It’s punishment time again! During the September 12, 2025 Nintendo Direct it was revealed that Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair would be returning in 2026. Except, it isn’t just Danganronpa 2, this comes with a twist. Monokuma still has more tricks for us it seems! New murders, new killers, new victims, how exciting!

What does it mean to return to a game from 2012? Well for Spike Chunsoft it means introducing a new scenario for players to explore. While the characters are all there, an incident occurs that changes the entire series of events. Players will now get to see a slew of different victims and culprits. The game promises to have the same amount of content as the original which means this may feel like its own stand alone game. Fans are quick to point out that the title is Danganronpa 2×2 which equals 4. While it seems that Kodaka has stepped away from the Danganronpa series, he is credited with supervising Danganrona 2×2. Perhaps this means players can also expect the same level of quality as the original series. 

The original game is also seeing a bit of a revisit. In fact, Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair is also getting a new polish. The game will have updated visuals and production value to accompany this new release. It’s a great way to reexplore the game with new visuals and for its 2026 release. 

For those who are unsure what Danganronpa is, it’s a visual novel in which students take place in a killing game. The chapters consist of three sections, Daily Life, Investigation, and the Class Trial. Daily Life allows players to take control of the main character, in Danganronpa 2 that is Hajime Hinata, and get to know your peers. This is also the time when someone may end up dead. Investigation begins once a body is discovered. You can examine the crime scene, interrogate classmates, and find any evidence needed to condemn the killer. 

Finally there is the trial. Using all of the evidence you’ve collected, debate your peers to make sure that you call out the murder. Expose flaws in people’s alibis, view the case from each angle, and make sure you all make the correct call on who the murderer is. It’s your life on the line too. 

If it sounds crazy, it is. It’s a crazy good time for visual novel fans and 2026 can’t come soon enough. With this year being the 15th anniversary of the Danganronpa series, perhaps there will be more news and reveals soon? For now fans will have to wait patiently for Danganronpa 2×2. 

Danganronpa 2×2 is due out in 2026 for Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and Steam.