The Long Dark has been updated with a performance patch recently to add 60 FPS support for the Xbox Series X/S consoles. This update was revealed amid significant confusion among players regarding the frame rate improvement. Fuzion Xbox Testing has since confirmed the occurrence of the performance update.
New Xbox Series X gameplay footage, available below, demonstrates the game running at a native 4K resolution. However, occasional frame drops in the 50-55 range have been observed. Conversely, the Xbox Series S version, which may operate at a resolution below 1080p, primarily maintains a consistent 60FPS.
The Long Dark is a first-person survival video game developed and published by Hinterland Studios. The player assumes the role of crash-landed bush pilot Will Mackenzie, who must survive the frigid Canadian wilderness after a geomagnetic storm. The game received seed financing from the Canada Media Fund, and additional funding was secured through a successful Kickstarter campaign in October 2013.
An alpha version was released through Steam Early Access in September 2014. The alpha version was later launched on the Xbox One as one of the first two launch titles associated with Microsoft’s Game Preview Program in June 2015. Early reviews of the alpha release were generally positive, and the game went on to sell around 750,000 copies by April 2016. It was officially released on all aforementioned platforms on August 1, 2017, as well as for PlayStation 4.
The Long Dark is a survival game set in the frigid Canadian wilderness, played from a first-person perspective. The developers describe the gameplay as a “survival simulation that accounts for body temperature, caloric intake, hunger/thirst, fatigue, wind-chill, wildlife, and a host of other environmental factors.” The Long Dark features three game modes: “Story mode,” “Survival mode,” and “Challenge mode.”