Publisher HypeTrain Digital and developer Ice-Pick Lodge have announced survival horror sequel Pathologic 3 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC (Steam). It will launch in 2025.
Pathologic 3 will expand on the series’ original concepts, introduce a new time-travel gameplay mechanic, and offers a new perspective on a familiar story for both veteran players and newcomers alike.
“We are making a game about how a person develops their mind to learn how to work with things they previously couldn’t or didn’t know how to notice,” said Ice-Pick Lodge’s Nikolay Dybowski in a press release. “Our goal is to understand what this means for the player.”
Here is an overview of the game, via HypeTrain Digital:
About
In Pathologic 3, players once again find themselves in a small, remote town gripped by a mysterious and deadly disease. This time, however, they will step into the shoes of The Bachelor, a city doctor renowned for his relentless fight against death. Invited to the town by the now-deceased Isidor Burakh, The Bachelor must navigate the unraveling mystery, striving not only to save the town but also to conquer death itself.
For the first time in the Pathologic series, Pathologic 3 introduces a new time-travel mechanic that allows players to revisit key events and alter them to their advantage. While the player still has only 12 days to save the town, this innovative mechanic grants them the freedom to explore and influence events in ways that reshape the unfolding narrative.
Key Features
- Step Into the Role of The Bachelor – A city doctor famous for his fight against death itself, tasked with unraveling a web of dark secrets while battling a relentless plague.
- Doctor, Do No Harm – Immerse yourself in the role of a physician. Diagnose and treat patients based on examinations. Use a microscope and research pathogens to develop treatments and save your patients. Fight the epidemic by implementing quarantines and deploying patrols to lock down the spread of disease.
- Master Time Travel – Manipulate time to change events and unlock new outcomes.
- A Dark, Surreal World – Explore a decaying town on the brink of collapse, where every choice carries weight, and trust is a luxury you can’t afford.
- Haunting Atmosphere – Experience the chilling, immersive world that made Pathologic a cult hit, enhanced with new layers of narrative complexity and eerie, unsettling visuals.
“Right now, the most pressing issue for me seems to be rethinking our habitual understanding of how our mind works—how to use it without getting into trouble or losing ourselves,” Dybowski said. “That’s why I want to create gameplay that touches on this theme. The Bachelor sees himself as a man of intellect.”
Dybowski also discussed the new time-travel mechanic.
“We can describe the concept of this mechanic as surrealist time management,” Dybowski said. “Our goal is to give the player a sense that time is more complex than we typically perceive it—as a linear path. We want to show the player the possibility of existing in a world that is disassembled and functions in a way quite different from what we’re used to expecting.”
Watch the announcement trailer below. View the first screenshots at the gallery.
