‘Pathologic 3’ rewinds plague crisis

Pathologic 3 delivers a psychological horror story that revisits the series’ plague-stricken town and core themes through a non-linear structure. The game releases today (9 January 2026).

With twelve days to save the settlement from a deadly outbreak, players can rewind time to revisit key moments and attempt alternative choices. Mental state is a factor, influencing perception and behaviour, with apathy or mania potentially opening new paths or leading to failure.

The new entry features the protagonist from the original game, Daniil Dankovsky, and reframes earlier events through his perspective as a physician and researcher. By combining time reversal and branching outcomes, the game expands on the series’ ideas while aiming to be accessible for new players and offer new interpretation for returning ones.

Dankovsky’s work on the nature of death leads him to a remote town in the eastern steppe in search of a man believed to be immortal. His arrival coincides with the outbreak of a lethal contagion, and the man he sought is already dead. Having failed to prevent the disaster, Dankovsky is forced to return to the beginning of events in an effort to correct his mistakes and change the town’s fate.

Time plays a central role, with every minute affecting the outcome. Players can examine patients face to face, make diagnoses, and distinguish between truth and deception, as each case presents its own medical and narrative challenges. Progress depends on careful observation and the gradual development of a vaccine that could halt the spread of the disease.

Beyond individual treatment, players are responsible for managing the wider survival of the town. This includes imposing quarantines, distributing or confiscating scarce medicine, enforcing curfews, deploying patrols, suppressing unrest, and deciding how authority is exercised. These decisions have lasting consequences, shaping how the town responds and how its inhabitants view the player’s actions.

Pathologic 3 presents a narrative driven by moral dilemmas, limited time, and psychological pressure, placing players in control of both medical decisions and the social order of a town on the brink of collapse.

Where to play Pathologic 3?

Pathologic 3 is available to play on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC via Steam.

* Visit the ‘Pathologic 3’ website here.