Control (Ultimate Edition)

Control Resonant releases on 24 September 2026, and Remedy has spent the year quietly reassuring fans that the sequel is bigger, more open, and deeper than the 2019 original. Preview footage shows the same telekinetic combat, the same brutalist Federal Bureau of Control aesthetic, and Jesse Faden back with new abilities. If the wait to that release date is unbearable, or if you finished the first Control years ago and want something in the same register, these seven Control Resonant alternatives are the closest matches on desktop in 2026.

Quick comparison

Game Best for Free plan Starting price Standout feature
Control (Ultimate Edition) The obvious replay None 39.99 USD Both DLC expansions bundled with the base game
Alan Wake 2 Same universe, latest lore None 49.99 USD The other half of the Remedy Connected Universe
The Medium Dual-reality horror puzzles Demo 49.99 USD Two worlds displayed side by side in real time
Quantum Break Time-bending third-person shooter None 29.99 USD Live-action episodes between missions
Prey (2017) Immersive sim with alien powers Demo 29.99 USD Full-station sandbox with Mimic ability
Returnal Roguelike bullet-hell action None 59.99 USD Deep third-person action-roguelike loop
Layers of Fear (2023) Psychological horror trilogy Demo 29.99 USD Three interconnected stories, Unreal Engine 5

Why people leave Control (or wait for Resonant)

Three complaints show up across r/ControlGame and the Remedy fan subs.

The map is a maze. The Oldest House’s Metroidvania layout is loved by some and hated by many, especially anyone who put the game down for a week and lost their bearings. Returnal and Prey have cleaner spatial memory. Alan Wake 2 forces linear chapters that never let you get lost.

Photo mode and DLSS took a year to arrive. The launch build ran poorly for what the game was, and modern quality-of-life features landed slowly. Every game on this list ships those features from day one.

Story sits behind hundreds of collectibles. Control tells most of its plot through Bureau memos and audio logs. Players who bounce off environmental storytelling walk away thinking the plot is thinner than it is. Alan Wake 2 and Quantum Break front-load their stories.

The alternatives

Control (Ultimate Edition)

Control (Ultimate Edition) is the obvious first stop. Full base game plus the Foundation and AWE expansions bundled, and AWE is the one that explicitly connects Control to Alan Wake. If you played Control at launch and skipped the DLC, this is the cleanest run-up to Resonant.

Where it falls short: You played it already if you are here. The DLC bosses are among the toughest in the game and can gate progress for anyone who did not build for damage.

Pricing:

Migrating from Control: Saves do not carry into DLC bosses cleanly if you replay; start a fresh run for the story arc.

Download: Steam | Epic Games Store

Bottom line: The obligatory prep for Resonant. Skip only if you finished all DLC in the last year.

Alan Wake 2

Alan Wake 2 is Remedy’s other 2020s masterpiece and the other half of the shared universe Control belongs to. Two protagonists, dual timelines, and a survival horror pace that is much slower than Control’s combat rush. Anyone playing Control Resonant should have already met Saga Anderson and revisited Alan by then, because the Bureau’s fingerprints are all over Alan Wake 2’s story.

Where it falls short: Epic Games Store exclusive on PC. No Steam release, no plans announced. Runs demanding on modern hardware; mid-range GPUs from three years ago struggle at 4K.

Pricing:

Migrating from Control: No save carryover. AWE DLC’s ending sets up Alan Wake 2 lore, so play AWE first.

Download: Epic Games Store

Bottom line: The one Remedy game everyone should play before Resonant lands. Skip only if you refuse to touch Epic.

The Medium

The Medium is Bloober Team’s take on the paranormal, and it takes the dual-reality idea seriously. The screen literally splits into two worlds, one physical and one spirit, and you solve puzzles by acting in both simultaneously. It is not action-heavy the way Control is, but it hits the same “reality is unstable” chord.

Where it falls short: Combat is minimal, fixed camera angles from the survival-horror era, no free camera. Some players find the split-screen visually taxing.

Pricing:

Migrating from Control: Completely different combat and traversal. Play it for the atmosphere, not the mechanics.

Download: Steam

Bottom line: The right pick if you loved Control’s paranormal side more than its combat. Skip if you want gunplay.

Quantum Break

Quantum Break is Remedy’s 2016 attempt at fusing a third-person shooter with a live-action TV show. Time-freeze abilities, cover-based shooting, and 20-minute cinematic episodes between missions. It is dated in places, but the DNA that became Control is obvious throughout.

Where it falls short: The live-action episodes are optional and some players skip them entirely. Faces and lipsync are rough by modern standards. Combat is stiffer than Control’s.

Pricing:

Migrating from Control: No shared save. Different studio moment; Control refines what Quantum Break started.

Download: Steam

Bottom line: The right pick if you want to trace Remedy’s arc. Skip if 2016 face tech is a dealbreaker.

Prey (2017)

Prey is Arkane Austin’s immersive sim about waking up on a space station overrun by shape-shifting aliens. The combat has the same “kit-based” feel as Control, where you pick up new abilities and rearrange your loadout mid-mission. Talos I is the closest thing to the Oldest House on this list, all corridors and secrets and audio logs.

Where it falls short: First-person camera, not third-person. Late-game difficulty spikes are punishing. Announcement of Arkane Austin’s closure means no future patches.

Pricing:

Migrating from Control: No mechanical overlap in combat controls, but the spatial and narrative rhythms are close.

Download: Steam

Bottom line: The right pick if the loot-and-lore side of Control is what you cared about. Skip if third-person is a hard requirement.

Returnal

Returnal is Housemarque’s third-person shooter-roguelike, and the combat has more in common with Control’s mid-air launch fights than anything else on this list. Bullet-hell attack patterns, aggressive dodges, and abilities you rebuild every run. When Control feels floaty, Returnal feels tight.

Where it falls short: Roguelike structure means losing progress. PC port shipped rough and some issues never got patched. No fixed narrative pacing.

Pricing:

Migrating from Control: No shared save. Control fans who liked launch-and-slam combat will find its purer form here.

Download: Steam

Bottom line: The right pick if you played Control for the combat, not the story. Skip if losing runs makes you rage-quit.

Layers of Fear (2023)

Layers of Fear (2023) is Bloober Team’s Unreal Engine 5 rebuild of the original Layers of Fear, Layers of Fear 2, and a new story called The Writer. Three connected psychological horror experiences that share Control’s love of impossible spaces and unreliable environments. If Ashtray Maze was your favorite hour of Control, this is your next stop.

Where it falls short: No combat, entirely narrative and puzzle driven. Some scares repeat. Frame pacing on high-refresh displays can stutter.

Pricing:

Migrating from Control: No systemic overlap. Play for the environmental horror, not the combat.

Download: Steam

Bottom line: The right pick if you loved Control’s reality-warping set pieces. Skip if a game with no gunplay does not count.

How to choose

Pick Control (Ultimate Edition) if you have not played AWE yet. It is essential prep for Resonant, and cheaper on sale than dinner out.

Pick Alan Wake 2 if you play everything Remedy puts out and can live with Epic being the only PC storefront.

Pick Prey (2017) for the deepest systemic overlap with Control’s loot, lore, and space design, at any budget.

Pick Returnal if Control’s combat was the whole reason you played.

Stay on Control on repeat if you want the Oldest House itself and nothing else will do.

FAQ

When does Control Resonant release?

Remedy has scheduled Control Resonant for 24 September 2026 on PC and current-gen consoles. PC availability is expected on both Steam and Epic based on the first game’s release pattern.

Do I need to play the first Control before Resonant?

Yes, strongly recommended. Resonant continues Jesse Faden’s story directly, and the AWE DLC ending sets up plot threads the sequel is expected to pick up.

What is the closest game to Control on PC right now?

Alan Wake 2 for story and shared universe, Returnal for combat feel, Prey (2017) for the systemic exploration and audio-log storytelling.

Are there Control alternatives on Mac?

The original Control was released on Mac later in its life; check the Steam store page for current Mac availability. Most of the other titles here are Windows-first. Prey has an unofficial Mac path via cloud gaming; Alan Wake 2 does not run on Mac at all.

Is Alan Wake 2 available on Steam?

Not yet. It is an Epic Games Store PC exclusive under the deal with Epic Games Publishing. Remedy has said a Steam release is not currently planned.