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The Long Dark is getting visual enhancements, proper PS5 & Xbox X/S editions

Hinterland Studio is implementing enhancements targeted at high-end PCs, which opens the way for upgraded PS5 and Xbox Series X versions.

TJ Denzer

April 25, 2025 11:11 AM

Image via Hinterland Studio

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Even as Hinterland Studio prepares Blackfrost: The Long Dark 2, the group is still developing new things for the original to make it the best version of itself on all platforms. This week, Hinterland released a developer diary detailing a wide variety of visual enhancements coming to The Long Dark with a release window set for May 2025. Hinterland will also be preparing upgraded PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions of the game, which should roll out in June.

Hinterland Founder and Creative Director, Raphael van Lierop, posted the latest The Long Dark developer diary on its community forum this week. There, we get news on how development of Episode 5 of the Wintermute story mode is coming, as well as various QoL and balancing planned for the game. The visual enhancements coming in May for PC versions will upgrade shadows, terrain, fog, draw distance, motion blur, and much more for which sturdy PCs will be able to take advantage.

With this upgrade set to focus mostly on high-end machines, Hinterland is taking the opportunity to roll out enhanced PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions it hopes will be ready by June. Those who own the PS4 or Xbox One version of The Long Dark will be able to upgrade at no cost.

Hinterland goes on to say that once these enhancements and upgraded ports roll out, the launch of Episode 5 of the Wintermute story mode may be considered “the end” of The Long Dark. The post itself has “the end” in quotes with the addendum that the team still intends to update The Long Dark. That’s just the end of promised content for the original game.

“We are looking forward to having some breathing room to figure out next steps and continue to do our work without the weight of a big promise hanging over us,” van Lierop wrote.

With The Long Dark 2 set for 2026, Hinterland has arguably been generous to continue to give such care and effort to the first game. That said, it looks like fans still have a lot to look forward to before the final curtain falls on the original Long Dark. Stay tuned to The Long Dark topic for details such as the release dates on the visual enhancement update, and PS5 and Xbox Series X/S upgrades, right here at Shacknews.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on BlueSky @JohnnyChugs.