Ghostrunner 2 is unquestionably one of the coolest games this year. A high-speed, high-stakes romp through rain-slicked, neon-soaked city streets, this ‘first-person slasher’ is not-so-quietly the most exciting cyberpunk game on the horizon. Ghostrunner 2 makes you feel as cool as you thought you’d be in Cyberpunk 2077; and as deadly as you wish you were in Mirror’s Edge. Don’t just take my word for it, though – you can try it right now on Steam courtesy of a free demo over a month ahead of the Ghostrunner 2 release date.
Ghostrunner 2 has just about everything you could want from an ultra-slick movement shooter: a mid-air dash, a slide that just keeps going, a grappling hook, deflects, parries, shuriken, perfect dodges, even a ‘focus’ that lets you pause the action momentarily to catch your breath and determine your next move. And it’s all set to a pulse-pounding, momentum-driving synthwave soundtrack to cement the atmosphere perfectly.
As much puzzle game as platformer, Ghostrunner 2 is all about staying on the move and not getting hit. Its checkpoints are fast and frequent; you can even toggle an option in the menu to allow manual restarts at any moment if you’re really trying to perfect your skills. As you dash, slide, and zip through streets, along walls, and across rooftops, you’ll encounter all manner of enemies – each a tiny combat puzzle to solve, and all of them as satisfying as the last.
There’s even more to Ghostrunner 2 than its predecessor, too. New skills will give you more ways to be creative and experiment with your routes – something you’ll need in the more open, nonlinear levels of this sequel. Enemies will react dynamically to the skills you use, while boss fights promise more freedom to choose how you approach them. There’s even motorbike sequences, in case the game wasn’t already fast enough for you.
Those of you who are worried you might find the pace a little overwhelming, don’t fear. There’s an option for combat assist to help you land those killer blows, while those among you who want to really test your skills can even turn on a timer and death counter to keep track of just how well you’re doing. Like Neon White and the first Ghostrunner before it, this is a game that feels so satisfying to play well that it almost turns you into a speedrunner without you even realizing.
The Ghostrunner 2 demo is available now for free on Steam. You can head here to check it out for yourself – just be warned, only a few minutes of play and there’s a good chance you’ll already be finding yourself adding it to your wishlist; it’s simply that much fun.
There’s no shortage of the best FPS games on PC these days, so we’ve picked out all the essentials that you need to play. We’ve also searched through for all the best free Steam games if you’re looking for more things to play that won’t hurt your wallet.