Quick TakeArticle at a glance
- Control Resonant is out now on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, and it's already better than it was at midnight.
- Pacific on September 18, 2026, six days before the wide launch, and the scores held up.
- Control Resonant's world and combat draw consistent praise, but several critics, including RPG Site , single out its narrative as thinner than the original 2019 game's — largely because Control already answered most of its own mysteries, leaving less for a sequel to reveal.
Last updated: September 25, 2026.
Control Resonant is out now on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, and it’s already better than it was at midnight. Remedy’s sequel launched September 24, 2026 to an 84 Metacritic average and 86% positive Steam reviews, then Remedy quietly patched its biggest combat complaint with a same-day hotfix before most players had finished the prologue.
What Critics Are Saying
Control Resonant’s review embargo lifted at 6 a.m. Pacific on September 18, 2026, six days before the wide launch, and the scores held up. Metacritic lists an 84 average on PS5 from 63 reviews and 83 on PC from 34 reviews, with 86% of critics recommending it. On Steam, 86% of the game’s 668 user reviews are positive as of launch day.
The story is the one place reviewers split. Control Resonant’s world and combat draw consistent praise, but several critics, including RPG Site, single out its narrative as thinner than the original 2019 game’s — largely because Control already answered most of its own mysteries, leaving less for a sequel to reveal. Nobody is calling it a bad story. They’re calling it a smaller one.
A New Hero: Dylan Faden Takes Over From Jesse
Resonant hands the controller to Dylan Faden, Jesse’s brother, seven years after the events of the first game. Dylan wakes from a coma carrying a shape-shifting weapon called the Aberrant, wielded by Jesse to revive him — and then Jesse disappears. While Dylan is recaptured and put to work by FBC operative Zoe de Vera, the Hiss breaks out of the Oldest House and floods into Manhattan, twisting the city into fractured, Inception-style geometry through a new phenomenon the game calls Patterning.
The bigger change is how Dylan fights. Jesse’s Control was a gunplay-and-telekinesis power fantasy; Dylan’s Aberrant weapon is built around melee — Remedy’s own pitch is “slice and dice” rather than aim and shoot. It’s a real departure for the series, and it’s the thing the day-one patch spent most of its effort adjusting.
The Day-One Hotfix: What Changed in Version 1.3.3
Remedy pushed Hotfix 1.3.3 (build 1.300.300 on PS5) live at launch across every platform, directly addressing the early-combat pacing that reviewers flagged during the embargo week. Here’s what it changed:
| Change | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Enemy health & Falter (stun) thresholds | Reduced for most enemies, plus the Dancer and Deserter bosses |
| Dylan’s Aberrant & Ability Strength ceiling | Raised, scaling more heavily in the later part of the upgrade curve |
| Stat respec cost | Permanently reduced |
| Reset Items | Vendors stock more; defeating the Artist boss now drops two instead of one |
In plain terms: the game you play today kills enemies faster and lets you fix a bad build cheaper than the game reviewers played during embargo week. If an early review mentioned sluggish fights, that’s the exact complaint this patch targets.
Do You Need to Play Control First?
Not strictly, and less than ever now. Resonant is set seven years after the original Control, and reviewers note the first game already resolved most of its own central mysteries — the connective tissue is Jesse and the Oldest House, not a cliffhanger you’re missing. New players can follow Dylan’s story on its own; returning players get the bigger payoff from recognizing how much has changed since Jesse’s arrival at the FBC.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Control Resonant a direct sequel to Control?
Yes. It’s set seven years after the 2019 original and follows Dylan Faden, Jesse Faden’s brother, as a new playable protagonist while Jesse herself is largely absent from the main story.
What platforms is Control Resonant on?
PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, released worldwide on September 24, 2026. Deluxe Edition buyers got 48 hours of early access.
What did the Control Resonant day-one hotfix change?
Hotfix 1.3.3 reduced enemy health and stun thresholds for most enemies and two bosses, raised the ceiling on Dylan’s upgrade stats, cut the cost to respec, and increased how many Reset Items are available from vendors and bosses.
Do I need to play the original Control before Resonant?
No. The story is written to stand on its own, and reviewers note the first game already answered most of its central mysteries, so there’s little a newcomer is missing.
What is Control Resonant’s Metacritic score?
84 on PS5 (63 reviews) and 83 on PC (34 reviews) at launch, with 86% of critics recommending it, according to Metacritic.
Read next: our original Control Resonant ‘Altered State’ trailer breakdown, and how another September 2026 horror-adjacent launch fared in our Silent Hill: Townfall review roundup.
