Hello Neighbor 2 Heading to PlayStation

Hello Neighbor is a survival-horror stealth game released in 2017. Developed by Dynamic Pixels and published by tinyBuild, the game dives into the world of a curious kid investigating the suspicious behavior of his creepy next-door neighbor. You sneak around your neighbor's home while solving puzzles, avoiding traps, and staying out of sight. The ultimate goal of the game is to find out what the scary man kept hidden in his basement.

Hello Neighbor was originally released for PC and Xbox One but would eventually come to the Switch and PlayStation 4. Now, the game's sequel, Hello Neighbor 2, is officially on its way, and the beta version is coming to PlayStation 4 and 5 on April 7, 2022.

Getting To Know the Series

The Hello Neighbor games represent the classic convergence of the stealth and horror genres. The two styles go in hand-in-hand; when you're on your toes, quietly creeping around, you're going to be that much more vulnerable to the jump scares and spooky elements of the game. Hello Neighbor is also played through an immersive, first-person perspective, which enhances the genuine nerve-racking feeling you get while sneaking around a shadowy, creaking house.

One thing that makes the Hello Neighbor games unique is the intuitive AI. For example, your creepy neighbor in the original game learns from your actions each time you sneak into his house. He notices what routes and methods you use to break in, then he sets up traps on those routes to prevent you from using them next time. This neural network AI system adds an extra layer of difficulty to the gameplay, and it will once again be present in the sequel.

After the popularity of the original game, Hello Neighbor spawned a franchise. Since the first release, the Russian developers at Dynamic Pixels have come out with a prequel game, two multiplayer spinoffs, and soon, the long-awaited sequel. The main games in the series are single-player and divided into multiple acts.

New Game, New Adventure

Whereas in Hello Neighbor 1, the plot and gameplay were confined to your home and your neighbor's home, Hello Neighbor 2 expands on that significantly. In the sequel, you're no longer playing as neighborhood kid Nicky Roth. Instead, you take on the role of Quentin, a reporter who's investigating a series of local missing persons cases (including that of Nicky Roth). To get to the bottom of these odd, unfortunate happenings, you'll need to explore the open-world community of Raven Brooks.

In Hello Neighbor 2, you'll get to experience far more of the game's universe than you ever have before. You'll meet a wide variety of new characters, many of whom will have their own secrets for you to uncover. Very quickly, you'll discover that the creepy neighbor from the first game is far from the only suspicious person living in Raven Brooks.

Freedom To Explore

In this upcoming sequel, you'll have much more freedom to explore. In many ways, you get to create your own adventure and determine the direction of your investigation. As you wander around town, though, keep in mind that many of these new characters won't appreciate you sticking your nose in their business. It's still a stealth game, so be prepared to get creative with how you uncover information and dig into new mysteries. As you'll soon discover, quite a few dark secrets are lurking under the surface of Raven Brooks, and it's up to you to excavate them!

Getting Your Hands on the Beta

Although the full version of Hello Neighbor 2 has been officially announced, there isn't a confirmed release date as of yet. However, if you put in your pre-order now, you'll gain immediate access to the beta version when it's released on April 7. By signing up, you can be one of the very first players to explore the mysterious neighborhood of Raven Brooks and meet the huge cast of new characters. It's sure to offer plenty of creepy, heart-pounding fun, so what are you waiting for?