Playdate: Season 2 will launch in 2025

Get ready for some cranking good times.
playdate season 2 2025

Panic’s Playdate console will officially get its second season of games in 2025, with an array of “surprise games” currently in development. One will drop weekly during the season, with the intention for all subscribed Playdate owners to play these games together, and discuss their experiences.

This was the intention for the first season of Playdate games, but as Panic explained, the pandemic-era chip shortages and delays for shipping meant this “did not come to be.” Season 2 aims to be what Season 1 wasn’t, as the Playdate is being restocked frequently for those looking for a quirkier gaming experience. (The next wave of consoles begins shipping in early December 2024.)

“Season One was a hit – players loved games like Crankin’s Time Travel Adventure and Zipper. They also loved the excitement of receiving two surprise games a week: that time-release aspect encouraged players to dive deeply into each title before the next arrived,” Greg Maletic, Playdate Project Lead said in a press release. “But one thing we couldn’t do with Season One was synchronise play for everyone. With Season Two, we finally can!”

Those who own a Playdate will need to purchase the Season 2 pass via the console’s catalogue, and then they’ll be able to play through an array of bite-sized, innovative games as they launch. For now, Panic has not confirmed the price of this upcoming content, or confirmed a specific launch window, but there will likely be more news in the coming months.

Read: Aussie developer creates custom Playdate game for marriage proposal

In the meantime, Panic has announced the second major Playdate catalogue sale encompassing 160+ games, as well as a fresh array of Playdate games and updates not formally tied to the launch of Season 2. This includes:

  • Owlet’s Embrace (Late 2025) – “An action exploration platformer blending fast paced grappling hook manoeuvres with combat and emotional discovery.”
  • Comet (Coming Soon) – “A light-hearted puzzle adventure where you play as the exuberant Stella who confronts her fear of the dark to search for her brother.”
  • Office Chair Curling (Coming Soon) – “Throw office chairs and aim for a target!”
  • BWIRDS (26 November) – “A whimsical word game! Writers are lost for words and need your help spelling new ones.”
  • Devils on the Moon Pinball (2025) – “A single board VG-Pinball heavily inspired by all the great Pinball games of the past and some modern ones as well!”
  • Under the Castle (New Content, Out Now) – “Under the Castle has received a new content update including an Infinite Mode, new items, new music, and quality of life improvements.”
  • Root Bear (New Content, Out Late 2024) – “Root Bear is receiving a major update later this year that will include online leaderboards, two brand-new play modes, and a full engine rewrite so you’ll be pouring at the top of your game.”
  • Rowbot Rally (17 December) – “A top-down boat-racing game for Playdate with a beefy story mode, hand-animated cutscenes, leaderboards, and fun boat-racing action.”

Additionally, Playdate has provided a brief and sad update for those keen for the Playdate Stereo Dock. The post details a complex development process that saw Panic investing more money into a device that was never quite up to scratch – to the point where the team realised it could not make its money back if it continued its attempts to perfect it.

For more updates on the Playdate and every new game coming to the console, check out its website.

Leah J. Williams is a gaming and entertainment journalist who's spent years writing about the games industry, her love for The Sims 2 on Nintendo DS and every piece of weird history she knows. You can find her tweeting @legenette most days.