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Graveyard Keeper 2 is the announced sequel to the 2018 management sim Graveyard Keeper. It was revealed at the Triple-i Initiative Showcase on April 9, 2026, and it has not shipped yet. There is no public build, no early access, and no open beta. This page is the practical onboarding guide for players who want to follow along now and be ready when the launch window opens. For the broader pitch, see the main overview.

The release window is 2026, exact date TBA. The platform list, language slate, and storefront specifics live in the platforms and release article.

How to Play Right Now

There is no playable build of the sequel available. The single most useful action today is to wishlist Graveyard Keeper 2 on Steam: the wishlist queue is what pings you when the storefront flips to a release date and when (or if) a demo window opens. Following the developer and publisher's public channels is the second-best signal, since that is where new gameplay footage and design notes have been landing.

To prepare for the sequel, the original Graveyard Keeper was made free-to-keep on its storefronts shortly after the announcement. Picking it up is the closest thing to hands-on prep available right now, because the underlying graveyard-management loop, the dark humour, and the medieval-fantasy framing all carry over. Studying its production chains and progression structure will leave you better oriented when the sequel's storefront updates with concrete details.

What You'll Be Doing

On launch, you play as the Grand Inquisitor of a medieval kingdom in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. The role layers four broad activities on top of each other:

• Manage a graveyard

  . Build and upgrade plots, handle remains, and run the production chains that grow out from the cemetery.

• Automate production with zombie labour

  . Captured zombies physically power workstations and conveyor systems, freeing the player from repetitive manual work.

• Rebuild a town

  . Restore a ruined medieval settlement, help the residents who survive, and unlock the buildings and services that come with a working community.

• Defend against zombie hordes

  . Build fortifications, equip troops, and lead an undead army into engagements with the larger apocalypse.

Three (Or Four) Pillars

The sequel is best understood as three intertwined pillars, with combat sometimes broken out as its own fourth pillar depending on how you slice it.

Tonal Shift From the First Game

The first Graveyard Keeper was a cozy mortuary sim with a slow, steady production-chain rhythm and no apocalyptic threat hanging over the village. Graveyard Keeper 2 keeps that mortuary-sim core and stacks two louder genres on top of it: an automation-factory layer where zombies replace the player's hands on the production line, and a tower-defence layer where the town has to be physically defended from horde attacks. The dark humour and grotesque cast carry over; the pacing does not. Expect the management loop to share screen time with construction, recruitment, and combat in a way the first game never asked for.

Story Setup

The kingdom is in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, and the player character is the Grand Inquisitor tasked with holding the line. The undead are simultaneously the central threat and the central labour pool: the same zombies that menace the town in waves can be captured and put to work on conveyor belts and crafting stations underground. That tension is the narrative spine. The graveyard is no longer just a quiet workplace, it is the kingdom's last functioning institution, and the player has to keep it that way.

Pre-Launch Checklist

1. Wishlist Graveyard Keeper 2 on Steam. The most reliable notification channel for the release date and any demo window.

2. Follow Lazy Bear Games and tinyBuild on their public channels. New gameplay footage and design notes have been landing there.

3. Watch for a demo announcement. Nothing has been confirmed yet, but a hands-on window before launch is worth waiting for.

4. Optionally pick up the original Graveyard Keeper. It was made free-to-keep around the announcement, and its production chains and management rhythm are the closest available preparation for the sequel.

5. Bookmark this wiki. Pages are updated as official information is verified.

Several specifics have not been disclosed yet: exact controls and default keybinds, opening-hour pacing, the precise release date inside the 2026 window, the demo timing if one opens, and any named NPCs, towns, items, or zombie types. Verified information will be folded into the automation, combat, town restoration, and zombie apocalypse pages as it lands.