An Xbox Series X|S Optimized version of The Sinking City is now available after surprise launch

The Sinking City Xbox Series X S Hero Image
The Sinking City Xbox Series X S Hero Image (Image credit: Frogwares)

What you need to know

  • The Sinking City is an excellent horror-esque narrative-heavy game that has been mired in unfortunate legal troubles.
  • Frogwares, the developer of the game, is surprise self-publishing an Xbox Series X|S version of The Sinking City today.
  • Available now, The Sinking City gets treated with 4K at 60 FPS gameplay, improved visuals, and faster loading times.
  • Unfortunately, the Xbox One version cannot get a free upgrade since Frogwares is not the publisher of that version.

Today, owners of the Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S can rejoice at the arrival of another fantastic Optimized title with The Sinking City. Developer and publisher Frogwares is surprise launching The Sinking City on Xbox Series X|S today with many wonderful enhancements and improvements. The narrative-driven investigative horror heads to Xbox Series X|S at up to 4K resolution at 60 FPS, with superior graphical fidelity and massively reduced load times thanks to the next-gen SSDs.

There's also a slick new release trailer for The Sinking City on Xbox Series X|S.

The base game can be purchased starting right now from Microsoft for $50, but players can shell out a little extra for The Sinking City Deluxe Edition, which includes additional quests as part of the Merciful Madness DLC (also available for purchase separately).

The Sinking City is a great game, but unfortunately, has been plagued with ongoing legal issues between The Sinking City's developer Frogwares and its original publisher Nacon. Because of this, the Xbox Series X|S version of The Sinking City is a separate and next-gen exclusive version of the game, and is not a free upgrade for the Xbox One edition of The Sinking City. Since that version was published by BigBen Interactive / Nacon, Frogwares is not able to update it.

From the Frogwares team:

Dear players, The Sinking City is out now on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. Some of you have been asking about a platform upgrade for the game from the last-gen versions, however this is sadly not possible at the moment. The Sinking City on previous and current generation of consoles have different IDs and different publishers on record. On Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, Frogwares is the developer and publisher of the title. So, due to the ongoing legal and technical situation, this game is currently not eligible for a platform upgrade. As the situation is being handled legally, it remains frozen for the time being on our side. Thank you for your understanding and ongoing support.

If you're a fan of The Sinking City or wanted to try it, and you have an Xbox Series X or S, consider picking up the Xbox Series X|S Optimized version of The Sinking City to experience it at its very best. If you're a fan of this genre of games, The Sinking City may be one of the best games on Xbox.

CATEGORIES
Zachary Boddy
Staff Writer

Zachary Boddy (They / Them) is a Staff Writer for Windows Central, primarily focused on covering the latest news in tech and gaming, the best Xbox and PC games, and the most interesting Windows and Xbox hardware. They have been gaming and writing for most of their life starting with the original Xbox, and started out as a freelancer for Windows Central and its sister sites in 2019. Now a full-fledged Staff Writer, Zachary has expanded from only writing about all things Minecraft to covering practically everything on which Windows Central is an expert, especially when it comes to Microsoft. You can find Zachary on Twitter @BoddyZachary.