Alan Wake 2 got plenty of news yesterday at Gamescom 2023. First, NVIDIA confirmed that the game would feature full-fledged path tracing on PC as well as NVIDIA DLSS 3.5 support.

　　As covered in our DLSS 3.5 article, the newly announced Ray Reconstruction technique leverages AI to improve the quality of ray tracing. Tatu Aalto, Lead Graphics Programmer at Remedy Entertainment, said in a statement:

　　The new Ray Reconstruction feature in DLSS 3.5 renders our fully ray-traced world more beautifully than ever before, bringing you deeper into the story of Alan Wake 2.

　　Powered by Remedy's in-house Northlight engine (an evolved version of the tech admired in Control), Alan Wake 2 appears poised to challenge CD Projekt RED's Cyberpunk 2077 for the crown of best graphics showcase. Remedy hasn't shared the PC system requirements yet, but we can expect them to be rather heavy for those who wish to enable path tracing.

　　The good news is that you won't necessarily need to own such a PC to enjoy the full extent of the feature set. Alan Wake 2 will be available on launch day through GeForce NOW, where Ultimate subscribers can also enable path tracing and DLSS 3.5.

　　Yesterday evening, Alan Wake 2 fans were also treated to a new trailer during Gamescom 2023 Opening Night Live, which finally showed the titular co-protagonist stuck in a nightmarish version of New York City.

　　The long-awaited sequel to Alan Wake is now set to launch on October 27th for PC via the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S|X, following a short delay due to Remedy wanting to move out of the way of some game releases scheduled in the first half of October.

　　A string of ritualistic murders threatens Bright Falls, a small-town community surrounded by Pacific Northwest wilderness. Saga Anderson, an accomplished FBI agent with a reputation for solving impossible cases arrives to investigate the murders. Anderson’s case spirals into a nightmare when she discovers pages of a horror story that starts to come true around her.

　　Alan Wake, a lost writer trapped in a nightmare beyond our world, writes a dark story in an attempt to shape the reality around him and escape his prison. With a dark horror hunting him, Wake is trying to retain his sanity and beat the devil at his own game.

　　Anderson and Wake are two heroes on two desperate journeys in two separate realities, connected at heart in ways neither of them can understand: reflecting each other, echoing each other, and affecting the worlds around them.