Frostpunk's expansion is set before the freeze, but that doesn't make playing mayor any easier
The grass is always greener on the other side of the ice age.
Frostpunk is a fantastic city-scale survival game that takes place beyond the world as we know it, in a new ice age that puts a question mark on the prospect of human survival. Surprisingly, rather than deepen the cold in its upcoming expansion, 11 Bit Studios has chosen to melt some of the snow, turning back the clock to just before the globe was consumed by ice in The Last Autumn.
The lengthy, narrated gameplay video above runs through the ways a bit of green grass changes the game. It's still dire—the ice is on the way—but rather than living in hell, you're building a lifeboat to climb in before it arrives. It's still fundamentally the same kind of plate-spinning city building sim, but new laws will change how you manage discontent and productivity as you attempt to construct a giant generator that will power life following the freeze. The resources have also changed, with most arriving by sea, and safety ratings are another thing to worry about. Workers don't love working in death traps.
The Last Autumn releases on January 21. There's no price for just the DLC listed right now, but it can be purchased as part of the Frostpunk Season Pass bundle, which also includes the existing Rifts DLC, one future expansion, a digital art book, and the soundtrack. That's on sale for $24.47 right now, but will be $34.97 or £27.77 normally.
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Tyler grew up in Silicon Valley during the '80s and '90s, playing games like Zork and Arkanoid on early PCs. He was later captivated by Myst, SimCity, Civilization, Command & Conquer, all the shooters they call "boomer shooters" now, and PS1 classic Bushido Blade (that's right: he had Bleem!). Tyler joined PC Gamer in 2011, and today he's focused on the site's news coverage. His hobbies include amateur boxing and adding to his 1,200-plus hours in Rocket League.