The release date for "Frostpunk 2" has finally been set. It's going to be pretty cold this summer, so make sure you've got your swimsuit and your cold weather gear ready.

A new trailer released today at the Xbox Showcase not only announces the release date, but also gives us a glimpse of the amazingly huge frozen city we'll be managing, some of the factions vying for power, and sends a giant ice-shaving machine into the frozen tundra called The film also showed how the city is expanding into new areas through "frost breaking," a process that sends giant ice-cutting machines into the frozen tundra. See:

Those who can't wait until July 25 to play Frostpunk 2 have a few options if they don't mind spending their money before the game is released. Remember the trend last year of giving players who pre-ordered games access a few days early: this was the case with Starfield, Modern Warfare 3, Hogwart's Legacy, etc.

Frostpunk 2 takes a slightly different approach. Pre-orders give you access to a seven-day Frostpunk 2 beta in April, three months before the full game is released. This beta allows players to try out the sandbox mode instead of the campaign.

On the other hand, if you pre-order the deluxe edition of Frostpunk 2, you will be able to play the sandbox beta and the Frostpunk 2 story mode for one week in April, three days before the game is released. This version will also get three pieces of DLC (the contents of which and when they will be available are yet to be determined), a digital art book, a novel related to the game's story, and a soundtrack.

Frostpunk 2 takes place decades after the original, when oil, not coal, is literally the new boom. Phil saw the sandbox mode in October and was impressed by the complex clash of factions in the game.