Remedy Entertainment is back with Control Resonant — and this time the protagonist isn't Jesse Faden, but her brother, Dylan. From action-adventure to action RPG, from the Oldest House to the streets of Manhattan, from the Service Weapon to the Aberrant — a shapeshifting melee weapon. Announced at The Game Awards 2025, it's set to release in 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and macOS.
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From Jesse to Dylan — A New Protagonist
In the original Control, Dylan Faden was Jesse's brother — captured by the FBC, locked in a coma after the Hiss invasion. In Resonant, Dylan awakens to find his sister missing. The Hiss has escaped containment from the Oldest House and is spreading through downtown Manhattan. Dylan must find his sister and stop the cosmic threat before it consumes the world.
Key detail: according to director Mikael Kasurinen, you don't need to have played the first Control to fully understand Resonant. The game works as a standalone experience, even though it belongs to the Remedy Connected Universe (alongside Alan Wake).
Melee Combat with the Aberrant
Instead of the Service Weapon (firearm) from the original, Dylan wields the Aberrant — a supernatural melee weapon that can shapeshift into different forms. The emphasis shifts to close-quarters combat, with RPG progression mechanics that let you build your own perfect combat flow.
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Action RPG Instead of Action-Adventure
The biggest change: Resonant is no longer an action-adventure third-person shooter. It's an action RPG with deeper progression, exploration, and role-playing mechanics. Remedy states they're “holding on to key tenets of storytelling and spectacle” from the original, while significantly increasing player agency.
Expansive Zones
Not a full open world, but large, distinct zones filled with side activities, hidden encounters, and optional discoveries across Manhattan.
Paranatural Powers
Dylan possesses supernatural abilities — telekinesis, levitation, and new powers that will be gradually revealed.
RPG Progression
Build your combat flow: specialize Dylan in melee, powers, or a hybrid style through a deep progression system.
Manhattan Setting
From the claustrophobic Oldest House to the streets of New York City — outdoor environments with diffused lighting and path tracing.
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Technology: Northlight Engine
Resonant is built on Remedy's in-house Northlight Engine — the same engine that powered Alan Wake 2's stunning visuals. After AW2, Remedy reoriented Northlight toward GPU-driven rendering with mesh shaders, single-pixel occlusion culling, and path-traced lighting. The result? Photorealistic Manhattan with expansive outdoor environments, a stark contrast to the brutalist interiors of the original Control.
"We're holding on to key tenets of storytelling and spectacle while significantly increasing player agency, exploration, and role-playing mechanics."
— Remedy Entertainment, Control Resonant Announcement
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The Legacy of Control
The original Control (2019) was a landmark: Metacritic 85/100, over 5 million sales, Game of the Year from IGN, Game Informer, GamesRadar, and many more. Jesse Faden, the Oldest House, the Hiss, Objects of Power — they created a mythology inspired by the SCP Foundation and the new weird genre. The DLCs “The Foundation” and “AWE” expanded the world and connected the universe with Alan Wake.
Remedy fully acquired the Control IP from 505 Games in February 2024 for €17 million, then partnered with Annapurna Pictures to co-finance half the development costs. With a €50 million budget, Resonant needs to sell 3-4 million copies to break even.
Remedy Connected Universe
After Alan Wake 2 and its DLC “The Lake House” (which dropped major hints about Control 2), Resonant is a pivotal piece of the Remedy Connected Universe. Each game works as a standalone experience, but they share characters and events — Ahti, FBC agents, even Alan Wake himself.
Release & Platforms
Announced at the Game Awards in December 2025. A gameplay trailer was shown at PlayStation State of Play on February 12, 2026, showcasing new zones, abilities, and the progression system. It releases in 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC (Windows), and macOS. Full production began in February 2025, with a team of 75-200 people.
Inspired — according to Remedy — by Neon Genesis Evangelion, Resonant promises a dark, supernatural action RPG that rewrites the rules. If you loved the original Control or Alan Wake 2, this needs to be on your watchlist.