The Monster Train 2 roadmap is revealed as new deckbuilder hits half a million

As excited as I am for Slay the Spire 2 dev Mega Crit to show us what it's been cooking for the sequel, I'm happy to let them stay in the kitchen a while longer. Monster Train 2, the follow up to my favorite of its deckbuilding roguelike rivals, pulled into the station in May, and it's an absolute blast. Developer Shiny Shoe has built on everything that made the original click to deliver a fantastic successor that I'll be playing for a long time to come. Now, as it celebrates crossing an impressive half-million player milestone, Shiny Shoe lays out a Monster Train 2 roadmap packed with free updates and an eventual expansion.

Monster Train 2 is a sequel that had me salivating from its first reveal. Outside of Balatro, which is a more distinct departure from the Slay the Spire format, the first Monster Train is my pick of the best card games in recent years, and MT2 succeeds in just the same ways. Its format, which has you placing down units across floors of your titular vehicle to defend the Pyre Heart that powers it forth, is at once flavorful and strategically satisfying. Its deckbuilding elements are a little more counterplay-focused than other entrants on our best roguelikes list, as you figure out the best strategy to deal with the upcoming foe.

So far the response to Monster Train 2 has been magnificent. Shiny Shoe confirms that the new installment has already reached an impressive 500,000 players; while its availability via PC Game Pass will certainly have helped there, that's nevertheless quite the achievement. On top of that, Monster Train 2 Steam reviews sit at 95%, earning it the coveted 'overwhelmingly positive' rating.

"When Shiny Shoe set out to make Monster Train years and years ago, no one thought it would take off the way the game did, let alone that the team would one day be able to launch this sequel," a new post to the game's Steam page reads. "To celebrate this milestone, we're so proud to announce our content roadmap outlining the future of Monster Train 2." The lineup, which you can see below, currently includes three major, free updates, followed by a DLC expansion.

The first update, Lost Arsenal, will come in the third quarter of 2025, delivering new cards across every clan, along with new clanless equipment and room cards, and some rebalancing for legacy cards to make them better suit the flow of Monster Train 2. The second, set for the fourth quarter, will see "new threats emerge from the Void," resulting in fresh boss fights, additional challenges and mutators, more artifacts to expand your strategic possibilities, and some extra cosmetics for the train.

The third free update is planned for early 2026, and "will center around a special surprise that has been in high demand since Monster Train 2's launch." It'll arrive alongside a paid expansion, which includes an all-new clan and an additional game mode "to sink dozens of hours into." You can expect even more there, of course, but we'll have to wait until closer to the time for the full details. I'm already excited.

Monster Train 2 is 10% off in the Steam Summer Sale, so you'll pay $22.49 / £18.89 if you buy it by Thursday July 10. It's also available via the Xbox App as part of Microsoft's game library for PC Game Pass subscribers. Head here if you've got what it takes to wrest Heaven back from the Titans.

Alternatively, take a look through our pick of the best indie games in 2025 to make sure you aren't missing any hidden gems. With so much clicking on the go, you might even fancy treating yourself to the best gaming mouse, and we've got the ideal recommendations to suit your needs.

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