PS5 pre-orders are open for GreedFall: The Dying World

Pre-orders for GreedFall: The Dying World are now live on the PlayStation Store for the PlayStation 5.

The game was originally announced in May 2022 under the name GreedFall 2. Developer Spiders and publisher Nacon eventually decided to drop the number from the title late last year. It is a logical change, considering the narrative is actually a prequel set three years before the events of the 2019 original. Dropping a sequel number for a prequel is a rare moment of naming clarity in an industry that regularly produces titles like Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue.

March 12 for the 1.0 launch

The PlayStation Store listing signals the upcoming console release, but PC players have already had their hands on the game. The Dying World entered Steam Early Access on September 24, 2024. Spiders has spent the last 18 months releasing major updates. These patches added new regions, introduced additional companions, and tweaked the core mechanics based on player feedback.

The early access period is scheduled to end soon. The full 1.0 version will launch on March 12, 2026. Despite the pre-order page appearing on Sony's storefront, the game is a multiplatform release. It will be available simultaneously on the Xbox Series X|S and PC alongside the PlayStation 5 version.

Real-time with pause

The original GreedFall was a commercial success that sold over two million copies. It filled a specific niche for players craving a mid-budget action RPG with distinct factions, diplomacy, and companion quests. Spiders built a reputation for these types of ambitious role-playing games, following up their earlier work on titles like The Technomancer and Bound by Flame.

The development team made a fundamental mechanical shift for this prequel. The pure action combat of the first game has been replaced with a Real-Time with Pause system. Players now control a full party of four characters at once. You can pause the action at any time to issue specific tactical commands to your companions. This brings the gameplay much closer to classic BioWare titles like Dragon Age: Origins or Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

It is a polarizing change for returning players who preferred the straightforward dodging and striking of the 2019 release. Spiders used the extended early access window to refine this new tactical approach. The studio overhauled the combat pacing and added extensive accessibility options to accommodate different playstyles.

Three years before the original

The narrative perspective has also been flipped. In the first game, players controlled a diplomat from the old continent arriving on the mystical island of Teer Fradee. The Dying World reverses that dynamic entirely. You play as a native of Teer Fradee who is forcibly uprooted and taken across the ocean to Gacane, the plague-ridden homeland of the colonists.

The setup forces players to navigate a foreign world damaged by war and the Malichor plague. You have to build alliances, manage companion relationships, and use diplomacy or force to survive the political scheming of the continent's various factions.

This reminds me, I need to play Greedfall! It's 90% off on Steam right now.