After a troubled development—and final fumble via initially locking some clans behind DLC—Bloodlines 2 is releasing very soon, so we can finally see for ourselves if all the drama it took to get to this point has been worth it or not.
What's that about a troubled development, you ask? Well, following its announcement in 2019, the Vampire: The Masquerade sequel has been beset by a procession of departing leads and shuffled development studios, before settling into a worryingly long silence from publisher Paradox. For years we were wondering about what was going on with the Vampire RPG, if anything was going on at all.
But Bloodlines 2 had its own dark resurrection, landing in the hands of The Chinese Room, developer of Dear Esther and Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, and we've played it ourselves. It's real, and it's really (we swear) imminently ready to release.
When is Bloodlines 2's release date?
There's not long to wait now, as Bloodlines 2 is now scheduled to release on October 21. This is a little later than the game's previously planned "first half of 2025" window, but with an actual date coming in hot now, surely that was the last Bloodlines 2 delay we had to endure.
The sequel has had a long, fraught, and confusing gestation, originally scheduled for March 2020 before being pushed back to an unspecified time later that year. It eventually delayed into 2021, and then out of 2021, leaving its status a mystery—we weren't even sure which studio was making it.
Then in 2022, Fredrik Wester, CEO at Bloodlines 2's publisher Paradox Interactive, tweeted that "the game is in good hands." In June 2023, we learned that there would be a big September announcement about Bloodlines 2, and the prophecy held true: In September 2023, Paradox revealed that The Chinese Room has been handling Bloodlines 2 development, with its release initially set for 2024 before finally landing in October this year.
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 trailers
Overview trailer
Now we're within biting distance of Bloodline 2's release, there's a whole flurry of trailers out there, including a voice cast reveal, and individual trailers for each Clan, like Tremere and Brujah. If you're after a quick glance at what Bloodlines 2 has to offer though—including brief Clan introductions—then this overview trailer has you covered.
Fabien trailer
If you want to know more about the other playable character in Bloodlines 2, and what detective-y things you'll be doing as him, the Fabian trailer above gives us a nice tease as to what's in store. Namely, a 1920s neo-noir vibe as Fabain attempts to solve his own murder. Fun!
Bloodlines 2 extended gameplay reveal
Although the footage is a bit old now, in this 33-minute Bloodlines 2 extended gameplay reveal, we watch as Phyre—the player character and, in this demo's case, a Brujah—infiltrates a warehouse to learn more about a mark that's locked away her elder vampire powers. We see some dialogue choices, some vampire combat magic, and some grisly first-person combat punctuated by neck-biting finishers.
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 characters and story
What do we know about the story and our character in Bloodlines 2?
In Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, we'll play as Phyre, an elder vampire recently awoken from a century of vampire hibernation. Unfortunately for Phyre, they've awoken to less than ideal circumstances: They were in the Middle East when they entered their slumber, but now they've found themself in a derelict Seattle apartment building with a magical brand that's locked away most of their abilities and the voice of a Thin-Blood vampire named Fabien trapped in their head (with Fabien also playable in flashbacks when Phyre is asleep).
Having an authored player character with an established backstory is a departure from the first Bloodlines game, where your player character was a blank slate. Phyre will be customizable—in a Bloodlines 2 stream, narrative director Ian Thomas said "there'll be a choice of clans, there'll be a choice of outfit, a choice of gender"—but Bloodlines fans are, unsurprisingly, skeptical about the change in direction. It seems like we'll have some sway in Phyre's history: "Elements of her background are up to you to choose, and what she reveals to other people, and what story she's telling," Thomas said.
As Phyre investigates their rude awakening, Thomas said they'll have to navigate the vampire politics and machinations of Kindred society in Seattle, with player dialogue choices influencing Phyre's relationships and standing.
What vampire clans will be playable in Bloodlines 2?
The Chinese Room has confirmed all six of the Masquerade vampire clans that'll be playable in Bloodlines 2:
- Brujah: The first clan confirmed for the reborn Bloodlines 2, the Brujah are a clan of philosopher-kings-turned-anarchist-punks, its current-day ranks drawing from revolutionaries, radicals, and activists. Stereotyped as thugs and hooligans, Brujah tend to reject hierarchy and tradition, instead directly pursuing their individual passions—and tending toward a similarly fierce fighting style. As glimpsed in the Brujah reveal teaser video, Brujah abilities in Bloodlines 2 will focus on aggressive, superpowered melee combat.
- Tremere: Unlike most of the other vampire clans—who trace their lineage to vampires predating the Biblical Flood—the Tremere are instead descended from a group of Medieval mages who sought immortality by stealing a vampire's blood. Today, Tremere continue as occultists who seek and hoard arcane knowledge. In Bloodlines 2, Tremere abilities will go heavy on the blood sorcery, weaponizing their own blood as projectiles while boiling enemies' blood at a distance. You can see a brief look at their blood magic in the Tremere reveal teaser.
- Banu Haqim: The Banu Haqim have a particularly inconvenient dietary restriction: They thirst specifically for other vampiric blood. They're also, apparently, the self-appointed vigilantes of the vampire world, strictly adhering to a moral code and dispatching from the shadows those who don't uphold it. A sort of "assassin's creed," if you will. In Bloodlines 2, Banu Haqim characters will skew towards stealth.
- Ventrue: Generally, the Ventrue are the most aristocratic, genteel, and domineering. Snobby assholes with mind-control powers, in other words. In Bloodlines 2, they'll manipulate and dominate their enemies and prey, while building up their own defenses through feeding.
- Lasombra - As per the official description, Lasombra "use their power to stoke the fires of fear in enemies and allies alike. Masters of shadow, they bend the darkness to their will. You can weaponize your control of shadows to isolate, ensnare, and instill dread in any target."
- Toreador - The "Clan of Divas" whose "enthralling presence allows them to make the first move, often before their enemy has a chance to react. As a Toreador in Vampire, you can entrance your victims and enemies, luring them in and blinding them to the danger in front of them—until it is too late."
Previously, it was announced that you had to purchase the Shadows & Silk DLC if you wanted to play as the Lasombra and Toreador clans. However, this was something that fans were not happy about, leading to Paradox offering pre-order refunds on PlayStation, then U-turning and adding both clans to the base game.
For any Malkavian fans feeling left out, don't worry. Fabien—Phyre's vampiric companion—is a Malkavian. So yes, as confirmed during Gamescom 2025, you can indeed play as a Malkavian vampire in Bloodlines 2, thanks to flashbacks where you control Fabien. The Malkavian clan was one of several player options in the first game, and its vampires were portrayed as the "wise madmen" types. Our previous experience playing Bloodlines 2 suggests Fabien's portrayal is a little more nuanced, and offers a new perspective on how he understands and engages with people.
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 gameplay info
We've played Bloodlines 2, and it settled some fears... but raised others
The sequel's troubled journey and repeated delays didn't do much to inspire confidence, but when PC Gamer's Fraser Brown went hands-on with Bloodlines 2, he became cautiously optimistic, digging how much the game "delights in leaning into the vampire power fantasy" by positioning Phyre as no fledgling vamp. They're an undead, elder monster with centuries of wisdom and power to pull from. Something that PC Gamer's Robin Valentine agreed with in our most recent Bloodlines 2 preview.
Their power may be sapped, but our previous Bloodlines 2 preview reassures "the Chinese Room has gone to great lengths to ensure that you still feel like a supernatural apex predator—to a degree not even remotely attempted by the previous VTM games."
Even in a weakened state, Phyre wields incredible strength, speed, and telekinesis.
However, how much you like how this translates into combat may be a very subjective takeaway. Fraser felt that combat was snappy, and chaotic in the best ways. Paradox deputy CEO Mattias Lilja even claimed "people who have seen it talk about Dishonored," and Fraser agreed, finding its stealth and Phyre's flexible kit delivered action Arkane "would absolutely approve [of]."
However, in Robin's most recent preview, he felt that while the moody vampire setting was a real achievement, combat and traversal are too awkward to be empowering: "Fights against ghouls and lesser vampires almost always saw me badly outnumbered, and with the first-person perspective limiting my peripheral vision, the result was that my respected elder vampire spent rather a lot of time getting sucker-punched in the back of the head."
Stealth-wise, Robin reported that the system is "disappointingly crude and held back by dim-witted enemy AI, while the design of encounters usually forced me into open combat after just one or two silent takedowns."
So, combat might be a love-it-or-hate-it situation.
What about Bloodlines 2 dialogue choices?
Gameplay reveals for the new Bloodlines 2 has shown that The Chinese Room is going in a more... Fallout 4 direction for interactions with NPCs, for better or—as Vampire: The Masquerade fans are assuming—markedly worse. In dialogue sequences, Players will be choosing the vibe of their response instead of seeing the actual text of what they're saying. It's unclear how much player choice will actually affect story direction, or whether those choices will generally end up in the same location but with different tone along the way.
Is Bloodlines 2 open world?
Art director Ben Matthews claims in a recent interview that "We're not making GTA; this isn't a big, open world, sprawling game where the horizon is your limit. That was something we really paid attention to, to try to make everything as dense [as possible]."
Matthews claims the team is more interested in paying attention to the quantity of detail in Seattle, over its scope. As such, you don't get to free roam across the entire city. The brand on your main character's hand will prevent you from leaving when you reach the map's outskirts.
So, no, Bloodlines 2 isn't a fully open world game. And this is something the team really wants to get across, as in a more recent interview with narrative director Ian Thomas, he doubled-down on the sentiment that Bloodlines 2 is nothing like GTA. Calling it a "slice of time and place."
More Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 info
What's the situation with the Bloodlines 2 development issues?
Bloodlines 2 has gone through a lot, and not just delays. Original lead writer Brian Mitsoda, who was one of the main faces of the game since its unveiling, was fired from the project along with creative director Ka’ai Cluney in 2020. According to a blog post by developer Hardsuit Labs, the decisions came as part of "organizational changes" to the development team. Speaking to Rock Paper Shotgun via email, Mitsoda said that he was "suddenly terminated" and that "this came to [him] as a shock would be underselling it."
In October 2020, senior narrative designer Cara Ellison left Hardsuit Labs as well.
In 2021, it was Hardsuit Labs that got fired. Bloodlines 2 publishers Paradox Interactive announced that the game would be delayed past 2021 while they change developers. "We have started a collaboration with a new studio partner to finish work on the game," Paradox said. "This has been a difficult decision, but we are convinced that it is the right way forward to do the game justice."
After more than two years of wondering about the state of Bloodlines 2, we finally learned in September 2023 that Dear Esther developer The Chinese Room has taken over Bloodlines 2 development, brought in after Hardsuit Labs was taken off the project.
The internal issues didn't stop there, however, as The Chinese Room laid off employees in June 2025, then bought their independence from former owner Sumo Digital in July 2025.
How has Bloodlines 2 changed with its new developer?
After its development shifted over to The Chinese Room, we know that Bloodlines 2 has changed up its gameplay mechanics and RPG systems, though not exactly how. When our own fang-fan Ted Litchfield spoke to to Paradox Interactive VP of World of Darkness Sean Greaney and the creative director of Bloodlines 2 in Alex Skidmore, we learned from Greaney that they "have been able to reuse a significant amount of art and level design" with Skidmore clarifying that The Chinese Room is using "a new code base with different gameplay mechanics and RPG systems."
So if you want to know how Bloodlines 2 plays before release, best stay clear of any gameplay or trailers shown before The Chinese Room took over.
