The Delightfully Oddball Crank-Powered Playdate Is Getting Another Season of Games

Two years ago, the world got the hand-cranked portable gaming device it didn’t know it needed. Now the quirky Playdate handheld console is getting a fresh batch of games.

In a video announcement on Thursday, Playdate developer Panic said that season 2, comprising about a dozen games, is coming in 2025. Also in the works is a “really cool surprise thing,” according to Christa Mrgan, who makes videos and podcasts at Panic and who hosted the announcement video. 

When the Playdate console debuted in 2022, one of the draws for buyers was a season of games that rolled out every week and were free to keep. That first season included 24 games. 

CNET reviewer Scott Stein called the Playdate his favorite gadget of 2022. “It’s immersive in its own small, inviting way,” he wrote at the time. “Everything about the Playdate’s design feels like part of the experience. In a sense, every game made for it feels like a piece of its crank-enabled charm.”

Mrgan didn’t say in the video whether season 2 will be free for Playdate owners and noted that details on the season are still being worked out. Panic didn’t immediately respond to a request for additional comment.

These are some of the games that will be included in season 2:

• Owlet’s Embrace, a side-scrolling adventure featuring a cute owl who’s afraid to fly.
• Comet, a puzzle adventure about Stella, a girl searching through the dark for her brother.
• Office Chair Curling, which looks to be a very funny game with “breathtaking realism” about throwing office chairs around.
• Bwirds, a vocabulary game in which you help writers create words from letters attached to birds.
• Devils on the Moon Pinball, an occult-themed pinball game from the creators of Pullfrog Deluxe.

Bwirds is scheduled for release on Nov. 26 for those who don’t want to wait for the season to drop.

In the video, the company also said the $199 console will be back in stock in December and that pizza box covers are available for it. They cost $29. The company also announced a two-week catalog sale that ends on Nov. 14. The Playdate now has more than 200 games available.

On a less positive note, Panic has paused development of an eye-catching Bluetooth stereo dock that it says it has had difficulty producing.