Crikey, it’s been a long time coming, but it looks like The Long Dark is finally coming to a close… next year. Up until earlier this week, the fifth and final episode of The Long Dark’s Wintermute DLC was due to be released by the end of the year. As you’ve probably gathered, the end of the year is very close now, so as a result, episode five has been delayed, but it is a delay that at least comes with a concrete release date.
The release date in question is March 31st, 2026, about four months away. Developer Hinterland Studio explained the delay in a Steam post thusly: “While the majority of the episode content is now finished, there was just no way for us to wrap up the remaining cinematic work, the soundtrack, or complete the last bit of mission polish in time for the end of this year as we had originally planned. So we’re taking a couple of extra months to finish that work, then to optimize, fix the bugs, and get it ready for console certification and launch for the end of March.”
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With this delay and formal release date announcement came a new trailer too, showing off bits and pieces of what you can expect from episode five, which is titled The Light at the End of All Things. A bit of a wordy title, but, I suppose it goes with the emotional angle the trailer went for. It’s just a lot of shots of scenery you’ll presumably experience with a melancholic voice over, like a town next to a frozen lake, a boat at night time while an aurora borealis shines above, and some kind of radar station. The last bit of dialogue you hear is “nothing lasts forever,” which, sheesh, that’s a real bummer my guy!
In any case, while this might be the end of The Long Dark, it’s not the end of The Long Dark (the series). About a year ago Hinterlands announced that they’re working on a sequel, called Blackfrost: The Long Dark 2 (can’t tell you why Blackfrost isn’t a subtitle, seems bad for branding, but what do I know). This one will feature things like co-op multiplayer, some urban areas, and a sanity system, so if this last episode of The Long Dark doesn’t scratch certain itches for you, it’s possible its sequel will.
