Bloober Team, the developers behind Layers of Fear, The Medium, and the upcoming Silent Hill 2 Remake, has officially lifted the veil on their next original IP — Cronos: The New Dawn. The game made its gameplay debut in a moody, two-minute trailer that dropped earlier today, and it’s already turning heads across the horror gaming scene.

A New Dawn for Bloober

Cronos: The New Dawn is a bold pivot from the psychological horror Bloober is known for. This time, they’re diving into full-on survival horror with a heavy dose of sci-fi. Set in an alternate-history version of 1980s Poland, the game places players in a post-pandemic world teetering on the edge of collapse. The kicker? Time travel, government experiments, and mutated humans known as “merged” monsters.

The trailer wastes no time in setting the tone. Stark industrial complexes, flickering CRT monitors, and eerie silence give way to chaotic combat and tense stealth. The atmosphere leans into retro-futurism and Cold War paranoia, evoking shades of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and Resident Evil, with that signature Bloober dread layered throughout.

Core Gameplay Mechanics: Survive the Merge

In Cronos, players must manage scarce resources while facing grotesque enemies that evolve dynamically through a mechanic called “The Merge.” When damaged, enemies can fuse with others to become stronger, faster, and more intelligent. It’s a system that forces players to strategize every bullet, every encounter.

Combat appears deliberate and weighty, with an emphasis on evasion and planning over brute force. The trailer also teases light puzzle-solving and narrative branching via dialogue trees and time-altering decisions — adding RPG-like depth to the horror experience.

A Mysterious Protagonist

Players take control of a character only known as “The Subject,” a figure seemingly trapped in a government-run experiment involving time manipulation and psychological warfare. Bloober has confirmed that story will play a central role, featuring multiple endings tied to player choices across timelines.

Release Date & Platforms

Cronos: The New Dawn is slated for release sometime in 2025 and will be launching on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. No word yet on a specific release window, but Bloober promises more reveals “in the coming months.”

With Silent Hill 2 Remake still looming large, Cronos proves Bloober isn’t content to rest on third-party IPs. They’re ready to push boundaries with their own creations once again.