Wake Remastered'', was completed and ready to be launched in October on PC on the Epic Games Store, Xbox, and for the first time in the franchise's history, PlayStation console [..] Another key milestone was the entry of the bigger Epic Games Publishing project into full production in August. |access-date=12 November 2023 |archive-date=14 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211114173520/https://investors.remedygames.com/announcements/remedy-entertainment-plc-q3-business-review-business-progressed-as-planned-outlook-unchanged/ |url-status=live }}</ref> According to Sam Lake, the game would be powered by Remedy's own [[Northlight Engine]], which they used for ''Quantum Break'' and ''Control''. Lake also stated that ''Alan Wake 2'' would be a [[survival horror|survival horror game]], as opposed to ''Alan Wake'', which Lake said was "an [[action game]] with horror elements", though he did not explain the difference between the two. Lake further added that players will not need to play the previous games in order to understand ''Alan Wake 2''.<ref name="PSBlog sam" /> The sequel continued to draw inspiration from the works of [[David Lynch]], particularly ''[[Twin Peaks]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=D'Amato |first=Lee |date=2023-11-08 |title=Alan Wake 2 Isn't A Horror Game, It's A Twin Peaks Game |url=https://screenrant.com/alan-wake-2-twin-peaks-game-influence-references/ |access-date=2024-12-02 |website=ScreenRant |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Fillari">{{cite web |last=Fillari |first=Alessandro |date=13 November 2023 |title=Why Remedy Entertainment went all in on Saga Anderson in ''Alan Wake 2'' |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/why-remedy-entertainment-went-all-in-on-saga-anderson-in-i-alan-wake-2-i- |access-date=14 November 2023 |website=[[Game Developer (website)|Game Developer]] |archive-date=13 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231113141706/https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/why-remedy-entertainment-went-all-in-on-saga-anderson-in-i-alan-wake-2-i- |url-status=live }}</ref> According to Lake, he sought influence specifically from the [[Twin Peaks season 3|third season]] of ''Twin Peaks'', whereas the first entry was influenced by earlier seasons.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-09-27 |title=Alan Wake 2's Sam Lake explains Twin Peaks: The Return's 'bold' influence |url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/alan-wake-2-hands-on-impressions/ |access-date=2024-12-02 |website=Digital Trends |language=en}}</ref> Also influential were more detective themes from works like ''[[Seven (1995 film)|SE7EN]]'', ''[[The Silence of the Lambs (film)|The Silence of the Lambs]]'', and ''[[True Detective]]'',<ref name="Fillari"/> while literary influences included ''[[House of Leaves]]'' by 	[[Mark Z. Danielewski]], ''[[Lunar Park]]'' by [[Bret Easton Ellis]], ''[[The New York Trilogy]]'' by [[Paul Auster]] and [[Stephen King]]'s ''[[The Dark Tower (series)|The Dark Tower]]'' series, as well as his memoir ''[[On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Marsh |first=Calum |date=16 November 2023 |title=The Eclectic Inspirations for ''Alan Wake 2'''s Surreal Tale |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/16/arts/alan-wake-2-sam-lake.html |access-date=16 November 2023 |website=[[The New York Times]] |archive-date=16 November 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20231116174212/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/16/arts/alan-wake-2-sam-lake.html#selection-463.0-466.0 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=McCarter |first=Reid |date=4 November 2023 |title=''Alan Wake II'' Is Far Darker Than Its Predecessor—and Perfects the Horror Genre
 |url=https://www.wired.com/review/alan-wake-ii-review/ |access-date=4 November 2023 |website=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |archive-date=15 March 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240315192842/https://www.wired.com/review/alan-wake-ii-review/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZhCLgSlMtM&ab_|title=Writing Alan Wake 2 - Interview with Sam Lake|newspaper=Lits Play|date=16 October 2023|access-date=16 October 2023}}</ref> Lake said that his approach to ''Alan Wake 2'' was bolstered by the success of the film ''[[Everything Everywhere All At Once]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/video-games/2023/12/16/sam-lake-alan-wake-2/|title=Sam Lake, gaming's genre-bending auteur, on breaking reality|first=Gene|last=Park|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=16 December 2023|access-date=19 December 2023|archive-date=19 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231219153758/https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/video-games/2023/12/16/sam-lake-alan-wake-2/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Remedy confirmed the game would remain in the [[third-person perspective]], and that both [[Ilkka Villi]] and [[Matthew Porretta]] would return to provide the appearance and the voice of Alan, respectively.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cryer |first=Hirun |date=14 December 2021 |title=''Alan Wake 2'' is bringing back the third-person camera and lead actor Matthew Porretta |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/alan-wake-2-is-bringing-back-the-third-person-camera-and-lead-actor-matthew-porretta/ |access-date=14 December 2021 |website=[[GamesRadar]] |archive-date=14 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211214174925/https://www.gamesradar.com/alan-wake-2-is-bringing-back-the-third-person-camera-and-lead-actor-matthew-porretta/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Other cast include [[Melanie Liburd]] as the live-action and voice of Saga Anderson, [[David Harewood]] as both the live-action and voice of Mr. Door, [[James McCaffrey (actor)|James McCaffrey]] and Lake as the voice and live-action appearance of Alex Casey, respectively.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Erskine |first=Donovan |date=2 November 2023 |title=''Alan Wake 2'' voice actors & cast list |url=https://www.shacknews.com/article/137628/alan-wake-2-voice-cast |access-date=4 November 2023 |website=[[Shacknews]] |archive-date=3 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103210153/https://www.shacknews.com/article/137628/alan-wake-2-voice-cast |url-status=live }}</ref> Further, ''Alan Wake 2'' includes cameos from characters in ''Control'', including Jesse Faden (voiced by [[Courtney Hope]]), Dr. Darling (Porretta) and the mysterious janitor Ahti ([[Martti Suosalo]]).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Moiseyev |first=Dennis |date=9 November 2023 |title=''Alan Wake 2'': Every Returning Character From The Original And ''Control'' |url=https://www.thegamer.com/alan-wake-2-first-game-control-returning-characters/ |access-date=12 November 2023 |website=The Gamer}}</ref>

Alan's mission "Initiation 4: We Sing" has the player guide Alan through a surreal set while the character Mr. Door and others sing "Herald of Darkness", a musical summarizing Alan's story to that point with music provided by [[Poets of the Fall]] (playing as the fictional band "Old Gods of Asgard").<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mahardy |first=Mike |date=30 October 2023 |title=''Alan Wake 2'' has the best 15-minute stretch in a video game in years |url=https://www.polygon.com/gaming/23935450/alan-wake-2-we-sing-flare-gun-talkshow |access-date=4 November 2023 |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |archive-date=3 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103191037/https://www.polygon.com/gaming/23935450/alan-wake-2-we-sing-flare-gun-talkshow |url-status=live }}</ref> Lake said the idea for the musical sequence was inspired by ''Alan Wake''{{'s}} concert standoff as well as the Ashtray Maze level in ''[[Control (video game)|Control]]'', both set to Poets of the Fall's music. Lake also knew that Porretta (Wake) and Harewood (Mr. Door) could sing, and Poets of the Fall were able to help with choreography. Frequently through development, some of the developers questioned the need for the musical sequence due to both the strangeness of the sequence in the horror game and the difficulties in executing it. However, Lake insisted that the sequence must be kept.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Delaney |first=Mark |date=4 November 2023 |title=''Alan Wake 2''{{'}}s Best Scene Was Nearly Cut From The Game, Sam Lake Reveals |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/alan-wake-2s-best-scene-was-nearly-cut-from-the-game-sam-lake-reveals/1100-6518924/ |website=GameSpot |language=en-US |access-date=4 November 2023 |archive-date=4 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231104194928/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/alan-wake-2s-best-scene-was-nearly-cut-from-the-game-sam-lake-reveals/1100-6518924/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The song was played live at [[The Game Awards 2023]] by Poets of the Fall, along with Villi, Porretta, Harewood, and Lake reprising their roles.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mahardy |first=Mike |date=7 December 2023 |title=The Old Gods of Asgard are The Game Awards' best musical guest yet |url=https://www.polygon.com/game-awards-tga/23992657/musical-guest-alan-wake-2-old-gods-of-asgard |website=Polygon |language=en-US |access-date=12 December 2023}}</ref>

Overall, the game took 13 years to develop. In an interview, Sam Lake said this was because "The sequel contains many characters and locations, as well as a continuation of the supernatural lore established and introduced in the original Alan Wake."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hussain |first=Mudassir |date=17 October 2023 |title=Alan Wake 2 Interview: 13 Years Of Struggle, Saga's Relation, And Significance Of DLCs |url=https://exputer.com/exputer/alan-wake-2-sam-lake-interview/ |website=eXputer |language=en-US |access-date=20 November 2023 |archive-date=20 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231120110902/https://exputer.com/exputer/alan-wake-2-sam-lake-interview/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The budget for the game reportedly stands at €70 million, with €50 million in development and an additional €20 million spent on marketing.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Niemi |first=Liisa |date=27 October 2023 |title=''Alan Wake II'' on yksi Suomen kalleimmista kulttuurituotteista, ja siitä voi tulla Remedylle kultakaivos |trans-title=''Alan Wake II'' is one of the most expensive cultural products in Finland, and it can become a gold mine for Remedy |url=https://www.hs.fi/talous/art-2000009952209.html |website=Helsingin Sanomat |language=fi |access-date=27 October 2023 |archive-date=27 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231027143008/https://www.hs.fi/talous/art-2000009952209.html |url-status=live }}</ref> This is considered to make the game one of the most expensive cultural products in the history of Finland.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mattila |first=Mattias |date=26 October 2023 |title=''Alan Wake 2'' on kymmenien miljoonien eurojen selviytymiskauhua – yksi vuoden odotetuimmista peleistä on täynnä Suomi-viitteitä |trans-title=''Alan Wake 2'' is a survival horror worth tens of millions of euros - one of the most anticipated games of the year is full of Finnish references |url=https://yle.fi/a/74-20057197 |website=Yle Uutiset |language=fi |access-date=27 October 2023 |archive-date=27 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231027050856/https://yle.fi/a/74-20057197 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Post-launch updates ===
In October 2024, Remedy Entertainment released the free anniversary update for ''Alan Wake 2'', adding accessibility options like infinite ammo, one-shot kills, and gameplay assists. The update added [[DualShock#DualSense|DualSense]] motion control support and enhanced haptic feedback on PlayStation 5, along with expanded axis inversion options.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dinsdale |first=Ryan |date=2024-10-21 |title=Alan Wake 2 Gets Major Anniversary Update Tomorrow |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/alan-wake-2-gets-major-anniversary-update-tomorrow |access-date=2024-10-23 |website=IGN |language=en}}</ref>

==== Graphics technology ====
Prior to the release of ''Alan Wake 2'', Remedy Entertainment had earned a reputation for pushing visual boundaries and graphics technology with releases such as ''[[Control (video game)|Control]]'' and ''[[Max Payne 2]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mackenzie |first1=Oliver |date=26 October 2023 |title=Alan Wake 2 on PlayStation 5 - Remedy raises the bar for visuals yet again |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/digitalfoundry-2023-alan-wake-2-on-playstation-5-remedy-raises-the-bar-for-visual-accomplishment-once-again |website=Eurogamer |access-date=14 April 2024 |archive-date=21 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240521230723/https://www.eurogamer.net/digitalfoundry-2023-alan-wake-2-on-playstation-5-remedy-raises-the-bar-for-visual-accomplishment-once-again |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Alan Wake 2'' was developed with [[Ninth generation of video game consoles|ninth generation consoles]] in mind. For its traditional graphics rasterization, ''Alan Wake 2'' harnesses [[Shader#Primitive and Mesh shaders|mesh shaders]] that are only supported by the [[PlayStation 5]], [[Xbox Series X and Series S|Xbox Series X/S]], and [[Nvidia]]'s [[GeForce 20 series|GeForce RTX 20]] and [[GeForce 16 series|16 series]] or [[Advanced Micro Devices|AMD]]'s [[Radeon RX 6000 series]] of GPUs and later on PC.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Tyson |first1=Mark |date=30 October 2023 |title=Alan Wake 2 Requires Mesh Shaders, Excluding Most Older GPUs |url=https://www.tomshardware.com/news/alan-wake-2-requires-mesh-shaders-excluding-most-older-gpus |website=Tom's Hardware |language=en-US |access-date=14 April 2024}}</ref> The game was the first to be released with native support for mesh shaders.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Evanson |first1=Nick |date=30 October 2023 |title=Mesh shaders explained: What are they, what's the big fuss, and why are they only in Alan Wake 2? |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/mesh-shaders-explained/ |website=PC Gamer |language=en-US |access-date=14 April 2024}}</ref> As opposed to older vertex and geometry shading techniques, mesh shaders try to reduce the bottleneck from rendering a large number of fixed vertex triangles by instead flexibly rendering large groups of triangles. Developers are given greater control over rendering complex geometry as mesh shaders can be segmented into smaller meshlets that can be re-used and rendered in-parallel while making less calls for data from memory.<ref name="Kubisch">{{cite web |last1=Kubisch |first1=Christoph |date=17 September 2018 |title=Introduction to Turing Mesh Shaders |url=https://developer.nvidia.com/blog/introduction-turing-mesh-shaders/ |website=Nvidia Developer |language=en-US |access-date=14 April 2024}}</ref> The graphics pipeline is also shorter with mesh shaders as opposed to a traditional vertex and tessellation pipeline.<ref name="Kubisch"/> ''Alan Wake 2'' running on hardware without mesh shader support, such as Nvidia's [[GeForce 10 series|GeForce GTX 10 series]] or AMD's [[Radeon RX 5000 series]] of GPUs and older, results in poor performance and visual errors.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Battaglia |first1=Alex |date=3 March 2024 |title=Upcoming Alan Wake 2 patch drastically improves GTX 10-series performance |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/digitalfoundry-2024-upcoming-alan-wake-2-patch-drastically-improves-gtx-10-series-performance |website=Eurogamer |access-date=14 April 2024 |archive-date=16 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240316171941/https://www.eurogamer.net/digitalfoundry-2024-upcoming-alan-wake-2-patch-drastically-improves-gtx-10-series-performance |url-status=live }}</ref> However, an optimization [[Patch (computing)|patch]] released in early 2024 improved performance on GTX 10-series GPUs.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-03-03 |title=Upcoming Alan Wake 2 patch drastically improves GTX 10-series performance |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/digitalfoundry-2024-upcoming-alan-wake-2-patch-drastically-improves-gtx-10-series-performance |access-date=2024-06-23 |work=Eurogamer.net |language=en |archive-date=16 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240316171941/https://www.eurogamer.net/digitalfoundry-2024-upcoming-alan-wake-2-patch-drastically-improves-gtx-10-series-performance |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Ray tracing (graphics)|Ray tracing]] is extensively used in ''Alan Wake 2'' to better simulate how light realistically behaves in the real world. Scenes are lit using [[global illumination]] and the light provided by the global light source bounces off surfaces and diffuses depending on the materials present. The use of ray tracing is particularly important for adding ambience to dark scenes in the game that feature flashlights as a sole light source.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Swan |first1=Cameron |date=3 November 2023 |title=Alan Wake 2's Use of Lighting Shouldn't Be Taken for Granted |url=https://gamerant.com/alan-wake-2-lighting-tech-graphics-gameplay-good/ |website=GameRant |language=en-US |access-date=14 April 2024}}</ref> ''Alan Wake 2'' even goes beyond ray tracing to incorporate [[path tracing]] where diffused light will also bounce across duller surfaces in addition to reflective ones.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Battaglia |first1=Alex |date=5 November 2023 |title=Alan Wake 2: a deep dive into Remedy's high-end ray tracing |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/digitalfoundry-2023-alan-wake-2-rt-deep-dive |website=Eurogamer |access-date=14 April 2024 |archive-date=9 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240409044526/https://www.eurogamer.net/digitalfoundry-2023-alan-wake-2-rt-deep-dive |url-status=live }}</ref> Path tracing's computational demands means that it is not available on the limited console hardware.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Walton |first1=Jarred |date=27 October 2023 |title=Testing Alan Wake 2: Full Path Tracing and Ray Reconstruction Will Punish Your GPU |url=https://www.tomshardware.com/features/alan-wake-2-will-punish-your-gpu |website=Tom's Hardware |language=en-US |access-date=14 April 2024 |archive-date=16 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240416172340/https://www.tomshardware.com/features/alan-wake-2-will-punish-your-gpu |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Alan Wake 2''{{'}}s extensive use of ray tracing made it a promotional vessel for Nvidia's graphics technologies such as supporting [[DLSS]] 3.5 Ray Reconstruction. On Nvidia GeForce [[Nvidia RTX|RTX]] graphics cards, it seeks to improve ray tracing visual quality and performance by not performing calculations on multiple rays per pixel and instead using machine learning to fill in the gaps.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Walton |first1=Jarred |date=23 August 2023 |title=Nvidia Reveals DLSS 3.5: AI-Powered Ray Reconstruction |url=https://www.tomshardware.com/news/nvidia-reveals-dlss-35-ai-powered-ray-reconstruction |website=Tom's Hardware |language=en-US |access-date=14 April 2024 |archive-date=16 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240416172407/https://www.tomshardware.com/news/nvidia-reveals-dlss-35-ai-powered-ray-reconstruction |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Music ==
{{Infobox album
| name       = ''Alan Wake 2: Original Game Soundtrack''
| type       = soundtrack
| artist     = Petri Alanko
| cover      =
| caption    = 
| alt        = 
| released   = {{start date|2024|05|14|df=yes}}
| recorded   = 2011–2023
| venue      = 
| studio     = 
| genre      = 
| length     = 108:49
| label      = {{hlist|[[Epic Games]]|Laced Records}}
| producer   = 
| prev_title = 
| prev_year  = 
| next_title = 
| next_year  = 
}}
The original score for ''Alan Wake 2'' by Finnish composer Petri Alanko was released via Epic Games and Laced Records on 14 May 2024, the 14th anniversary of the first ''[[Alan Wake]]'' game's release.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Croft |first1=Liam |date=13 May 2024 |title=Alan Wake 2's Haunting Soundtrack Out Tomorrow, Includes 35 Tracks |url=https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2024/05/alan-wake-2s-haunting-soundtrack-out-tomorrow-includes-35-tracks |website=Push Square |language=en-US |access-date=15 May 2024}}</ref> Alanko returns to the role of composer from the first ''Alan Wake'' game with his approach to composing for ''Alan Wake 2'' "akin to reuniting with an old friend, discovering both familiar and new elements to play with".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Huttunen |first=Miika |date=13 May 2024 |title=Celebrating Alan Wake's 14th Anniversary with a New Soundtrack |url=https://www.alanwake.com/story/celebrating-alan-wakes-14th-anniversary-with-a-new-soundtrack/ |access-date=15 May 2024 |website=AlanWake.com |language=en}}</ref>

Alanko first began recording ''Alan Wake 2''{{'}}s original score in 2011, and in the years since then, it became a "very different entity". The biggest change that occurred since Alanko began work on the score was the addition of the game's second protagonist Saga Anderson.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Brown |first1=Andy |date=1 March 2024 |title=How Petri Alanko scored 'Alan Wake 2' with mayhem and miracles |url=https://www.nme.com/features/alan-wake-2-soundtrack-petri-alanko-interview-3595430 |website=NME |language=en-GB |access-date=15 May 2024 |archive-date=15 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240515122852/https://www.nme.com/features/alan-wake-2-soundtrack-petri-alanko-interview-3595430 |url-status=live }}</ref> In the years since beginning work on ''Alan Wake 2''{{'}}s score, he also composed the score for Remedy Entertainment's 2019 game ''[[Control (video game)|Control]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Banas |first1=Graham |date=8 October 2019 |title=Interview: Taking the Hiss with Control Composer Petri Alanko |url=https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2019/10/interview_taking_the_hiss_with_control_composer_petri_alanko |website=Push Square |language=en-US |access-date=15 May 2024}}</ref> To create some of the sounds for ''Alan Wake 2'', Alanko used unconventional means such as dropping pianos off forklift trucks.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Peppiatt |first1=Dom |date=8 March 2024 |title='It seems it has its own mind': the bizarre and terrifying instrument behind Alan Wake 2's soundtrack |url=https://www.theguardian.com/games/2024/mar/08/it-seems-it-has-its-own-mind-the-bizarre-and-terrifying-instrument-behind-alan-wake-2s-soundtrack |website=The Guardian |language=en-GB |access-date=15 May 2024}}</ref>

== Release ==
Remedy announced in May 2023 that ''Alan Wake 2'' would be a digital-only release, rationalizing that many players had already shifted to only buying games digitally, so they wanted to ensure the game maintains a low price, and they didn't want it to require a separate download even if a physical version was released.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Peters |first=Jay |date=25 May 2023 |title=''Alan Wake 2'' won't be available on disc |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/24/23736784/alan-wake-2-disc-digital-release |access-date=26 May 2023 |website=[[The Verge]] |archive-date=9 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230609131452/https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/24/23736784/alan-wake-2-disc-digital-release |url-status=live }}</ref> Originally planned to release for [[PlayStation 5]], [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]], and [[Xbox Series X and Series S|Xbox Series X/S]] on 17 October 2023, Remedy delayed the game by ten days to 27 October to avoid competition from other major triple-A releases.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Winslow |first=Levi |date=17 August 2023 |title=''Alan Wake 2'' Spooked By October Games Onslaught, Delayed 10 Days |url=https://kotaku.com/alan-wake-2-delay-october-game-release-date-halloween-1850744823 |access-date=17 August 2023 |website=[[Kotaku]]}}</ref> The PC version is exclusive to the [[Epic Games Store]] for "a long time".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Makuch |first=Eddie |date=2023-10-26 |title=Why Alan Wake 2 Isn't On Steam |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/why-alan-wake-2-isnt-on-steam/1100-6518717/ |access-date=2024-02-16 |website=GameSpot |language=en-US}}</ref> Free [[downloadable content]] packs and two paid expansions titled ''Night Springs'' and ''The Lake House'' were announced.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cryer |first=Hirun |date=25 May 2023 |title=''Alan Wake 2'' will get free DLC and two full expansions |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/alan-wake-2-will-get-free-dlc-and-two-full-expansions/ |access-date=26 May 2023 |website=[[GamesRadar]] |archive-date=7 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607063431/https://www.gamesradar.com/alan-wake-2-will-get-free-dlc-and-two-full-expansions/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Remedy later announced that physical editions of the game would release in October 2024, including a limited collectors edition produced with [[Limited Run Games]].<ref name="Eurogamer dlc">{{cite web | url = https://www.eurogamer.net/alan-wake-2s-deliciously-bizarre-night-springs-dlc-out-this-weekend-physical-version-finally-due-later-this-year | title = Alan Wake 2's deliciously bizarre Night Springs DLC out this weekend, physical version finally due later this year | first = Tom | last = Phillips | date = 7 June 2024 | access-date = 7 June 2024 | work = [[Eurogamer]] }}</ref>

=== Marketing ===
An Alan Wake cosmetic outfit was added to ''[[Fortnite]]'' as part of the "Fortnitemares 2023" event<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yin-Poole |first=Wesley |date=10 October 2023 |title=''Fortnite'' Update 26.30 Adds Alan Wake, Michael Myers, and Jack Skellington Outfits |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/fortnite-update-2630-adds-alan-wake-michael-myers-and-jack-skellington-outfits |access-date=3 November 2023 |website=[[IGN]] |language=en |archive-date=3 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103150140/https://www.ign.com/articles/fortnite-update-2630-adds-alan-wake-michael-myers-and-jack-skellington-outfits |url-status=live }}</ref> and a retelling of the first ''Alan Wake'' was available within ''[[Fortnite Creative]]'' in the weeks prior to the sequel's release to help new players come up to speed on events from the first game.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Riveria |first=Joshua |date=17 October 2023 |title=''Fortnite'' put a whole other dang game in ''Fortnite'' |url=https://www.polygon.com/23921047/fortnite-alan-wake-flashback-recap |website=Polygon |language=en-US |access-date=12 November 2023 |archive-date=12 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231112150220/https://www.polygon.com/23921047/fortnite-alan-wake-flashback-recap |url-status=live }}</ref>

From 10 October to 13 November 2023, a free copy of ''Alan Wake 2'' was included in a promotional bundle with the purchase of certain [[Nvidia]] [[GeForce 40 series|GeForce RTX 40 series]] GPUs.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Newcombe |first1=Rosalie |date=11 October 2023 |title=Get Alan Wake 2 free with select Nvidia RTX 40 GPUs |url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/nvidia/alan-wake-2-gpu-giveaway |website=PCGamesN |language=en-US |access-date=14 April 2024 |archive-date=24 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240624122850/https://www.pcgamesn.com/nvidia/alan-wake-2-gpu-giveaway |url-status=live }}</ref> The eligible GPUs for the bundle were the RTX 4070, RTX 4070 Ti, RTX 4080 and RTX 4090.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sims |first1=Daniel |date=10 October 2023 |title=Alan Wake II is Nvidia's next RTX 40 series bundle, available now until November 13 |url=https://www.techspot.com/news/100443-alan-wake-ii-nvidia-next-rtx-40-series.html |website=TechSpot |access-date=14 April 2024 |archive-date=14 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240114175308/https://www.techspot.com/news/100443-alan-wake-ii-nvidia-next-rtx-40-series.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Alan Wake was added to the video game ''[[Dead by Daylight]]'' in January 2024. Additional cosmetics were included with his release, including skins that turn the character into either Saga Anderson, Rose Marigold, and Mr. Scratch.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-01-31 |title=Dead by Daylight's TOME 18: REVISION Highlights Alan Wake & The Deathslinger |url=https://deadbydaylight.com/news/tome-18-revision-release/ |website=Dead by Daylight |language=en-US |access-date=24 March 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ingram |first=Michael Brandon |date=2024-01-30 |title=Dead by Daylight Officially Adds Alan Wake |url=https://gamerant.com/dead-by-daylight-dlc-alan-wake-survivor/ |access-date=2025-02-25 |website=Game Rant |language=en}}</ref>

===Downloadable content===
The first [[downloadable content]] (DLC) addition, ''Night Springs'', was released on 8 June 2024.<ref name="Eurogamer dlc"/> It contains three episodes, featuring echoes of existing characters in the Remedy shared universe in "what if" type scenarios within Bright Falls. These include "Number One Fan," with the player controlling the Waitress, who is based on Rose; the second is "North Star," which features a protagonist based on Jesse Faden, the main character of ''[[Control (video game)|Control]]''; the third is "Time Breaker," which features the Actor, real-life actor [[Shawn Ashmore]] appearing as himself as well as Sheriff Tim Breaker (whom Ashmore also voices).<ref>{{Cite web |last=McCarter |first=Reid |date=8 June 2024 |title=Remedy reveals surprising ideas behind Alan Wake 2 DLC's new chapters, characters |url=https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/news/alan-wake-2-dlc-night-springs-remedy-interview-release-date |access-date=30 June 2024 |website=[[Epic Games Store]]}}</ref>

The second DLC expansion, ''The Lake House'', was released on 22 October 2024.<ref name="Eurogamer article">{{cite web |last=Kennedy |first=Victoria |date=17 October 2024 |title=Alan Wake 2 Lake House DLC will be another slice of full on horror, with new playable character and enemy type |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/alan-wake-2-lake-house-dlc-will-be-another-slice-of-full-on-horror-with-new-playable-character-and-enemy-type |access-date=17 October 2024 |work=[[Eurogamer]]}}</ref> This expansion is a [[Crossover (video games)|crossover]] with Remedy's ''[[Control (video game)|Control]]'' series. In ''The Lake House'', players take control of FBC agent Kiran Estevez. While the events of the expansion take place towards the beginning of the main game's plot, players are able to access the expansion from the main menu at any time, or during the mission "Return 6: Scratch", in a similar vein to the ''Night Springs'' DLC, which players could enter by finding various [[television set]]s around the Dark Place. The game also saw the release of new tracks from Petri Alanko and [[Poe (singer)|Poe]], as well as a new in-game outfit for Alan, the "classic outfit".<ref name="psblog dlc">{{cite web |last=Starcevic |first=Vida |date=7 June 2024 |title=New Alan Wake 2 Night Springs expansion launches June 8, first details |url=https://blog.playstation.com/2024/06/07/new-alan-wake-2-night-springs-expansion-launches-june-8-first-details/ |access-date=7 June 2024 |work=[[PlayStation Blog]]}}</ref><ref name="Remedy blog">{{cite web |last=Starčević |first=Vida |date=17 October 2024 |title=The Lake House expansion releases October 22nd |url=https://www.alanwake.com/story/the-lake-house-expansion-releases-october-22nd/ |access-date=17 October 2024 |work=[[Remedy Blog]]}}</ref>

== Reception ==
=== Critical response ===
{{expand section|date=June 2024}}
{{Video game reviews
| MC = (PC) 89/100<ref name="MCPC">{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/alan-wake-ii/critic-reviews/?platform=pc |title=''Alan Wake II'' for PC Reviews |website=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=26 October 2023 |archive-date=31 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031165052/https://www.metacritic.com/game/alan-wake-ii/critic-reviews/?platform=pc |url-status=live }}</ref><br />(PS5) 89/100<ref name="MCPS5">{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/alan-wake-ii/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-5 |title=''Alan Wake II'' for PlayStation 5 Reviews |website=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=10 November 2023 |archive-date=31 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031143543/https://www.metacritic.com/game/alan-wake-ii/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-5 |url-status=live }}</ref><br />(XSXS) 90/100<ref name="MCXSXS">{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/alan-wake-ii/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-series-x |title=''Alan Wake II'' for Xbox Series X Reviews |website=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=26 October 2023 |archive-date=17 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231217220712/https://www.metacritic.com/game/alan-wake-ii/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-series-x |url-status=live }}</ref>
| OC = 93% recommend<ref name="OC">{{Cite web |title=Alan Wake 2 Reviews |url=https://opencritic.com/game/15022/alan-wake-2 |website=[[OpenCritic]] |date=26 October 2023 |access-date=20 April 2024 |archive-date=27 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231027085038/https://opencritic.com/game/15022/alan-wake-2 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| Destruct = 9/10<ref>{{cite web |last=Simelane |first=Smangaliso |date=2 November 2023 |url=https://www.destructoid.com/reviews/review-alan-wake-2/ |title=Review: ''Alan Wake 2'' |website=[[Destructoid]] |access-date=2 November 2023 |archive-date=13 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240113010735/https://www.destructoid.com/reviews/review-alan-wake-2/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| DT = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite web |last=Colantonio |first=Giovanni |date=26 October 2023 |url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/alan-wake-2-review-pc/ |title=''Alan Wake 2'' review: Remedy's endlessly creative sequel embraces its dark side |website=[[Digital Trends]] |access-date=26 October 2023 |archive-date=31 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031210945/https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/alan-wake-2-review-pc/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| EuroG = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref>{{cite web |last=Ong |first=Alexis |date=26 October 2023 |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/alan-wake-2-review |title=''Alan Wake 2'' review - incredible style, overbearing writing |website=[[Eurogamer]] |access-date=26 October 2023 |archive-date=31 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031114316/https://www.eurogamer.net/alan-wake-2-review |url-status=live }}</ref>
| GI = 7.75/10<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Hilliard |first=Kyle |date=26 October 2023 |url=https://www.gameinformer.com/review/alan-wake-2/back-to-reality |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026151350/https://www.gameinformer.com/review/alan-wake-2/back-to-reality |archive-date=26 October 2023 |title=''Alan Wake 2'' Review - Back To Reality |magazine=[[Game Informer]] |url-status=live |access-date=26 October 2023}}</ref>
| GSpot = 10/10<ref>{{cite web |last=Delaney |first=Mark |date=26 October 2023 |url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/alan-wake-2-review-a-miracle-illuminated/1900-6418143/ |title=''Alan Wake 2'' Review - A Miracle Illuminated |website=[[GameSpot]] |access-date=26 October 2023 |archive-date=1 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231101115328/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/alan-wake-2-review-a-miracle-illuminated/1900-6418143/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| GRadar = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite web |last=West |first=Josh |date=26 October 2023 |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/alan-wake-2-review/ |title=''Alan Wake 2'' review: 'An imaginative and truly ambitious sequel' |website=[[GamesRadar+]] |access-date=26 October 2023 |archive-date=31 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031172409/https://www.gamesradar.com/alan-wake-2-review/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| HCG = 4.5/5<ref>{{cite web |last=Wells |first=Cory |date=26 October 2023 |url=https://hardcoregamer.com/reviews/review-alan-wake-2/476294/ |title=Review: ''Alan Wake 2'' |website=Hardcore Gamer |access-date=26 October 2023 |archive-date=5 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240105194354/https://hardcoregamer.com/reviews/review-alan-wake-2/476294/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| IGN = 9/10<ref>{{cite web |last=Ogilvie |first=Tristan |date=26 October 2023 |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/alan-wake-ii-review |title=''Alan Wake II'' Review |website=[[IGN]] |access-date=26 October 2023 |archive-date=31 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031070903/https://www.ign.com/articles/alan-wake-ii-review |url-status=live }}</ref>
| NME = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite web |last=Blake |first=Vikki |date=31 October 2023 |url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/game-reviews/alan-wake-2-review-3526841 |title=''Alan Wake 2'' review: don't sleep on this unsettling horror thriller |website=[[NME]] |access-date=31 October 2023 |archive-date=18 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118194512/https://www.nme.com/reviews/game-reviews/alan-wake-2-review-3526841 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| PCGUS = 88/100<ref>{{cite web |last=Valentine |first=Robin |date=31 October 2023 |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/alan-wake-2-review/ |title=''Alan Wake 2'' review |website=[[PC Gamer]] |access-date=31 October 2023 |archive-date=15 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240115044532/https://www.pcgamer.com/alan-wake-2-review/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| PCGN = 9/10<ref name="PCGN">{{cite web |last=Farrell |first=Andrew |date=26 October 2023 |url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/alan-wake-2/review |title=''Alan Wake 2'' review – a new horror game classic |website=[[PCGamesN]] |access-date=26 October 2023 |archive-date=30 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030223715/https://www.pcgamesn.com/alan-wake-2/review |url-status=live }}</ref>
| PSQ = {{Rating|10|10}}<ref>{{cite web |last=Bayne |first=Aaron |date=26 October 2023 |url=https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps5/alan-wake-2 |title=''Alan Wake 2'' Review (PS5) |website=[[Push Square]] |access-date=26 October 2023 |archive-date=30 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030205358/https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps5/alan-wake-2 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| SN = 9/10<ref>{{cite web |last=Denzer |first=TJ |date=26 October 2023 |url=https://www.shacknews.com/article/137540/alan-wake-2-review-score |title=''Alan Wake 2'' review: Flexibly frightful fiction |website=[[Shacknews]] |access-date=26 October 2023 |archive-date=4 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231104131958/https://www.shacknews.com/article/137540/alan-wake-2-review-score |url-status=live }}</ref>
| TG = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite web |last=Lane |first=Rick |date=26 October 2023 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/games/2023/oct/26/alan-wake-2-review-playstation-5-xbox-series-xs-pc-remedy-entertainmentepic-games-27-october |title=''Alan Wake 2'' review – a confidently strange horror thriller |website=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=26 October 2023 |archive-date=2 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102103645/https://www.theguardian.com/games/2023/oct/26/alan-wake-2-review-playstation-5-xbox-series-xs-pc-remedy-entertainmentepic-games-27-october |url-status=live }}</ref>
| VGC = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite web |last=Middler |first=Jordan |date=26 October 2023 |url=https://www.videogameschronicle.com/review/alan-wake-2/ |title=Review: ''Alan Wake 2'' is a confident, ground-breaking thriller |website=[[Video Games Chronicle]] |access-date=26 October 2023 |archive-date=29 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029093250/https://www.videogameschronicle.com/review/alan-wake-2/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| VG247 = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Raynor |first=Kelsey |date=26 October 2023 |url=https://www.vg247.com/alan-wake-2-review |title=''Alan Wake 2'' review |website=[[VG247]] |access-date=26 October 2023 |archive-date=30 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030223249/https://www.vg247.com/alan-wake-2-review |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}
''Alan Wake 2'' received "generally favorable" reviews from critics for the PC and PS5 versions, while the Xbox Series X/S version received "universal acclaim", according to [[review aggregator]] website [[Metacritic]].<ref name="MCPC" /><ref name="MCPS5" /><ref name="MCXSXS" /> [[OpenCritic]] determined that 93% of critics recommended the game.<ref name="OC" />

Andrew Farrell of ''[[PCGamesN]]'' in his ''Alan Wake 2'' review awarded the game 9 out of 10 saying, "''Alan Wake 2'' is a marvel, serving up intense gameplay, a twisty, dark story, and more secrets and surprises than you could possibly imagine. Remedy has outdone itself here, delivering a truly remarkable experience."<ref name="PCGN" />

''Alan Wake 2'' was ranked first on ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]''{{'}}s top 10 best video games of 2023 list.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/6340124/best-video-games-2023/|title=The 10 Best Video Games of 2023|last=Newby|first=Richard|date=29 November 2023|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=4 December 2023|archive-date=30 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231130120813/https://time.com/6340124/best-video-games-2023/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== ''Night Springs'' ====
{{Video game reviews
| title = ''Night Springs'' reception
| MC = (PC) 81/100<ref name="MCNSPC">{{Cite web |title=Alan Wake II: Night Springs Expansion (PC Critic Reviews) |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/alan-wake-ii-night-springs-expansion/critic-reviews/?platform=pc |access-date=20 March 2025 |website=[[Metacritic]]}}</ref><br />(PS5) 85/100<ref name="MCNSPS5">{{Cite web |title=Alan Wake II: Night Springs Expansion (PlayStation 5 Critic Reviews) |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/alan-wake-ii-night-springs-expansion/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-5 |access-date=20 March 2025 |website=[[Metacritic]]}}</ref>
| OC = 79% recommend<ref name="OCNS">{{Cite web |title=Alan Wake 2: Night Springs Reviews |url=https://opencritic.com/game/16835/alan-wake-2-night-springs |access-date=20 March 2025 |website=[[OpenCritic]]}}</ref>
| IGN = 8/10<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ogilvie |first=Tristan |date=12 June 2024 |title=Alan Wake II: Night Springs DLC Review |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/alan-wake-ii-night-springs-dlc-review |access-date=20 March 2025 |website=[[IGN]]}}</ref>
| PCM = 4.5/5<ref>{{Cite web |last=Minor |first=Jordan |date=20 June 2024 |title=Alan Wake II: Night Springs Review |url=https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/alan-wake-ii-night-springs |access-date=20 March 2025 |website=[[PCMag]]}}</ref>
| PSQ = 8/10<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bayne |first=Aaron |date=11 June 2024 |title=Review: Alan Wake 2: Night Springs (PS5) — A Short Yet Sweet Example of Remedy's Pedigree |url=https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps5/alan-wake-2-night-springs |access-date=20 March 2025 |website=[[Push Square]]}}</ref>
}}

''Night Springs'' expansion received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to Metacritic.<ref name="MCNSPC" /><ref name="MCNSPS5" /> OpenCritic determined that 79% of critics recommended the expansion.<ref name="OCNS" />

==== ''The Lake House'' ====
{{Video game reviews
| title = ''The Lake House'' reception
| MC = (PC) 72/100<ref name="MCLHPC">{{Cite web |title=Alan Wake II: The Lake House Expansion (PC Critic Reviews) |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/alan-wake-ii-the-lake-house-expansion/critic-reviews/?platform=pc |access-date=20 March 2025 |website=[[Metacritic]]}}</ref><br />(PS5) 77/100<ref name="MCLHPS5">{{Cite web |title=Alan Wake II: The Lake House Expansion (PlayStation 5 Critic Reviews) |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/alan-wake-ii-the-lake-house-expansion/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-5 |access-date=20 March 2025 |website=[[Metacritic]]}}</ref>
| OC = 66% recommend<ref name="OCLH">{{Cite web |title=Alan Wake 2: The Lake House Reviews |url=https://opencritic.com/game/17518/alan-wake-2-the-lake-house |access-date=20 March 2025 |website=[[OpenCritic]]}}</ref>
| EuroG = 3/5<ref>{{Cite web |last=Castle |first=Katharine |date=25 October 2024 |title=Alan Wake 2: The Lake House DLC review — an undercooked facsimile, or something more deliberate? |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/alan-wake-2-the-lake-house-dlc-review |access-date=20 March 2025 |work=[[Eurogamer]]}}</ref>
| IGN = 8/10<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ogilvie |first=Tristan |date=24 October 2024 |title=Alan Wake II: The Lake House DLC Review |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/alan-wake-ii-the-lake-house-dlc-review |access-date=20 March 2025 |website=[[IGN]]}}</ref>
| PSQ = 8/10<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bayne |first=Aaron |date=23 October 2024 |title=Review: Alan Wake 2: The Lake House (PS5) — Stellar DLC Paints a Path Forward for the Remedy Universe |url=https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps5/alan-wake-2-the-lake-house |access-date=20 March 2025 |website=[[Push Square]]}}</ref>
}}

''The Lake House'' expansion received "mixed or average" reviews from critics for its Windows version and "generally favorable" reviews for the PlayStation 5 version, according to Metacritic.<ref name="MCLHPC" /><ref name="MCLHPS5" /> OpenCritic determined that 66% of critics recommended the expansion.<ref name="OCLH" />

=== Sales ===
By the end of December 2023, ''Alan Wake 2'' had sold over 1 million units, and by February 2024, had sold over 1.3 million units, making it Remedy's fastest-selling game. It sold more units and over three times more digital units in its first month than ''[[Control (video game)|Control]]'' did in its first four months.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Romano |first=Sal |date=2024-02-16 |title=Alan Wake II sales top 1.3 million |url=https://www.gematsu.com/2024/02/alan-wake-ii-sales-top-1-3-million |access-date=2024-02-16 |website=Gematsu |language=en-US |archive-date=16 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240216092453/https://www.gematsu.com/2024/02/alan-wake-ii-sales-top-1-3-million |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Kennedy |first=Victoria |date=2024-02-16 |title=Alan Wake 2 fastest-selling Remedy game, but yet to turn a profit |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/alan-wake-2-fastest-selling-remedy-game-but-yet-to-turn-a-profit |access-date=2024-02-16 |work=[[Eurogamer]] |language=en}}</ref> As of late April 2024, the game had not recouped its development and marketing costs.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parijat |first=Shubhankar |date=29 April 2024 |title=Alan Wake 2 Hasn't Fully Recouped Development and Marketing Costs Yet |url=https://gamingbolt.com/alan-wake-2-hasnt-fully-recouped-development-and-marketing-costs-yet |access-date=1 August 2024 |website=[[Gamingbolt]]}}</ref> In its January–June 2024 financial report, Remedy confirmed that the game still had yet to turn a profit for the company.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thegamer.com/remedys-alan-wake-2-still-hasnt-made-back-its-budget-game-development-costs/ |title=Alan Wake 2 Still Hasn't Made Back Its Budget |date=9 August 2024 |access-date=19 September 2024 |archive-date=9 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241009163113/https://www.thegamer.com/remedys-alan-wake-2-still-hasnt-made-back-its-budget-game-development-costs/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In the quarterly earnings report on 1 November 2024, the company announced that while the game has not yet started generating royalties, it is close to fully recouping most of the development and marketing costs with ongoing sales.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Valentine |first=Rebekah |date=2024-11-01 |title=Remedy Has Recouped 'Most' of the Development and Marketing Expenses for Alan Wake 2 |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/remedy-has-recouped-most-of-the-development-and-marketing-expenses-for-alan-wake-2 |access-date=2024-11-02 |website=IGN |language=en |archive-date=10 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241110135102/https://www.ign.com/articles/remedy-has-recouped-most-of-the-development-and-marketing-expenses-for-alan-wake-2 |url-status=live }}</ref> On 19 November, Remedy announced that the game had sold over 1.8 million units.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-11-19 |title=Control 2 Confirmed As Action RPG; First Game Receiving Free 2025 Update |url=https://noisypixel.net/control-2-action-rpg-2025-update/ |access-date=2024-11-19 |language=en-US}}</ref> By the end of 2024, it had sold over 2 million units, and started generating royalties for Remedy due to development and marketing costs having been recouped.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-12 |title=Alan Wake 2 has sold more than 2 million copies, Remedy is now making royalties from it |url=https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/alan-wake-2-has-sold-more-than-2-million-copies-remedy-is-now-making-royalties-from-it/ |access-date=2025-02-12 |website=VGC |language=en-US}}</ref>
{{clear}}

=== Awards ===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
! scope="col"| Date
! scope="col"| Award
! scope="col"| Category
! scope="col"| Result
! scope="col" class="unsortable"| {{refh}}
|-
| rowspan="13" style="text-align:center;" | 2023
| rowspan="5"| [[Golden Joystick Awards]]
| Critics Choice Award
| {{won}}
| rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | <ref>{{Cite web |last=Donnelly |first=Joe |date=10 November 2023 |title=''Alan Wake 2'' wins Critics' Choice Award at the Golden Joystick Awards 2023 |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/alan-wake-2-critics-choice-gja-2023/ |access-date=13 November 2023 |website=[[GamesRadar+]] |language=en |archive-date=11 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231111194559/https://www.gamesradar.com/alan-wake-2-critics-choice-gja-2023/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Loveridge|first=Sam|date=10 November 2023|title=Here are all the Golden Joystick Awards 2023 winners|url=https://www.gamesradar.com/golden-joystick-awards-2023-winners/|access-date=19 November 2023|website=[[GamesRadar+]]|language=en|archive-date=10 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231110183004/https://www.gamesradar.com/golden-joystick-awards-2023-winners/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| Best Game Trailer {{small|(The Dark Place Gameplay)}}
| {{nom}}
|-
| Best Lead Performer {{small|(Ilkka Villi / Matthew Porretta)}}
| {{nom}}
|-
| Best Lead Performer {{small|(Melanie Liburd)}}
| {{nom}}
|-
| Ultimate Game of the Year
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="8"| [[The Game Awards 2023]]
| [[The Game Award for Game of the Year|Game of the Year]]
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="8" style="text-align:center;" | <ref name="Game Awards Nominations">{{Cite web |last=Spangler |first=Todd |date=13 November 2023 |title=The Game Awards 2023 Nominations: ''Alan Wake 2'', ''Baldur's Gate 3'' Lead the Pack With Eight Noms Each (Full List) |url=https://variety.com/2023/gaming/news/game-awards-2023-nominations-alan-wake-baldurs-gate-full-list-1235787390/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231113173426/https://variety.com/2023/gaming/news/game-awards-2023-nominations-alan-wake-baldurs-gate-full-list-1235787390/ |archive-date=13 November 2023 |access-date=13 November 2023 |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref>
|-
| Best Game Direction
| {{won}}
|-
| Best Narrative
| {{Won}}
|-
| Best Art Direction
| {{Won}}
|-
| Best Score and Music {{small|(Petri Alanko)}}
| {{Nominated}}
|-
| Best Audio Design
| {{nom}}
|-
| Best Performance {{small|([[Melanie Liburd]])}}
| {{nom}}
|-
| Best Action / Adventure Game
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="35" | 2024
| rowspan="5"| [[New York Game Awards#13th (2024)|13th New York Game Awards]]
| Big Apple Award for Game of the Year
| {{nominated}}
| rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/baldurs-gate-3-leads-new-york-games-awards-2024-nominations|title=Baldur's Gate 3 leads New York Games Awards 2024 nominations|first=Sophie|last=McEvoy|work=[[Gameindustry.biz]]|date=5 January 2024|access-date=21 January 2024|archive-date=5 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240105130739/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/baldurs-gate-3-leads-new-york-games-awards-2024-nominations|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/baldurs-gate-3-wins-big-at-new-york-game-awards-2024 |title=Baldur's Gate 3 wins big at New York Game Awards 2024 |date=2024-01-24 |website=Games Industry.biz |last=McEvoy |first=Sophie |access-date=24 January 2024 |archive-date=24 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124144238/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/baldurs-gate-3-wins-big-at-new-york-game-awards-2024 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| Herman Melville Award for Best Writing in a Game
| {{nominated}}
|-
| Statue of Liberty Award for Best World
| {{won}}
|-
| Tin Pan Alley Award for Best Music in a Game 
| {{nominated}}
|-
| Great White Way Award for Best Acting in a Game <small>([[Melanie Liburd]] as Saga Anderson)</small>
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="8"| [[27th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards]]
| [[D.I.C.E. Award for Game of the Year|Game of the Year]]
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="8" style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/spider-man-2-receives-most-nominations-for-2024-dice-awards|title=Spider-Man 2 receives most nominations for 2024 DICE Awards|first=Sophie|last=McEvoy|work=[[Gameindustry.biz]]|date=11 January 2024|access-date=11 January 2024|archive-date=11 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240111103125/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/spider-man-2-receives-most-nominations-for-2024-dice-awards|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.shacknews.com/article/138754/the-dice-awards-2024-winners-finalists|title=The D.I.C.E. Awards 2024 winners & finalists|first=Sam|last=Chandler|work=[[Shacknews]]|date=15 February 2024|access-date=16 January 2024|archive-date=16 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240216065055/https://www.shacknews.com/article/138754/the-dice-awards-2024-winners-finalists|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| [[D.I.C.E. Award for Adventure Game of the Year|Adventure Game of the Year]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction|Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design|Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Character|Outstanding Achievement in Character]] <small>(Saga Anderson)</small>
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition|Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Story|Outstanding Achievement in Story]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Technical Achievement|Outstanding Technical Achievement]]
| {{nom}}
|-
|[[22nd Visual Effects Society Awards]]
|Outstanding Visual Effects in a Real-Time Project
|{{won}}
| style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2024/02/ves-awards-winners-list-updating-live-1235832362/ |title=VES Awards: 'The Creator' & 'Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse' Early Winners At Visual Effects Society Show |last=Pedersen |first=Erik |work=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |date=21 February 2024 |access-date=22 February 2024 |archive-date=22 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240222061545/https://deadline.com/2024/02/ves-awards-winners-list-updating-live-1235832362/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="5"| [[24th Game Developers Choice Awards]]
| [[Game Developers Choice Award for Game of the Year|Game of the Year]]
| {{sho|Honorable mention}}
| rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{cite web|url=https://venturebeat.com/game-development/game-developers-choice-awards-releases-finalists/|title=Game Developers Choice Awards releases finalists|first=Dean|last=Takahashi|work=[[VentureBeat]]|date=16 January 2024|access-date=21 January 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/game-developers-choice-awards-2024-winners-the-full-list |title=Game Developers Choice Awards 2024 Winners: The Full List |website=[[IGN]] |last=Bankhurst |first=Adam |date=20 March 2024 |access-date=23 March 2024 |archive-date=21 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240321182011/https://www.ign.com/articles/game-developers-choice-awards-2024-winners-the-full-list |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| Best Narrative
| {{nom}}
|-
| Best Technology
| {{nom}}
|-
| Best Visual Art
| {{won}}
|-
| Audience Award
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="14" |[[20th British Academy Games Awards]]
| [[British Academy Games Award for Best Game|Best Game]]
| {{nominated}}
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="4" |<ref name="bafta bbc">{{Cite web |last=Gerken |first=Tom |date=7 March 2024 |title=Bafta Games Awards 2024: Baldur's Gate 3 and Spider-Man lead nods |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-68478486 |access-date=7 March 2024 |publisher=[[BBC News]] |archive-date=23 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240323213738/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-68478486 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="bafta 2024">{{cite web|url=https://www.bafta.org/games/awards/2024-nominations-winners|title=20th BAFTA Games Awards: The Nominations|publisher=[[BAFTA]]|date=7 March 2024|access-date=7 March 2024|archive-date=12 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240412093521/https://www.bafta.org/games/awards/2024-nominations-winners|url-status=live}}</ref> 
|-
| [[British Academy Games Award for Animation|Animation]]
| {{nominated}}
|-
| [[British Academy Games Award for Artistic Achievement|Artistic Achievement]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[British Academy Games Award for Audio Achievement|Audio Achievement]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[British Academy Games Award for Game Design|Game Design]]
| {{longlisted}}
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref name="bafta 2023">{{cite web |url=https://www.bafta.org/games/features/best-video-games-2023 |title=The 60 Best Video Games of 2023 |website=[[British Academy of Film and Television Arts]] |date=14 December 2023 |access-date=26 March 2024 |archive-date=19 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231219213926/https://www.bafta.org/games/features/best-video-games-2023 |url-status=live }}</ref> 
|-
| [[British Academy Games Award for Music|Music]]
| {{nominated}}
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3" |<ref name="bafta bbc" /><ref name="bafta 2024" />
|- 
| [[British Academy Games Award for Narrative|Narrative]]
| {{nominated}}
|-
| [[British Academy Games Award for Technical Achievement|Technical Achievement]]
| {{nominated}}
|-
| [[British Academy Games Award for Performer in a Leading Role|Performer in a Leading Role]] <small>([[Ilkka Villi]] as Alan Wake (Live Action + Mocap))</small>
| {{longlisted}} 
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="5" | <ref name="bafta 2023" />
|-
| [[British Academy Games Award for Performer in a Leading Role|Performer in a Leading Role]] <small>([[Matthew Porretta]] as Alan Wake (Voice))</small>
| {{longlisted}} 
|-
| [[British Academy Games Award for Performer in a Leading Role|Performer in a Leading Role]] <small>([[Melanie Liburd]] as Saga Anderson)</small>
| {{longlisted}} 
|-
| [[British Academy Games Award for Performer in a Supporting Role|Performer in a Supporting Role]] <small>([[James McCaffrey (actor)|James McCaffrey]] as Alex Casey (Voice))</small>
| {{longlisted}}
|-
| [[British Academy Games Award for Performer in a Supporting Role|Performer in a Supporting Role]] <small>([[Martti Suosalo]] as Ahti)</small>
| {{longlisted}}
|-
| [[British Academy Games Award for Performer in a Supporting Role|Performer in a Supporting Role]] <small>([[Sam Lake]] as Alex Casey (Live Action + Mocap))</small>
| {{nominated}}
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="1" |<ref name="bafta bbc" /><ref name="bafta 2024" />
|-
| rowspan="1"| [[Nebula Award]]s
|[[Nebula Award for Best Game Writing|Best Game Writing]] <small>(Sam Lake, Clay Murphy, Tyler Burton Smith and Sinikka Annala)</small>
| {{nom}}
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{Cite web |last=Baker |first=Kathryn |date=2024-03-15 |title=SFWA Announces the Finalists for the 59th Nebula Awards |url=https://www.sfwa.org/2024/03/14/sfwa-announces-the-finalists-for-the-59th-nebula-awards/ |access-date=2024-03-15 |website=SFWA |language=en-US |archive-date=23 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240523180504/https://www.sfwa.org/2024/03/14/sfwa-announces-the-finalists-for-the-59th-nebula-awards/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="1"| [[Hugo Award]]s
|[[Hugo Award for Best Game or Interactive Work|Best Game or Interactive Work]]
| {{nom}}
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="1" |<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/2024-hugo-awards/|title=2024 Hugo Awards|publisher=World Science Fiction Society|date=29 March 2024|access-date=30 March 2024|archive-date=30 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240330004526/https://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/2024-hugo-awards/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="6"|2025
| 14th [[New York Game Awards]]
| NYC GWB Award for Best DLC (''Night Springs'' and ''The Lake House'')
| {{nom}}
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{Cite web |title=New York Game Awards 2024 Nominations |url=https://variety.com/2025/gaming/news/new-york-game-awards-2024-nominations-nominees-1236268416/ |last=Maas |first=Jennifer |date=2025-01-07 |access-date=2025-01-07 |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="5"|[[Game Audio Network Guild Awards]]
| Audio of the Year
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;"| <ref>{{Cite web |last=Hutchinson |first=Sabrina |date=2025-03-21 |title=23rd G.A.N.G. Awards Winners — Full List |url=https://www.audiogang.org/23rd-g-a-n-g-awards-winners-full-list/ |access-date=2025-03-22 |website=Game Audio Network Guild}}</ref>
|-
| Best Audio Mix
| {{nom}}
|-
| Best Cinematic & Cutscene Audio
| {{nom}}
|-
| Dialogue of the Year
| {{nom}}
|-
| Sound Design of the Year
| {{nom}}
|}
{{Clear}}

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}

* {{Official website|https://www.alanwake.com/}}
* {{IMDb title|16385682}}

{{Remedy Entertainment}}


[[Category:2023 video games]]
[[Category:BAFTA winners (video games)]]
[[Category:Detective video games]]
[[Category:Epic Games games]]
[[Category:Metafictional video games]]
[[Category:New York Game Award winners]]
[[Category:The Game Awards winners]]
[[Category:PlayStation 5 games]]
[[Category:PlayStation 5 Pro enhanced games]]
[[Category:Remedy Entertainment games]]
[[Category:Survival horror video games]]
[[Category:Third-person shooters]]
[[Category:Sequel video games]]
[[Category:Video games about cults]]
[[Category:Video games about Satanism]]
[[Category:Video games about missing people]]
[[Category:Video games about police officers]]
[[Category:Video games about the paranormal]]
[[Category:Video games about time loops]]
[[Category:Video games written by Sam Lake]]
[[Category:Video games developed in Finland]]
[[Category:Video games featuring black protagonists]]
[[Category:Video games featuring female protagonists]]
[[Category:Video games set in New York City]]
[[Category:Video games set in Washington (state)]]
[[Category:Works with live action and animation]]
[[Category:Windows games]]
[[Category:Xbox Series X and Series S games]]
[[Category:Alan Wake]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Alan Wake 2|access_date=2026-02-24}}