'There’s something we’ve been dying to tell you': The best city builder of 2023 is getting a survival game set in the same world

Two hooded figures in the rain outside a dwelling
(Image credit: Eremite Games)

Ever play a game set in a world so intriguing and enjoyable you wish there were other games, even of a different genre, that took place in the same setting?

Eremite Games, the studio that created roguelike city builder Against the Storm, has announced just that. "There’s something we’ve been dying to tell you," the studio said on Steam: it's been working on a new game that is "slowly taking shape as a survival game set in the Against the Storm universe."

Even better, it looks like it might be co-op. As part of a dev diary, the studio released a short in-engine clip of the new game, though asked that fans "please keep your expectations very modest. The project is still in its earliest phase, full of placeholders, and nearly everything you see is subject (and likely) to change."

Latest Videos From

There's not a lot to see in the clip: a robed figure carrying a rifle strides through a gloomy, rainy night, and stops outside a small dwelling that looks for all the world like a building you'd see in Against the Storm. A moment later, a second figure steps into frame, which could suggest a co-op experience. See for yourself:

In development: Survival game set in the world of Against the Storm - YouTube In development: Survival game set in the world of Against the Storm - YouTube
Watch On

That's it. There's nothing else to see at the moment, and no further details about the new game including when it might come out or even what it's called.

"There’s a chance we’re showing this way too early," the studio said. "We hope you won’t hold it against us if the project evolves into something very different. But keeping this under wraps has been torture. We’re still just a small, 6-person indie team, and this kind of openness feels more natural to us."

Against the Storm was an unusual, contrarian sort of city builder: instead of building a city that lasts the whole game, the city you build gets wiped out every year thanks to a cataclysmic cycle of destructive magic—the storm of the title. But each time you begin again, you bring with you the experience and upgrades of your previous runs. It was our favorite city builder of 2023, and our reviewer Leana Hafer called it "one of the most clever, engaging, and endearing strategy games I've played in years."

Speaking of which, Eremite Games also addressed a topic I'm sure it gets asked about a lot: Against the Storm 2?

"The idea of a sequel is something we think about often," the studio said. "But this time, we wanted to experiment with the survival genre and explore new facets of the Against the Storm universe."

2026 gamesBest PC gamesFree PC gamesBest FPS gamesBest RPGsBest co-op games

2026 games: All the upcoming games
Best PC games: Our all-time favorites
Free PC games: Freebie fest
Best FPS games: Finest gunplay
Best RPGs: Grand adventures
Best co-op games: Better together

Christopher Livingston
Senior Editor

Chris started playing PC games in the 1980s, started writing about them in the early 2000s, and (finally) started getting paid to write about them in the late 2000s. Following a few years as a regular freelancer, PC Gamer hired him in 2014, probably so he'd stop emailing them asking for more work. Chris has a love-hate relationship with survival games and an unhealthy fascination with the inner lives of NPCs. He's also a fan of offbeat simulation games, mods, and ignoring storylines in RPGs so he can make up his own.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.