PCGame

The Darkness II

First-person shooter with dual guns and shadow-powered demon arms

Digital Extremes · Published by 2K · Released Feb 9, 2012

Action

Reviews
Very Positive
91% of 8,834
Recent reviews
Very Positive
88% of 69 in 30 days
Players
27
daily peak, Nov 7, 2026
Steam Deck
Playable
Last update on Steam
Unknown
no patch notes on Steam
Minimum PC
HD 2600
1.5 GB RAM · 10 GB disk
Full requirements

Metacritic: 77/100 (critic reviews)

What is The Darkness II?

In this linear first-person shooter set in New York, you play crime boss Jackie Estacado as an attack by the Brotherhood draws out his suppressed supernatural power. You fire two guns while using demonic arms to slash, grab, and throw enemies and objects. Your powers depend on shadows, and enemies use light against you. There is also a four-player co-op campaign.

For you if...

  • +you like fast shooters that mix guns and supernatural attacks
  • +you enjoy linear crime stories with supernatural horror
  • +you want a cooperative campaign with distinct playable characters

Not for you if...

  • −you prefer open-ended exploration over a linear campaign
  • −you dislike graphic violence and horror themes
  • −you want supernatural powers that work regardless of lighting

What players say

91% of 8,834 reviews are positive · 88% of 69 in the last 30 days

Players praise the gunplay, demonic-arm combat, and comic-book art style. The most common complaint is progression-blocking bugs, particularly in a vent section; some players also criticize the writing.

Players over time

▲ +22% vs a month ago

Players online on Steam, one sample a day.

Highest since Sep 2026: 52 players on Nov 2, 2026.

Show the data
DayPlayers
Nov 7, 202627
Nov 6, 202631
Nov 5, 202627
Nov 4, 202629
Nov 3, 202638
Nov 2, 202652
Nov 1, 202648
Oct 31, 202638
Oct 30, 202649
Oct 29, 202634
Oct 28, 202641
Oct 27, 202620
Oct 27, 202644
Oct 26, 202636
Oct 25, 202649
Oct 24, 202645
Oct 23, 202642
Oct 22, 20260
Oct 21, 202636
Oct 20, 202636
Oct 19, 202626
Oct 18, 202628
Oct 17, 202634
Oct 16, 202621
Oct 15, 202619
Oct 14, 202625
Oct 13, 202636
Oct 12, 202631
Oct 11, 202625
Oct 10, 202626
Oct 9, 202630
Oct 8, 202630
Oct 7, 202627
Oct 6, 202630
Oct 5, 202638
Oct 4, 202646
Oct 3, 202630
Oct 2, 202624
Oct 1, 202629
Sep 30, 202622
Sep 29, 202624
Sep 28, 202642
Sep 27, 202626
Sep 26, 202625
Sep 25, 202624
Sep 24, 202639
Sep 23, 202624
Sep 23, 202639
Sep 22, 202634

How many players finish The Darkness II?

35% of Steam players have unlocked «Free the Mind», the achievement for finishing the main story.

Share of everyone who owns the game on Steam, including those who barely played it. Updated weekly.

Screenshots and trailer

The Darkness II screenshot 1

The Darkness II system requirements

Minimum: HD 2600, 1.5 GB RAM, 10 GB of disk space.

As published by the developer.

Can my PC run The Darkness II?

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Minimum

OS
Windows XP/Vista/7
Processor
Intel Core 2 @ 2GHz / AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+
Graphics
256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600 / ATI Radeon HD 2600
Memory
1.5GB RAM
Storage
10GB
Notes
Requires installation of Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable, DirectX and nVidia PhysX version 9.11.1107 (included with download)

Recommended

OS
Windows XP/Vista/7
Processor
2.4 GHz Quad Core processor
Graphics
512+ MB NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX
Memory
2GB RAM
Storage
10GB
Notes
Requires installation of Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable, DirectX and nVidia PhysX version 9.11.1107 (included with download)

Does The Darkness II have co-op or multiplayer?

Yes: co-op (mode not specified). It also has a single-player mode.

Does The Darkness II run on Steam Deck?

Playable Playable: it runs on Steam Deck with some adjustments.

  • Sometimes shows mouse, keyboard or non-Deck controller icons
  • All functionality is accessible with the default controller configuration
  • In-game text is legible on Steam Deck
  • Default graphics settings perform well on Steam Deck
  • External controllers are not supported for the primary player

PC version details

DRM
None declared on Steam
Controller
Keyboard and mouse
Platforms
Windows, macOS
Achievements
50
Steam features
Family Sharing
Age rating
17+
Languages
Full audio: English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish - Spain, Russian.

Does The Darkness II use AI-generated content?

No AI-generated content is disclosed on the game's Steam page.

Self-reported by the developer under Steam rules: it covers AI content that ships in the game, not tools used to make it. Steam page checked on Oct 27, 2026. How to filter AI games on Steam

Tags

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