Alan Wake 2 is delayed by 10 days because there are just way too many games coming in October

The bad news is that Alan Wake 2 has been delayed. The good news is that there's not really a problem, Remedy just reckons that mid-October is too damn crowded, so it's taking a few steps back—specifically, 10 days—to make room. The delay means that instead of arriving on October 17 as planned, Alan Wake 2 will be out on October 27.

"October is an amazing month for game launches and we hope this date shift gives more space for everyone to enjoy their favorite games," Remedy said. "We can't wait to show you what everyone's favorite novelist is up to in the Dark Place next week. Thanks for your patience!"

October is a pretty big month as game releases go. Assassin's Creed Mirage kicks things off on October 5 (after also moving its release date to account for the busy month), Detective Pikachu Returns follows a day later, Forza Motorsport arrives on October 10, Lords of the Fallen is set for October 13, Endless Dungeon comes on October 17, Spider-Man 2 and Super Mario Bros. Wonder both launch on October 20, Cities: Skylines 2 lands on October 24, and Mineko's Night Market—which isn't a huge heavy-hitter like the others, but I think it looks cute—finishes the month on October 26.

Also bear in mind that a lot of us will probably still be bashing around in Starfield when October rolls around—Bethesda's big sci-fi epic launches on September 6—and if we're being honest with ourselves we'll also probably still be sinking big chunks of our days into Baldur's Gate 3, too. So yeah, it's a pretty packed month.

Delaying a release to get out of the way of other releases used to be unheard of, but the sheer volume of new games has made it kind of a thing. In August, for instance, Stray Gods pushed its planned release back by a week to get out of the way of Baldur's Gate, which had already moved its own PC release date up by a month to dodge the Starfield juggernaut.

We got an up-close look at 30 minutes of Alan Wake 2 back in June during the Summer Game fest and it looked great, and far more ambitious than its predecessor. But the combat felt a little out of place in the survival horror setting: Hopefully we'll be treated to a better balance of mystery, nuance, and horror in the full release.