The Sinking City
A detective game set in a flooded Lovecraftian city.
The Sinking City is an action-adventure game from 2019, developed by Frogwares and drawing on the horror fiction of H. P. Lovecraft. It takes place in the 1920s in Oakmont, a fictional Massachusetts city that is not on any map and is difficult to reach. The protagonist is Charles W. Reed, a private investigator and World War I veteran who is plagued by terrifying visions. He travels to Oakmont to find the cause of these visions and becomes caught up in the mystery of why the city is flooding uncontrollably.
The game was first released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in June 2019. A Nintendo Switch version followed in September 2019, with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions arriving in February and April 2021, respectively. A Remastered edition came out in May 2025 for Windows, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. A sequel, *The Sinking City 2*, was released on August 18, 2026. The game was initially published under the Nacon label, but a dispute later arose between the two parties.
**Gameplay**
The game is an open-world detective title with a third-person camera. Its investigation system means that quest outcomes often depend on how carefully players examine clues and evidence. Oakmont is divided into seven districts—Advent, Coverside, Grimhaven Bay, Oldgrove, Reed Heights, Salvation Harbor, and The Shells—each flooded to different degrees. Players use a boat to navigate flooded streets and reach dry areas. Swimming is possible but dangerous, as the water is infested and can drain both health and sanity. Players gather tools and weapons to fight otherworldly creatures and dispel hallucinations. However, bullets are the main currency in Oakmont, which is isolated, short on resources, and experiencing social breakdown. Using too many bullets can leave players unable to trade for needed items. Sanity is another key resource, spent on investigative powers that reconstruct crime scenes and identify clues. It regenerates slowly on its own but can be restored faster with antipsychotic drugs. Disturbing scenes cause sudden sanity drops, distorting the player's perception, and total sanity loss is fatal.
**Synopsis**
**Setting**
Oakmont, Massachusetts, in the 1920s is a secluded city with a long history of occult practices. Many of its citizens are openly eccentric or practice occultism.
Quick Facts
- Title
- The Sinking City
- Developer
- Frogwares
- Producer
- Jimmy Kalhart · Pierre Eveno · Emilie Ramaget · David Dauvilliers
- Composer
- Viacheslav Pakalin · Kevin MacLeod · Sergey Sedlyar
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4 / Unreal Engine 5 (Remastered)
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows · Nintendo Switch · PlayStation 4 · PlayStation 5 · Xbox One · Xbox Series X/S
- Genre
- Action-adventure, survival horror
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Sinking City takes place in Oakmont, Massachusetts, a secluded city not marked on any map, with a long history of occultism. Six months before the game, a supernatural flood submerged many streets, bringing otherworldly monsters called Wylebeasts and driving citizens toward madness. The player navigates seven districts—Advent, Coverside, Grimhaven Bay, Oldgrove, Reed Heights, Salvation Harbor, and The Shells—using a boat to traverse flooded areas, as swimming risks fatal health and sanity damage. Bullets replace money as currency due to dwindling resources, and sanity is a resource spent on investigative powers, regenerating slowly or replenished with antipsychotic drugs. Disturbing scenes cause sudden sanity drops, and complete loss of sanity is fatal.
Reader's Guide
The Sinking City is significant for its investigation system, where quest outcomes depend on player observation of clues and evidence. The game's open world was procedurally generated using Unreal Engine 4, inspired by Assassin's Creed's city generation techniques, with blocks assembled from early 20th century New England architecture to give each district a distinct atmosphere. The plot involves multiple factions, including the Esoteric Order of Dagon, the Redemption Church, and the Yellow Kings, and offers three endings: unleashing Cthylla, committing suicide to delay the prophecy, or fleeing to Boston with the Seal of Cthygonnaar. The game was initially released under the Nacon label before a dispute between the parties. A sequel, The Sinking City 2, was released August 18, 2026.
Did You Know?
- The game's protagonist, Charles W. Reed, is a former U.S. Navy diver and World War I veteran.
- Bullets serve as the preferred currency in Oakmont due to dwindling resources and deteriorating social order.
- The city of Oakmont was procedurally generated using techniques from Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed series.
- A Remastered version of the game released in May 2025 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Sinking City?
The Sinking City is a 2019 action-adventure title created by Frogwares that blends detective investigation with cosmic horror inspired by H. P. Lovecraft's writings. Players explore a perpetually flooding 1920s Massachusetts town while uncovering its dark secrets.
Who is the main character in The Sinking City?
You take on the role of Charles W. Reed, a private investigator and WWI veteran haunted by disturbing visions. He arrives in the isolated city of Oakmont to track down the source of those visions and stumbles into a larger mystery about why the town is drowning.
What platforms can I play The Sinking City on?
The game launched in June 2019 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, with a Nintendo Switch port following in September 2019. It later came to PlayStation 5 in February 2021 and Xbox Series X/S in April 2021.
What is the central mystery in The Sinking City?
The fictional city of Oakmont is sinking into the water with no clear explanation, and no one can account for the cause. Reed must piece together clues from witnesses, documents, and the environment while battling his own deteriorating mental state.
How does The Sinking City differ from typical point-and-click adventure games?
Rather than a fixed sequence of puzzles, the game offers a sprawling open-world investigation where you can approach cases in any order you like. It also incorporates real-time action elements and a Sanity system that warps your perception as your character's mental state declines.
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