Getting Started

Control Resonant is the in-development action role-playing game sequel to 2019's Control. There is no public build to download yet and no demo. This page is a pre-release primer for readers arriving cold: it covers what the game is, who you play, what the moment-to-moment experience is shaping up to be, and what to keep an eye on until launch. For a wider summary, see the Overview; for the platform situation, see Platforms and Release.

How to Play Right Now

You cannot play Control Resonant yet. The game has not released and no public hands-on build is available. The most useful things you can do today are simple acts of follow-along:

• Wishlist on Steam

  . The game has a confirmed Steam App ID of 3669870. Wishlisting it from your library is the fastest way to be notified the moment a release date or a demo lands.

• Wishlist on the Epic Games Store

  . A PC version is also planned for Epic, so wishlisting there covers both PC storefronts.

• Pre-order on PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S when listings go live

  . The console store pages are not open for pre-order at the time of writing. When they appear, you can add the game to a wishlist or queue a pre-order through the platform's own storefront on the device.

• A Mac version is also planned

  , which will arrive on the same PC storefront alongside a separate App Store listing.

Treat any third-party page that claims to host a working pre-order, a price, or a hard release date with caution until Remedy Entertainment confirms it on its own channels.

Newcomer Friendly

If you have never played the original Control (2019), you are not at a disadvantage. Remedy Entertainment has stated publicly that newcomers do not need to have played the first game to follow Resonant's story. The sequel is written so that the basics of the world, the agency, and the protagonist are introduced in-game rather than assumed as prior knowledge. Series veterans will recognise the connective tissue, but the campaign is built to onboard a player who is starting from zero.

Your First Run

On a typical first run, expect the following:

• You play as

  Dylan Faden

  , a parautilitarian and the younger brother of the original Control's protagonist. Dylan has been in agency custody for most of his life and is being deployed into the field for the first time.

• Combat is

  melee combat

  -focused and built around the

  Aberrant

  , a shapeshifting close-quarters weapon that swaps between hammer, dual blades, scythe, whip, and other forms.

• Two paranatural traversal abilities arrive early:

  Reach

  , a gravity-defying movement skill that lets Dylan navigate vertical and inverted spaces, and

  Shift

  , which redirects momentum through the world's many Gravity Anomalies.

• Skill trees, ability conversions, and progression management happen inside

  the Gap

  , a metaphysical space inside Dylan's mind that doubles as the in-game menu. Defeating major boss enemies feeds new abilities into the Gap, where you choose which to absorb.

• The opening playable region is the

  West Incursion Zone

  of

  Manhattan

  , a paranaturally-twisted slice of the city where the early-game tutorials and first major encounters take place.

Three Decision Layers

Progression in Control Resonant is built on three layered choices. None of them are pure cosmetic toggles; each one shapes how Dylan plays.

Setting Setup

Control Resonant takes place roughly seven years after the events of the original Control. The Oldest House, the agency's shifting paranatural headquarters, suffered a containment failure: the lockdown that should have sealed the threats inside it gave way, and paranatural forces have spilled out into the surrounding city. As a result, Manhattan has been overrun by entities and altered geometry that do not behave like the real world.

The Federal Bureau of Control is the secret United States government agency charged with paranatural containment. With the crisis in Manhattan now too large to manage with regular field agents, the Bureau deploys Dylan Faden into the city to help contain the threat. That deployment is the campaign's framing mission, and the search for Dylan's missing sister Jesse runs underneath it.

Status

Control Resonant is not playable yet. The release window is 2026, and a specific day or month has not been confirmed. A public demo has not been announced. Hands-on impressions from outside Remedy Entertainment are limited to controlled press events rather than a downloadable build.

Pre-Launch Checklist

A practical short list for staying current without falling for misinformation:

1. Wishlist the game on Steam (App ID 3669870) and on the Epic Games Store so storefront notifications hit your inbox the moment a date is set.

2. Follow

   Remedy Entertainment

   on its first-party channels, where new trailers and developer commentary are posted before they get mirrored elsewhere.

3. Watch new developer diaries as they are published. They are the clearest source of information about combat, traversal, and progression systems in the absence of a hands-on build.

4. If you have the time, the original Control (2019) is optional but a fun primer. It is not required to follow the story of Resonant.

What Has Not Been Disclosed

Several details a new player would normally want are not public yet. Specifically, the studio has not disclosed:

• Exact controls and default keybinds for any platform.

• Demo timing or any open beta schedule.

• PC system requirements (minimum or recommended).

• A specific release date beyond the 2026 window.

This page will be updated as those details are confirmed.