Do you need to play The Sinking City first before starting The Sinking City 2? No. Frogwares has designed The Sinking City 2 as a standalone story with a new protagonist, a new city and a separate central mystery, so new players can begin with the sequel without missing essential plot information.
The two games exist in the same Lovecraftian universe and roughly the same 1920s time period, but The Sinking City 2 does not continue Charles Reed’s story from the original game. Instead, it introduces Calvin Rafferty in the flooded city of Arkham.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Do you need to play The Sinking City first? | No |
| Is The Sinking City 2 a sequel? | Yes |
| Is it a direct continuation? | No |
| Original protagonist returns? | No |
| New protagonist | Calvin Rafferty |
| Original city | Oakmont |
| Sequel city | Arkham |
| Same universe | Yes |
| Same general time period | Yes |
Do You Need to Play The Sinking City First?
No, you do not need to play The Sinking City first before beginning The Sinking City 2.
Frogwares has been unusually clear about this.
The developer describes The Sinking City 2 as a new standalone story entirely separate from the one told in the original game. That means the sequel does not expect players to remember Charles Reed’s investigation, the events in Oakmont or which ending they selected.
PlayStation also confirms that the sequel tells a standalone story and says players do not need knowledge of the original to enjoy it.
Is The Sinking City 2 a Direct Sequel?
The Sinking City 2 is a sequel in the sense that it takes place within the same Frogwares Lovecraft universe, but it is not a direct continuation of the first game’s story.
The original game follows Charles Reed in Oakmont.
The Sinking City 2 instead follows Calvin Rafferty in Arkham.
| The Sinking City | The Sinking City 2 |
|---|---|
| Charles Reed | Calvin Rafferty |
| Oakmont | Arkham |
| Detective adventure | Survival horror |
| Open-world investigation focus | Exploration, combat and survival focus |
| 1920s Lovecraftian setting | 1920s Lovecraftian setting |
Frogwares deliberately made that separation so returning players would not have one particular ending from the first game treated as the definitive canon choice.
Why Did Frogwares Make The Sinking City 2 Standalone?
One of the main reasons is the ending structure of the original game.
Players could finish The Sinking City in different ways, and Frogwares did not want the sequel to declare that one specific ending was the “correct” version of events.
By moving to a new protagonist and location, the studio could tell another story within the same universe without forcing returning players into one continuity.
Frogwares also wanted new players to be able to start with The Sinking City 2 without feeling as though they had missed an entire game’s worth of necessary story.
Who Is the Main Character in The Sinking City 2?
The new protagonist is Calvin Rafferty.
Calvin replaces Charles Reed as the playable lead and enters a flooded version of Arkham as part of a new supernatural mystery.
The sequel’s central story involves Calvin attempting to save Faye Bennett after events connected to the Dreamlands, while Arkham itself has been overwhelmed by supernatural flooding and Lovecraftian creatures.
Because Calvin is a new protagonist, the game introduces his relationships and circumstances from the beginning rather than expecting players to know him from the first game.
Does Charles Reed Appear in The Sinking City 2?
Charles Reed is not the protagonist of The Sinking City 2.
Frogwares specifically confirmed during development that players would not be returning to play as Charles Reed.
The sequel instead focuses on Calvin Rafferty and the situation unfolding in Arkham.
There may be references or Easter eggs connected to the wider universe, but Charles Reed’s original Oakmont investigation is not the central storyline.
Does The Sinking City 2 Take Place in Oakmont?
No.
The original game takes place in Oakmont, while The Sinking City 2 moves the action to Arkham.
Arkham is one of the most famous locations associated with H.P. Lovecraft’s fiction and has now been turned into a flooded survival-horror setting for the sequel.
The move gives Frogwares a completely new city to explore while preserving the broader Lovecraftian atmosphere shared by both games.
Is The Sinking City 2 Connected to the First Game?
Yes, but mostly through its world and themes rather than a continuing plot.
The games share:
- The same broader Lovecraftian universe
- A 1920s United States setting
- Supernatural flooding
- Cosmic-horror themes
- Investigation elements
What they do not share is one continuous protagonist-driven storyline.
That is why the answer to do you need to play The Sinking City first remains no even though the games are clearly connected.
Has the Gameplay Changed Too?
Yes, substantially.
The first Sinking City was built primarily as an open-world detective adventure with horror elements.
The Sinking City 2 shifts much more strongly toward survival horror, with Frogwares putting greater emphasis on combat, exploration, resource management and pacing.
Investigation is still present, but it is no longer the mandatory backbone of story progression.
Optional investigations can instead reward players with resources, knowledge, shortcuts and other useful benefits.
This means newcomers are not only entering a new story, but also a game that plays quite differently from its predecessor.
Will Playing the First Game Help?
Yes, but it is optional context rather than required homework.
Playing The Sinking City first can help you understand:
- Frogwares’ approach to Lovecraftian horror
- The wider tone of the universe
- Familiar mythos references
- How the series has changed mechanically
Returning players may also notice references that newcomers will not recognize.
However, none of that is required to understand Calvin Rafferty’s main story in The Sinking City 2.
Can You Start With The Sinking City 2?
Absolutely.
If The Sinking City 2 is the game that caught your attention, you can simply start there.
The sequel introduces its own protagonist, city, story and major conflict rather than dropping new players into the middle of Charles Reed’s unfinished adventure.
That is precisely why Frogwares chose a standalone narrative structure.
Do You Need to Know the First Game’s Ending?
No.
You do not need to know which endings were available in The Sinking City or what happened during Charles Reed’s final decisions.
Frogwares intentionally avoided building The Sinking City 2 around one specific previous ending.
This prevents new players from needing a recap and prevents returning players from being told that their original ending choice was effectively wrong.
The Sinking City vs The Sinking City 2
| Feature | The Sinking City | The Sinking City 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Protagonist | Charles Reed | Calvin Rafferty |
| Location | Oakmont | Arkham |
| Primary genre | Detective adventure | Survival horror |
| Open-world focus | Strong | Reduced / more focused |
| Investigation | Core progression | More optional |
| Combat emphasis | Secondary | Much greater |
| Story continuation required | N/A | No |
The shared atmosphere is obvious, but the structure is different enough that The Sinking City 2 works as its own starting point.
Do You Need to Play The Sinking City First FAQ
Do you need to play The Sinking City first?
No. The Sinking City 2 is a standalone story designed so newcomers can start with the sequel.
Is The Sinking City 2 a direct sequel?
No. It shares the same universe but introduces a new protagonist, setting and story.
Who is the protagonist?
Calvin Rafferty is the playable protagonist of The Sinking City 2.
Does Charles Reed return?
He is not the playable lead. Frogwares specifically moved away from Charles Reed’s story for the sequel.
Where does The Sinking City 2 take place?
The sequel is set in a flooded version of Arkham rather than Oakmont.
Do choices from the first game carry over?
The sequel does not build its central story around a particular ending from The Sinking City.
Is the gameplay similar?
There are shared Lovecraftian and investigation elements, but The Sinking City 2 shifts significantly toward survival horror, combat and exploration.
Do You Need to Play The Sinking City First? No
Do you need to play The Sinking City first before The Sinking City 2? No. Frogwares deliberately created a standalone sequel so that anyone can enter Arkham without first spending hours investigating Oakmont.
Returning players will recognize the universe and its Lovecraftian DNA, but Calvin Rafferty’s story stands on its own. If The Sinking City 2 is the one you want to play, there is no need to turn the first game into compulsory homework before you start.
