"The game is challenging enough already": Frostpunk 2 devs reveal "user-friendly" changes in the works since the survival city builder's delay

Frostpunk 2 reveal trailer screenshot showing a middle-aged man with short hair and thick facial hair sitting as a snowy storm rages on, blood streaming down his face
(Image credit: 11 Bit Studios)

Frostpunk 2, 11 Bit Studios' hotly anticipated survival city builder sequel, is still in the works following its recent delay - with many improvements apparently underway.

Frostpunk 2 was delayed by two months following a beta period with developers saying that they wanted to "guarantee the best possible experience at launch." A month later, the team is sharing some of the changes to the city builder that have been in the works since its delay. 11 Bit Studios opens by explaining that the game is "challenging enough already, so it came as no surprise to us that you want the interface to be as user-friendly as possible."

That’s why the dev says it's currently "making changes to the UI & UX." These adjustments include various improvements to the HUD "to make it clearer and more intuitive," a new construction menu alongside five city hubs, and tweaks to enhance "the clarity, readability, and look & feel" of the idea tree and Frostland. 11 Bit Studios' post also includes an attached image showcasing some of the revamped UI - and there's still more to come.

The studio says its updates are "not limited to" just those that it has shown off, which means that even more changes are being implemented before Frostpunk 2's long-awaited September 20 release this year. According to the delay announcement from last month, fans can expect changes to factions' behavior, temperature, "more detailed and flexible workforce management," new resources, and more.

Check out the best city-building games to play ahead of Frostpunk 2.

Anna Koselke
Staff Writer

After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.

Read more
Cities: Skylines 2
Cities: Skylines 2 on console is still delayed at least until summer as devs work on "improving performance and stability"
Frostpunk 2
After 6 years, Frostpunk 2 dev's unannounced game is canceled because it was conceived "under very different market conditions" when story-driven games "held stronger appeal"
Screenshots of towns in Endzone 2
Post-apocalyptic city builder Endzone 2 is proving that Early Access is still a hit for PC
Best city building games: A screenshot of a residential zone in the game Cities Skylines.
The 15 best city building games to play today
A large walled city in Sid Meier's Civilization 7
As mixed Steam reviews pile up, Civilization 7 devs say updates are on the way as they hold themselves "to a high standard and always strive to create the best game possible"
Fragpunk
Marvel Rivals publisher indefinitely delays its other hero shooter on Xbox and PS5 2 days before its free-to-play launch
Latest in City Builder
9 Kings armies at war in a green field
The hottest city builder in Steam Next Fest is actually a roguelike deck builder in disguise: "Break the game with thousands of insane builds"
Manor Lords
Manor Lords patch adds new maps and a city builder staple, bridge-building, and also makes it so "taverns realize ale isn't magic – it's just ale"
Screenshot from River Town, showing a top-down view of a little city with a river running across it.
Tetris some towns together in this cute city builder brought back to life by Kickstarter after the studio "had to let everyone go" last year
The Falconeer
Solo developer behind The Falconeer and Bulwark explains why Game Pass is so great for indies: "If you get in it's generally a very positive thing for a dev."
a medieval castle on a steep cliffside
Move over Manor Lords, this cozy medieval city builder is so good it "ruined other builders," and it's leaving early access very soon
Manor Lords screenshot showing medieval-style farm fields featuring autumn-esque colouring
After 2.5 million sales, Manor Lords publisher says it "would almost be arrogant" to not be surprised by the city builder's success - but "you cannot count on it to repeat"
Latest in News
The Witcher 4 screenshot with Ciri using sword and sorcery to fight an ancient monster
The Witcher 4 devs explain how Ciri's fighting style will differ from Geralt's: "He's nimble, but he feels like a block...she's liquid"
Challenging The Manacle in Balatro, which limits hand size by -1 and playing two Jacks
From "I stopped working on the project entirely" to "we are so back," Balatro creator says the roguelike's development was always about passion and taking breaks was essential
InZOI screenshot from creation studio demo which depicts a shockingly realistic character model rendered in Unreal Engine 5
The director behind The Sims competitor InZOI spent 20 years making MMOs, but he ditched the massive RPGs after playing life sims with his son
Demon Slayer season 4 episode 2
True to the anime, Stardew Valley's hottest mod adds two romanceable Demon Slayer dudes who are both "rude and standoffish" at first
A group of Men wearing armour during the TV show, Vikings.
Vikings creator is heading back to his Norse roots with this new historical drama on Amazon
Balatro screenshot showing an assortment of joker cards
Balatro creator intentionally avoided roguelikes but did eventually play and "steal from" Slay the Spire anyway: "Holy s***. Now that is a game"