CODE VEIN II Launches January 2026 With Time Travel Mechanics

Time travel rarely makes things simpler, and CODE VEIN II is betting its entire premise on that complexity. The sequel to 2019's anime-styled action RPG arrives January 29, 2026 on PC, with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions following on January 30. But this isn't just another vampire Souls-like—it's a game where saving someone's life might doom countless others, and rewriting history is both your greatest weapon and most dangerous temptation.

Why Start From Scratch?

Most franchises would milk a successful formula, but director Hiroshi Yoshimura took the opposite approach. CODE VEIN II abandons the original game's storyline entirely, opting for a completely new world instead. In a recent Famitsu interview, Yoshimura explained that continuing the first game's narrative wouldn't achieve the deeper engagement they wanted. "We needed to change the narrative structure itself," he said, suggesting the team saw limitations in simply building on existing foundations.

This new setting imagines a future where humanity shares an uneasy coexistence with Revenants—essentially vampires by another name. Two world-altering catastrophes have already scarred this timeline: the "Linne," a transformation phenomenon, and the ominously named "Moon of Thirst." Adding to the chaos, an entity called Luna Rapacis corrupts Revenants into mindless Horrors, forcing your character into action as a human hunter who gains vampire powers through a partnership with someone named Lou.

The Butterfly Effect, Weaponized

Here's where CODE VEIN II diverges from typical action RPG territory. You're not just fighting through linear levels—you're jumping between past and present timelines, making choices that fundamentally alter how events unfold. Producer Keita Iizuka emphasized the moral ambiguity baked into this system: "Saving a character isn't always the right choice. That influence might cause more people to perish."

Think about that for a moment. How many games punish you for heroic acts? Most RPGs reward you for every rescued NPC and completed side quest. CODE VEIN II seems designed to make you second-guess every intervention, questioning whether changing the past will create a better future or just a different kind of nightmare. It's a philosophical gamble that could either elevate the narrative or frustrate players expecting clear-cut morality.

Combat That Demands Respect

The Souls-like combat framework returns with the series' signature Blood Drain mechanic, letting you absorb enemy abilities and build a personalized skill arsenal. Pattern recognition remains essential—charge in recklessly and you'll be punished, but master the timing and you'll carve through encounters with surgical precision. Weapons and skills can be mixed extensively, supporting everything from aggressive melee builds to calculated ranged strategies.

Multiple ally characters join your journey, each bringing distinct combat abilities and personality. The developers have leaned hard into character relationships as a core pillar, even including story sequences where you ride motorcycles together through post-apocalyptic landscapes. It's an oddly intimate touch for a game about fighting vampire horrors, but it reinforces that CODE VEIN II prioritizes emotional connections over pure action spectacle.

A World Shaped By Catastrophe

Despite featuring vast interconnected environments, Yoshimura's team deliberately avoided the "open world" label. They're positioning this as a "story experience with characters" rather than a sandbox for aimless exploration. The distinction matters—it signals that every area serves narrative purpose rather than existing as filler content between objectives.

The lore runs deep here. A vampire named Lavinia established an organization called "Magmerl" dedicated to protecting humans from supernatural threats. The twin catastrophes of Linne and the Moon of Thirst have reshaped entire regions into post-apocalyptic zones. As you move between timelines, you'll see how past events created the broken present, and how your interventions might reshape both eras.

What You're Actually Buying

Pre-orders are live on Steam with three-day early access starting January 26, 2026. The Standard Edition runs £54.99 and includes the Stylized Forma Set bonus. Bump up to the Deluxe Edition (£74.99) and you'll add an outfit pack plus the Mask of Idris DLC. The Ultimate Edition (£84.99) throws in costume sets from the original CODE VEIN, a digital artbook, and the soundtrack.

Physical collectors can grab a special edition featuring a character figurine, printed artbook, steelbook case, and early access. All pre-order tiers unlock the three-day head start, which means dedicated players could be exploring this world as early as late January.

Technical Reality Check

The PC version requires Denuvo Anti-Tamper protection—yes, it's there, deal with it—and supports Steam Achievements plus Cloud saves. You'll need 75GB of storage space regardless of platform, and the recommended spec calls for an RTX 2060 SUPER with 16GB RAM. Minimum requirements drop to a GTX 1060 6GB and i5-7600K, though expect compromises on visual quality.

The game carries a PEGI 16 rating for violence and mature themes, which seems appropriate given the vampire-horror aesthetic and morally complex narrative choices.

The Bigger Picture

Creating an entirely new world for the sequel signals ambition beyond typical franchise milking. Bandai Namco Studios could have played it safe with a direct continuation, but instead they're treating CODE VEIN as a setting for exploring different stories and themes rather than a single narrative through-line. If this approach succeeds, it opens possibilities for future entries with completely different settings and conflicts.

The time manipulation mechanic positions CODE VEIN II somewhere between traditional action RPGs and narrative-driven experiences where choices genuinely matter. Whether that balance works depends entirely on execution—how meaningful are the timeline alterations, and do they create genuine moral dilemmas or just binary "good ending/bad ending" splits?

For the latest information and pre-orders, visit the official CODE VEIN II Steam page.

Early access begins January 26, 2026, with the full launch following on January 29 for PC and January 30 for consoles.