Parents' Guide to

Alan Wake 2

By Chad Sapieha, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Horror game sequel has way more gore and violence.

Game Xbox Series X/S , PlayStation 5 , Windows 2023
Alan Wake 2 poster: Alan Wake's bearded face, an FBI agent enters a forest below him.t

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

  • Alan Wake 2: Agent Saga Anderson casts a flashlight on a spectral enemy.
  • Alan Wake 2: Alan Wake wanders through a dark, deserted city street.
  • Alan Wake 2: Saga Anderson enters a forest at sunset, gun drawn.

Community Reviews

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age 13+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Nathan S.
Nathan S. Parent of 12-year-old
March 5, 2024
age 12+

Very good game, not as bad as ESRB rated it.

It really is not as bad as ESRB makes it out to be. There is a decent amount of Violence in this game, but it isn't too bad. Nudity can be turned off in settings.
Johnathan W.
Johnathan W. Adult
February 4, 2024
age 14+

Very good game but not for young kids

It’s a great game and can not really be talked about without spoiling anything. Violence is intense but not very disturbing. Torture is implied sometimes but not shown graphically. Blood is sometimes already all over a location. If it were a film probably a 15 for violence and language and nudity but nudity can turn off.
See all 2 parent reviews

What’s It About?

Set a decade after the events of the first game, ALAN WAKE 2 brings players back to Bright Falls, the eerie northwestern town where horror novel author Alan Wake disappeared while fighting a dark, malignant entity in 2010. The story begins with players in control of Saga Anderson, an FBI agent with the ability to sort and organize her thoughts with amazing clarity in a mental space she calls her Mind Place. She's investigating a murder, which leads her to discover a series of bizarre goings-on in the area, ranging from a zealous cult to townspeople who seem to know her from another life she can't remember. Eventually players will also take control of Alan, who appears to be locked in a nightmare he has inadvertently authored and is attempting to rewrite in order to save himself and everyone around him. Players spend the bulk of the game exploring dark and creepy locations, frequently being attacked by shadowy monsters. They can either fight these creatures or take refuge in well lit areas to recuperate and plan their next steps. As the game progresses, both characters begin to question what's real and what isn't as the town's slowly enveloped in a darkness of Alan's own creation.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (1 ):

Few games are as breathtakingly, mind-blowingly creative as this one. Alan Wake 2 is bursting with original ideas, such as Alan's ability to rewrite the nightmarish world he inhabits, changing and revisiting scenes in order to create the outcome he requires. Saga's Mind Place is similarly fascinating, allowing players to piece together the information she collects in intuitive ways that eventually lead to probing character profiles and story-altering deductions. And the level design is wildly imaginative, such as one scene set within a dynamic live action music video that fluidly morphs and evolves as players progress. The designers have somehow managed to make this inventive storytelling work alongside action packed and terrifying play elements that make it feel as though players are in full control.

It's a masterpiece of interactive horror, but it's not perfect. There are times while playing as Alan that it can be difficult to discern what to do or where to go next, leading to extended periods of confusion and frustration. Players are forced to backtrack repeatedly and engage in trial and error-style play in order to figure out what they need to do to progress. The sense of immersion and tension that the game works so hard to create is sometimes spoiled in these moments, and takes time to rebuild. Still, there's no denying the imaginative brilliance of the rest of the experience. Not many games have the ability to shock, terrify, and straight up blow players' minds the way Alan Wake 2 does over and over again throughout its 20-hour play time. But it should be noted, this game is definitely not for kids and older teens and even adults to consider their own sensibility before diving into this graphic game.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about violence in media. Alan Wake 2 is an extremely violent and graphic horror game, but several sequences also rely on psychological terror. Do you think games, movies, and books can be just as scary without relying on violence?

  • Talk about how we distinguish reality from fantasy. How do you know what's real and what isn't in your day-to-day life? What senses and basic principles do you rely on to know that something is real?

  • Alan Wake 2 is significantly more violent than the first game. Do you think this element of added violence adds to the game in any way? Why may this be harmful to younger audiences who loved the first game, which didn't have the added violence and nudity?

Game Details

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