Dishonored 2 Gets Surprise Patch Nearly a Decade After Release

A standout title from Bethesda’s Xbox One and PlayStation 4 era, Dishonored 2 has received an unexpected update, though it falls short of the enhancements fans anticipated. Launched in late 2016, the sequel to the acclaimed 2012 original introduced Emily Kaldwin as a new playable character. Iconic missions like The Clockwork Mansion and A Crack in the Slab captivated players with their innovative mechanics and richly detailed settings.

Arkane Lyon, the studio behind Dishonored 2, later gained acclaim for 2021’s Deathloop, while its sister studio, Arkane Austin, faced closure in 2024 alongside other Xbox studios like Roundhouse Studios, Alpha Dog Games, and Tango Gameworks. Tango was later revived by Krafton, but Arkane Austin, known for the original Dishonored, 2017’s Prey, and 2023’s underwhelming Redfall, did not survive. Meanwhile, Arkane Lyon continues its work on Marvel's Blade in partnership with Marvel Games.

Recently, Dishonored 2 players noticed a minor update rolled out for Xbox, PlayStation, and Steam. The patch, primarily a bug fix, also updates language depots according to SteamDB. Weighing just 230MB, the update is small, though Xbox users must download the full 40GB game anew.

Dishonored 2 Gains Unexpected Update, Lacking 60 FPS Support

The purpose of this surprise Dishonored 2 patch remains unclear, but it has disappointed fans hoping for a performance upgrade. Unlike most other Arkane titles, which run at 60 FPS on Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, Dishonored 2 remains capped at 30 FPS. Both the original Dishonored and its 2017 standalone expansion, Death of the Outsider, benefit from 60 FPS boosts on current-gen consoles. Speculation persists about a potential FPS update for the game’s tenth anniversary in 2026, though such a minor enhancement may not justify the wait.

Fans longing for a third Dishonored installment face a long road ahead, if it’s even in development. The closure of Arkane Austin has significantly reduced the pace of Arkane’s output. For now, Arkane Lyon is focused on its third-person Marvel's Blade project, which has no confirmed release date.