Developer and publisher Monomi Park has announced that its cozy critter-rearing sim Slime Rancher 2 is leaving Early Access this September, gaining new story content, new gameplay features, and more in the process.
Per a press release, Slime Rancher 2 will be exiting Early Access and hitting its 1.0 release on September 23rd. By the time it launches in full, it will have been in Early Access for three years.
When the 1.0 version arrives, Monomi Park says you can expect plenty of extras for the cute farming sim, first among them being new Labyrinth sections that you can explore in order to “solve the [game’s] ongoing mysteries and save the Far, Far Range”.
You’ll also be able to enjoy the new Quantum Drones, which can both “help automate your ranch” and “roam the island to find resources”, as well as more blueprints featuring “decor variants, gadgets, and upgrades”.
All in all, Monomi Park is calling 1.0 “the best and most complete version of the Slime Rancher 2 experience to date”, so if you’ve been holding off until the game is done, September is the date you’re going to want to aim for.
As well as announcing the 1.0 release, Monomi Park has also revealed physical versions of Slime Rancher 2 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, which will launch in January. They’ll sport artwork from Final Fantasy artist Yusuke Naora, as well as a fold-out poster.
You can check out a trailer for the Slime Rancher 2 release date, as well as a sneak preview of the artwork created by Naora for the physical releases of the game, right here.
If you’re not familiar with Slime Rancher 2, it is, as you’ve probably guessed, the sequel to the original Slime Rancher, which left its Early Access period all the way back in August 2017.
Less than a week after its Early Access launch, Slime Rancher 2 managed to pick up over 300,000 sales, and Monomi Park proudly says it did so with “zero crunch”, so hey, there’s another reason to grab the game if you haven’t already.
You can check out Slime Rancher 2 right now on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. The full version launches on September 23rd, and the special physical versions for console launch on January 14th.
