tinyBuild and Lithuanian developer Lazy Bear Games revealed a September 22, 2026 release date for Graveyard Keeper 2 during the Future Games Show at gamescom 2026. The sequel keeps the original's darkly comic cemetery-management formula while adding a larger town, automated production, and an undead workforce that can be sent into battle. 
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Release date, platforms, and price
Graveyard Keeper 2 is scheduled to launch on September 22, 2026. The announced platforms are:
- PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG
- PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4
- Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One
- Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 27
The standard listed price is $24.99. Steam's current 20% pre-purchase promotion reduces that price to $19.99, with the offer scheduled to end on launch day. 2
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Preordering also includes an exclusive character outfit and a sauna that can be placed outside the player's house. 7
Some regional listings have displayed a September 23 date, but the Steam listing and multiple reports of the Future Games Show announcement identify September 22 as the release date. 
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What is new in Graveyard Keeper 2?
The sequel is not abandoning the original's core loop. Players still manage a medieval cemetery, gather resources, craft upgrades, trade, fish, and deal with the series' deliberately grotesque humor. The difference is scale: the graveyard now sits within a broader world that gives the management systems more room to interact.
Restore an undead-overrun town
Players will explore a town overrun by undead, help restore it, and travel between locations using a city map. That creates a larger operational space beyond the cemetery itself, linking town restoration to the player's broader management objectives. 2
Turn remains into production resources
The sequel continues the series' macabre approach to resource management. Players can harvest flora and process human remains—including bones, brains, hearts, and skin—while building machinery to turn those materials into useful products. 2
Automate the graveyard business
Machinery and automation are central additions. Instead of handling every task manually, players can develop systems that automate production and parts of graveyard labor, helping the cemetery operate more efficiently and generate profit. 2
Build and command an undead workforce
The most dramatic expansion is the ability to raise and command undead workers and soldiers. The management game now includes organizing an undead army, fighting other undead, and defending the realm against a zombie apocalypse. 2
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That change gives Graveyard Keeper 2 a clearer strategic layer: the dead are no longer only something to process or bury. They can also become labor, infrastructure, and a force for combat.
How the sequel builds on the original
The first Graveyard Keeper established its identity by combining a farming-sim-style progression loop with cemetery administration and deliberately dark comedy. The sequel preserves that foundation rather than replacing it with a conventional action game.
The new systems appear designed to widen the original formula in three directions:
- More space: a town and city map extend the game beyond the cemetery.
- More scale: machinery and automation reduce repetitive work and support larger production chains.
- More danger: undead forces and zombie conflicts make the player's management decisions matter beyond profitability.
The result is still a cemetery-management simulation, but one with a stronger town-building and defensive strategy component. 2
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Why the launch timing matters
A September 22 release places Graveyard Keeper 2 about five weeks before Halloween. Its subject matter—cemeteries, corpses, zombies, and macabre comedy—naturally fits the period when horror-themed games and seasonal entertainment receive greater attention.
That timing creates an obvious seasonal opportunity, although the available announcement material does not state that Halloween influenced the release schedule. The connection is therefore an inference from the date and the game's theme, not a confirmed company strategy.
The original game's renewed momentum
The sequel also arrives after a substantial promotional push for the original. In April 2026, tinyBuild temporarily made Graveyard Keeper free on PC and consoles around the sequel's earlier announcement. Reporting on the campaign said it generated nearly $250,000 in Steam DLC revenue, while Steam activity rose to more than 46,000 concurrent players. 
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The reported sales history behind the series is significant, too: Nintendo Life described the original as having sold more than four million units. Because that figure is presented through secondary reporting rather than a directly supplied publisher sales statement, it is best treated as a reported figure rather than independently verified here. 
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The April giveaway appears to have served two purposes: reintroducing the original to new players and putting Graveyard Keeper 2 in front of a much larger audience. The available reports connect the promotion with increased sequel wishlists, but the precise wishlist total varies across reports, so no single figure should be treated as definitive. 18
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The practical takeaway
For returning players, Graveyard Keeper 2 preserves the original's irreverent cemetery-management identity while adding a much broader progression loop. The key upgrade is not simply a new setting: it is the ability to connect resource harvesting, machinery, automated labor, town restoration, and undead combat within one management system.
The game is scheduled for September 22, 2026, across PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo platforms. At $24.99, with a temporary Steam price of $19.99 and preorder bonuses such as the sauna and exclusive outfit, it is positioned as a relatively compact management sequel with a significantly larger strategic footprint. 278
