Maneater 2 is coming in 2027, and that year is the only date Tripwire Interactive has given. The sequel to the 2020 "ShaRkPG" was revealed at Sony's State of Play on September 3, 2026, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC (PlayStation Blog, 2026).
The reveal covered the setting in detail. It left out the launch day and the price. Below is what Tripwire has confirmed, plus the details only the Steam listing gives away.
A note on method: Respawno has not played Maneater 2, and we found no hands-on previews in the week after the reveal. Everything here comes from Tripwire's announcement, the store listings and the trailer, and each claim links to where it came from.
Note
Key Takeaways
- Release window is 2027. There is no day or month yet and pre-orders are not open.
- Platforms are PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. No PS4 or Xbox One version is listed.
- Tripwire Interactive is co-developing it with Demiurge Studios and self-publishing digitally. PLAION handles boxed copies.
- You play a bull shark trapped in Neptune's Kingdom, a private-island theme park styled on Ancient Rome. Chris Parnell returns as narrator Trip Westhaven.
- Eat, Explore and Evolve come back, and a fourth pillar, Escape, joins them. It is the series' first game on Unreal Engine 5.
- Price, editions and PC system requirements have not been announced.
When Is the Maneater 2 Release Date?
Maneater 2 has no exact release date; Tripwire Interactive has only committed to a 2027 launch, which it announced during Sony's State of Play on September 3, 2026. Every official channel uses the same wording: the PlayStation Blog post, the press release and the Steam page, whose release field simply reads "2027".
With no quarter attached, a slip is possible. Tripwire hasn't signalled one. But a 2027 window with no month set is a plan, not a promise.
For context on how the first game rolled out, Maneater launched on May 22, 2020 for PC, PS4 and Xbox One. The PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions followed in November 2020, and the Switch port arrived on May 25, 2021, a year after the original launch (Wikipedia). This time all four platform families were named on reveal day, though nobody has said whether they will launch together.
Which Platforms Is Maneater 2 Coming To?
Maneater 2 is confirmed for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. No last-generation version appears on any official list. Every one of those storefronts already takes wishlists.
| Platform | Status |
|---|---|
| PlayStation 5 | Confirmed, wishlist open |
| Xbox Series X|S | Confirmed, wishlist open |
| Nintendo Switch 2 | Confirmed, wishlist open |
| PC (Steam) | Confirmed, wishlist open |
| PC (Epic Games Store) | Confirmed, wishlist open |
| PS4 / Xbox One | Not announced |
Leaving out PS4 and Xbox One fits the move to Unreal Engine 5, which Tripwire credits with better light through the water and smarter NPC behaviour. The Switch 2 version is the one to watch: Tripwire hasn't published performance targets for any platform, and Nintendo's hybrid will have the least headroom of the four.
On Xbox, the Series S carries the same caveat it does for every UE5 release: the cheaper console has less memory and GPU to work with, and the listing says nothing about resolution or frame rate modes. If your storage is already full, our guide to which Xbox storage expansion drives actually run Series X|S games covers the options before a 2027 install lands. If you plan to play on a 120Hz TV, check that the console is really outputting 4K 120Hz before blaming the game for a soft image.
Who Is Making Maneater 2?
Tripwire Interactive is developing and self-publishing Maneater 2 with Demiurge Studios, a co-development studio in Cambridge, Massachusetts, while PLAION distributes physical copies to retailers. That is a change from 2020, when Deep Silver handled the first game's retail release.
Demiurge has a long credit list as a support studio. It was founded in 2002, co-developed Mass Effect: Pinnacle Station, built Marvel Puzzle Quest and Sega Heroes, and has belonged to Embracer Group since August 2021 (Wikipedia). In practice, Tripwire gets extra hands on the sequel while it keeps making the Killing Floor games.
The press release included a quote from each studio head. Tripwire CEO Matt LoPilato said the response to the first game "made it clear that players are hungry for more," and Demiurge CEO Kurt Reiner said his team is "incredibly excited to sink our teeth into this project" (Impulse Gamer, 2026).
Info
Two different audience numbers are in circulation. Tripwire's announcement says the franchise has "amassed over 20 million players." The narrower figure Tripwire gave in April 2024 was 14 million copies sold (RPG Site, 2024). A player count can include people who got the game through a subscription or giveaway, so the two numbers don't contradict each other. Copies sold is the one to compare with other games.
Neptune's Kingdom: Where the Shark Ends Up
Maneater 2 moves from the first game's Port Clovis coastline to Neptune's Kingdom, a private-island theme park built around Ancient Rome and hosting an invite-only preview. The park was designed by its CEO, Victor Reardon, and Tripwire's pitch is that it mixes Las Vegas excess with old-fashioned amusement-park whimsy.
The park's selling point is engineered nature. Tripwire says bioengineering lets its tropical waters host aquatic biomes from other parts of the world, arctic and volcanic zones included. The press release adds that the park's bioengineers already have "five different genetic modifications under their belt." That line describes the park's own experiments, not a count of the shark's upgrades.
Above the waterline, the PlayStation Blog promises points of interest crowded with "thought leaders, media luminaries, and over-armed security." Below it, you get evolved apex predators, mutated marine life, environmental hazards and secrets.
Who You Play
You play a bull shark again, described in the PlayStation Blog post as eating, exploring and evolving "her way to freedom." The first game's protagonist was also a female bull shark. As a pup she was maimed by Pierre "Scaly Pete" LeBlanc, the shark hunter who killed her mother, and the 2020 campaign was her revenge on him (Wikipedia).
Tripwire has not said whether this is the same animal. Notebookcheck describes the new shark as young, which would be odd for a returning adult. So until Tripwire says otherwise, the safest reading is a new shark of the same species.
How Does the Gameplay Loop Change?
The first game's eat, explore and evolve loop returns, and Tripwire has added a fourth pillar, Escape, because the shark's goal is now to get out of the park. In 2020 the story was revenge on a fisherman. In the sequel it's a jailbreak.
The resource loop stays recognisable. You hunt the park's ecosystem, which per Notebookcheck's summary of the reveal includes pufferfish, jumbo crabs, piranhas, groupers and "unlucky VIP guests," and spend what you collect on genetic modifications that add new abilities (Notebookcheck, 2026).
What changes is the map. Port Clovis was an open coastline split into regions. Neptune's Kingdom is described as a multi-tiered aquatic sandbox with its own currents and waterways, and themed biomes make it the most gamey space the series has used. That also answers the first game's biggest criticism, which was repetition: it scored 70 on PC at Metacritic, with reviewers praising the premise and knocking the repetitive gameplay (Wikipedia). A park full of distinct themed zones gives the design more room for variety, though only playing it will show whether that variety turns into different missions.
Trip Westhaven Is Back
Chris Parnell reprises Trip Westhaven, the disgraced reality TV host whose show "Maneaters vs. Sharkhunters" narrated the 2020 game. He's the shark's running commentator again, and Parnell's voice credits include Rick and Morty and Archer.
What the Trailer and Screenshots Show
The announcement trailer premiered on PlayStation's YouTube channel during the September 3 State of Play. It shows shark combat, attacks on park guests and destruction around the theme park, including the shark leaping onto a bar counter (Insider Gaming, 2026).
The official screenshots on Steam and the PlayStation Blog fill in the biome variety Tripwire described. One shows an icy arctic zone, another a coral cave opening onto sunken Roman columns. Others show a horned, mutated predator fish, a giant crab facing an armour-plated evolved shark, a resort lagoon with a jet ski rider, and a colossal Neptune statue at the park entrance. Orcas and piranhas also appear among the wildlife in the trailer, according to Insider Gaming's write-up.
None of this is hands-on footage. It is marketing, and marketing shows a game at its best.
Price, Editions and Pre-Orders
Tripwire Interactive has not announced a price or any editions for Maneater 2, and pre-orders are not open on any platform as of September 10, 2026. Wishlisting is the only option today. Any figure you see quoted elsewhere is a guess.
For reference, the first game got one story expansion, Truth Quest, on August 31, 2021 (Wikipedia). Whether the sequel gets a deluxe tier or post-launch expansion has not been said. Expected age ratings are ESRB M for Mature and PEGI 18, per the press release.
Tripwire has also not said whether Maneater 2 will launch on Game Pass or PlayStation Plus.
What the Steam Page Adds
The Maneater 2 Steam store page confirms several details the trailer skipped, listing the game as single-player with controller support, HDR and 14 supported languages. Steam Cloud saves, captions and Family Sharing are ticked too, and the languages include Japanese, Korean, Polish and both Chinese scripts (Steam).
It also carries a content note about blood, gore and violence against both animal and human prey. A blood toggle is included for anyone who wants less of that.
System requirements are marked "coming soon," so there's no PC spec to plan around yet.
The AI Disclosure
The Steam page carries a generative AI disclosure that names five areas where AI-assistive tools were used: "prototyping, coding, testing, documentation, and workflows." It then lists six kinds of player-facing content, art, UI, VFX, music, voice acting and marketing materials, and says all of it "was created by human developers and artists."
That is a narrower claim than the one Crystal Dynamics had to explain for Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, where generated placeholder assets reached the pipeline before being replaced. Tripwire's wording rules out generated art in the shipping game entirely, and players can hold it to that at launch.
What We Still Don't Know
The most important missing facts are the exact release date and the price, and Tripwire has given no timeline for either. Everything below is unconfirmed until the studio or a platform holder says otherwise.
- The launch date. 2027 is the only window.
- Whether all platforms launch together. Nobody has promised a simultaneous release, and the first game's Switch version arrived a year late.
- Switch 2 and Series S performance. No resolution or frame rate targets have been published for any platform.
- Co-op or multiplayer. Steam lists single-player only, and none has been announced.
- Price and editions. Nothing announced, no pre-orders.
- The shark's identity. It is a female bull shark, but whether she is the first game's protagonist hasn't been said.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Maneater 2 come out?
Maneater 2 is scheduled for 2027. Tripwire Interactive has not given a day or month, and the Steam page's release field reads only "2027." The game was announced at PlayStation's State of Play on September 3, 2026.
What platforms is Maneater 2 on?
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC through Steam and the Epic Games Store. No PS4 or Xbox One version has been announced. You can wishlist it on all of those stores now.
Is Maneater 2 single-player?
Yes, as far as is confirmed. The Steam feature list names Single-player as the only player mode, with no co-op, online or PvP tag, and Tripwire's announcement doesn't mention multiplayer. That could change before the 2027 launch. But nothing points to it today.
How much will Maneater 2 cost?
Tripwire Interactive has not announced a price for Maneater 2, and no editions or pre-orders are listed on any store as of September 10, 2026. It also hasn't said whether the game will join Game Pass or PlayStation Plus. Treat any price you see listed before an official announcement as a placeholder.
Who developed Maneater 2?
Tripwire Interactive, maker of the first Maneater and the Killing Floor series, is co-developing it with Demiurge Studios of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Tripwire self-publishes digitally, and PLAION distributes physical copies.
Is Maneater 2 Worth Watching?
Maneater 2 is worth a wishlist if you liked the first game's premise and tired of its repetition, because Neptune's Kingdom looks built to fix that. Themed biomes and an escape goal in place of a revenge checklist are the right changes on paper. Having Chris Parnell back in the booth helps too.
Our call on platforms: PS5 and Series X are the safe versions to wishlist now. Wait for reviews before committing on Switch 2 or Series S, because a UE5 water game on the two lowest-powered machines is where performance problems usually show up first. And don't pre-order yet, which you can't anyway. Whether this is a good sequel comes down to mission variety and price, plus Switch 2 performance if you play on Nintendo hardware. None of that is knowable before 2027. Other 2027 console releases are in the same position: Fable is dated for February 23, 2027 on Xbox Series X|S, PS5 and PC, and if you want a single-player adventure sooner, The Blood of Dawnwalker is already out and Marvel's Wolverine arrives on PS5 on September 15, 2026.
Trailer and screenshots courtesy of Tripwire Interactive and Demiurge Studios. The header image shows Xbox Series X|S hardware courtesy of Microsoft, used for editorial coverage.
Sources
- PlayStation Blog, Tear through Neptune's Kingdom in Maneater 2, coming 2027, retrieved 2026-09-10, https://blog.playstation.com/2026/09/03/tear-through-neptunes-kingdom-in-maneater-2-coming-2027/
- Steam, Maneater 2 store page, retrieved 2026-09-10, https://store.steampowered.com/app/3603000/Maneater_2/
- Impulse Gamer, The Ultimate Apex Predator is Back in Maneater 2 (press release), retrieved 2026-09-10, https://www.impulsegamer.com/the-ultimate-apex-predator-is-back-in-maneater-2/
- Notebookcheck, Maneater 2 announced with 2027 release, retrieved 2026-09-10, https://www.notebookcheck.net/Maneater-2-announced-with-2027-release.1388341.0.html
- Insider Gaming, Maneater 2 Revealed at PlayStation State of Play, retrieved 2026-09-10, https://insider-gaming.com/maneater-2-revealed-playstation-state-of-play/
- Wikipedia, Maneater (video game), retrieved 2026-09-10, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maneater_(video_game)
- Wikipedia, Demiurge Studios, retrieved 2026-09-10, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demiurge_Studios
- RPG Site, Maneater surpasses 14 million copies sold since launch (April 2024), retrieved 2026-09-10, https://www.rpgsite.net/news/15758-maneater-surpasses-14-million-copies-sold-since-launch
- PlayStation on YouTube, Maneater 2 - Announcement Trailer | PS5 Games, retrieved 2026-09-10, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mg4Phb2Aulg
