'Monster Train' sequel announced, with surprise demo out now

A Monster Train sequel has just been announced, promising more of the incredibly popular, highly addictive roguelike deckbuilder. What's more, there's already a surprise PC demo that players can check out right now for free. It's a good thing we're headed toward the end of the week, because a lot of people's productivity is about to take a massive hit.

Developed by indie studio Shiny Shoe, 2020's Monster Train had players ride a locomotive through Hell, defending the Pyre on board from the armies of Heaven. Choosing from five clans featuring different abilities, players had to fend off the forces of Heaven across the train's three vertical levels, building a new deck of cards on each run to reignite the fires of Hell.

Monster Train 2 will now have players going full steam ahead in the opposite direction, rushing flat out through Heaven. Instead of reigniting the fires of Hell, this time players are out to stop the powerful Titans from destroying the world, heading toward their homeworld of the Abyss. To do so, Heaven and Hell have formed an incredibly unlikely alliance — and opened up exciting new gameplay possibilities.

In addition to new enemies, Monster Train 2 will feature new playable clans, both new and familiar cards, and even new card types. For example, Room Cards will boost a floor on your train, while Equipment Cards will power up individual units. Players can even customise their trains for different buffs, and there will be an endless mode for anyone who doesn't want the ride to end.

The Monster Train sequel isn't the only good news for people who appreciate fantastic video games. The original Monster Train is also a massive 90 percent off on Steam, putting it at just $2.49 — the lowest the game has ever been. Considering the hours of fun and strategic gameplay this game provides, it's pretty much a no-brainer. You can also pick up the Last Divinity DLC for just $1.79, which adds the Wurmkin clan to the game.

I have no idea how many hours I've already sunk into Monster Train on Xbox, but I'm absolutely ready to do it all over again on PC.

Monster Train 2 is scheduled to arrive "soon" on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Between this and Slay the Spire 2, 2025 is already shaping up to be an excellent year for card-based roguelike games.