High on Life 2, the highly anticipated sequel from Squanch Games, has finally landed on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC, with a Nintendo Switch 2 release slated for April 2026. Released on February 13, 2026, this follow-up to 2022’s surprise sci-fi comedy hit brings back the zany, irreverent energy that made the original a cult favorite, while introducing a slew of new features, plenty of creative ideas, and—unfortunately—more than a few technical hiccups.
From the jump, High on Life 2 sets itself apart with its wild blend of first-person shooter action and skateboarding mechanics. According to Insider Gaming, the game boasts a hefty trophy and achievement list—32 PlayStation trophies (including a coveted Platinum) and 31 Xbox achievements—that encourage players to explore every nook and cranny of its bizarre universe. The challenges range from navigating intricate laser mazes and breaking vases (in a cheeky nod to the classic meme “All your base are belong to us”) to completing skatepark activities, racing through multiple hubs, and hunting down collectibles. Some trophies, like “Romanced All 34 Erotic Worm Monsters,” even require over 100 hours of dedication, rewarding only the most persistent players.
But what really makes High on Life 2 stand out isn’t just its laundry list of achievements—it’s the game’s willingness to break the fourth wall and react to players in unexpected ways. As Kotaku recounts, during a tense narrative moment, the player tries to shoot the story’s villain, only for their talking alien gun companion to intervene repeatedly, warning them before finally relenting. “If I really wanted to interrupt this scripted moment and shoot the bad guy in the face, it would let me do that. And so I pulled that trigger again, and the game reacted, and I laughed,” the reviewer notes. This kind of meta, player-responsive humor is woven throughout the experience, rewarding curiosity and experimentation.
The story picks up five years after the events of the first game, with the nameless bounty hunter now a galactic celebrity. After vanquishing the evil G3 cartel—who were, in a truly out-there twist, turning humans into a drug—the protagonist enjoys their newfound fame, only to be thrown back into chaos when their sister joins a resistance group and runs afoul of a powerful alien pharmaceutical company. What follows is a wild, often hilarious romp through colorful alien worlds, as the player becomes an outlaw and fights to save humanity once more.
Of course, the talking guns are back and as weird as ever. Each weapon is a fully realized character, complete with its own personality, quirks, and, sometimes, a complicated backstory. There’s the married couple who function as twin handguns (and are always bickering), a reformed assassin whose head becomes a spike-firing assault rifle, and returning favorites like Gus, the shotgun-lizard, and Sweezy, the SMG-like gun. “Sometimes I’d switch to a gun not because I thought it would help me in the ongoing firefight, but simply because I was curious how they might react to a situation,” the Kotaku reviewer admits. The guns are less chatty than before, but with more unique lines, so repetition is rare—a relief for players who found the original’s banter a bit much.
One of the game’s biggest additions is the skateboard, which lets players zip around arenas, grind rails, and pull off tricks mid-fight—a clear homage to Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. The game even pokes fun at its influences, with floating letters to collect and tongue-in-cheek references to the skateboarding genre. “Riding the skateboard is a blast as it moves fast and provides more ways to get around arenas during fights,” the review notes, though the controls can be finicky, sometimes leading to frustrating moments when tricks don’t land as expected.
High on Life 2’s humor is a madcap mix of meta-references, absurdist nonsense, slapstick, and satire. About three out of every five jokes land, according to the reviewer—a pretty good ratio in the world of video game comedy. Many of the gags are tucked away in side content or hidden corners, so players can choose to engage with as much (or as little) of the game’s offbeat humor as they like. “If you just don’t want to talk to some weirdo for three minutes about an elevator or hear people giggling while delivering their lines, you can ignore most of the jokes,” the reviewer observes. Still, those who skip the jokes will miss out on much of what makes the game unique.
Unfortunately, all that creativity and ambition come at a cost. High on Life 2 is riddled with bugs and performance issues at launch. Players have reported everything from infinite death loops in the final boss fight (forcing a full restart or a wait for a patch) to dialogue and audio glitches, enemies spawning underground, and even scenarios where guns can’t be switched—making progress impossible without a reset. “Far too many jokes and gags were ruined in High on Life 2 for different reasons, including dialogue cutting off other dialogue, characters getting stuck in reaction loops, audio disappearing randomly, or some other bug happening and derailing the punchline,” Kotaku laments. Even the game’s creative missions—like a murder mystery complete with an in-game notepad, or a boss fight that breaks the fourth wall by invading the player’s pause menu—can be marred by technical hiccups.
Combat, too, is a mixed bag. While the idea of blasting aliens with wisecracking guns while skateboarding is undeniably cool, the actual gunplay feels underwhelming. Enemies don’t react much to being shot, and even with upgrades, the core mechanics don’t evolve significantly. The reviewer completed almost the entire game without dying in combat (outside of boss fights), suggesting that the challenge may not be up to snuff for seasoned FPS fans.
Still, there’s no denying the game’s passion and inventiveness. The developers have packed High on Life 2 with Easter eggs, side missions, and wild set pieces—a retro game planet with low-poly graphics, a convention planet with themed cons, and trophies that reward everything from skateboarding prowess to solving murder mysteries. For completionists, the trophy and achievement lists offer a daunting but enticing challenge, with secret and hidden objectives that require both skill and patience.
High on Life 2 is, ultimately, a game that dares players to poke at its boundaries, rewarding curiosity and a willingness to embrace the weird. It’s a shame that technical issues hold it back from greatness, but for those willing to weather the bugs—or wait for a patch—it offers a one-of-a-kind sci-fi adventure brimming with humor, heart, and a hefty dose of chaos.
For now, fans can only hope that Squanch Games delivers timely fixes, allowing players to fully experience the madcap world they’ve so lovingly crafted.