The Long Dark's European rating has been raised to PEGI-16, delays won't affect PC players
Changes apply to European console owners.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
Every Friday
GamesRadar+
Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.
Every Thursday
GTA 6 O'clock
Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Every Friday
Knowledge
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
The Setup
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Every Wednesday
Switch 2 Spotlight
Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
Every Saturday
The Watchlist
Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.
Once a month
SFX
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!
Hinterland Studio's The Long Dark is a wonderful open world survival game that's spent the last three years scavenging the depths of Steam's Early Access initiative. As you may've spied back in May, its long-awaited Story Mode and subsequent full release are both due on August 1 which, you may also have noticed, is next week.
Changes to the game's PEGI (Pan European Game Information) rating in Europe have thrown that out slightly for console owners, but don't worry: Steam, therefore PC, isn't affected by this.
"For PEGI, which covers all of Europe, and also Russia, we have been issued a '16' rating, which means you have to be 16 or older to purchase and play the game," explains the developer via a news post on the game's site. "This PEGI-16 rating was an unexpected surprise to us, as we had a PEGI-12 rating going into our Certification process with Microsoft and Sony. Unfortunately, we just received this rating earlier this week and we are now forced to re-submit the game to Sony Europe for approval. #
"As a result, our launch in Europe on PS4 is being delayed until August 8th… for Steam, we will launch worldwide on August 1st. There is no ratings requirement or certification process on Steam."
Hinterland goes on to stress its disappointment with the situation however underscores the decision is outwith its control.
In any event, consider this a PSA. The Long Dark is due on PC this coming Tuesday, August 1. Here's another gander at its Story Mode announcement trailer:
The Long Dark's Early Access variation out now on the Humble Store for £14.99/$19.99. Its Story Mode is due August 1, which is when the game will also release in full.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Some online stores give us a small cut if you buy something through one of our links. Read our affiliate policy for more info.

