CONTROL Resonant Switches Protagonist and Expands into an “Open Ended” Manhattan Coming in 2026
Following trademark leaks in late November, Remedy has officially unveiled CONTROL Resonant, the sequel to its acclaimed paranormal action game. Revealed during The Game Awards 2025, the project marks a major evolution for the franchise and is positioned as a full fledged action RPG rather than a traditional action adventure title. CONTROL Resonant is set to launch in 2026 on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, Mac via Steam and the App Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X.
A New Protagonist and a High Stakes Setting
In a bold creative shift, players will not reprise the role of Jesse Faden. Instead, the sequel centers on her brother Dylan Faden, whose storyline finally comes into focus after his coma in the original game. CONTROL Resonant takes place seven years after the events of Control, during a catastrophic collapse of the Federal Bureau of Control’s Oldest House lockdown. Jesse now the FBC Director has mysteriously vanished, allowing a new paranatural threat to spill into Manhattan. The city has been quarantined as FBC forces struggle to contain the outbreak.
Dylan is awakened as the only operative capable of confronting this reality bending force. Remedy emphasized that the Control narrative has always been a story about two gifted siblings and that Jesse and Dylan’s separate journeys form a single complete character arc across both titles. Each entry, however, is written so that new players can jump in without prior knowledge of the series.
Manhattan Reimagined
CONTROL Resonant relocates the paranormal conflict from the Oldest House to an altered Manhattan. Although set in one of the world’s most iconic cities, this Manhattan is deeply warped, transformed into a dense narrative landscape similar to the bureau’s ever shifting architecture in the first game. Remedy describes it as a large open ended world but deliberately avoids calling it open world. Instead of sprawling filler content, districts are carefully authored with curated side activities, narrative threads, factions, and escalating paranormal threats.
Dylan’s Aberrant Weapon and Evolved Combat
Dylan’s journey reflects Jesse’s outsider perspective from the first game. Having spent nearly his entire life inside the Oldest House, stepping into Manhattan feels alien and overwhelming. His signature weapon, the Aberrant, is a brutal shapeshifting melee tool that morphs between multiple forms including a massive hammer and swift dual blades. Built for desperate street level combat, the Aberrant complements Dylan’s psychic abilities which expand upon Jesse’s powers but with greater depth, variation, and RPG style build combinations.
Remedy’s vision is to deepen the core systems of Control with more player agency, richer combat, and expanded customization. Enemies will now mirror Dylan’s mobility and unpredictability, capable of jumping, flying, traversing vertical space, and unleashing paranatural assaults. This escalation is designed to challenge players with a spectrum of threat sizes ranging from small agile foes to colossal monstrous entities.
During a remote press presentation, Remedy shared additional high level insights
Loot and crafting will play important roles, though details remain under wraps
Developing the melee system was difficult, but the result aims to deliver a unique, satisfying feel while preserving Control’s pace
The new threat features more personality and identity than the Hiss
Every space in Manhattan is handcrafted and narratively motivated, continuing the Oldest House design philosophy
More information on CONTROL Resonant is expected in Spring 2026. Unless Remedy plans an unusually short marketing cycle, the game may target a Q3 or Q4 2026 release.
CONTROL Resonant signals a daring step forward for the franchise integrating action RPG depth, a new protagonist, and a dramatically expanded paranormal battleground.
Are you excited to step into Dylan’s role and explore a warped Manhattan, or do you wish Jesse had remained the lead?
