ChromaGun 2: Dye Hard blasts its way out on PC and consoles

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Demo also available for sequel to 2026 color-shooting environmental physics puzzler

Ever since Portal showed us that using a gun to shoot FUN things instead of destructive ones was a great source of entertainment, game developers have been busy thinking of other cool things to lock and load, such as Pixel Maniacs' choice of color in 2016's multi-hued environmental physics puzzler ChromaGun. Now, a decade later, the German developer is back and better armed than ever with the newly released ChromaGun 2: Dye Hard.

The sequel once again drops players into the labs of Chroma Technology (a.k.a. ChromaTec) to put their latest technology through its paces. Making strategic use of the new and improved ChromaGun 2, you will once again be called upon to advance through the company's preset Testing Track by utilizing colors as magnets. The science behind Magnetoid Chromatism is a bit complicated, but the short version is that it's a "physical property of the pandimensional realm" in which "walls attract objects of the same color." Such objects can include "large boxes. Or small boxes. Or large crates. Or super-safe, friendly, decidedly non-murderous WorkerDroids," among others. To succeed you'll need to employ "refined painting- and color-mixing skills to solve ... meticulously designed test chambers" by altering the walls and droids to your advantage. Or, if you're feeling a little adventurous, you can veer off the course itself in order to discover "the origins of Chroma Technology and its enigmatic corporation." 

Also as before, this game is a free-roaming, first-person adventure, only this time it channels players through a linear "kaleidoscopic multiverse of monochrome chambers." That means you'll travel not just through a single facility but "through time and space across five different dimensions and parallel universes, each with new physics, visual style and narrative tone." A story of "friendship and redemption" adds new narrative depth with the same tongue-in-cheek sense of humor, but don't let the series' "signature absurdist charm" fool you. The challenges become increasingly devious along the way, and you'll need to contend with a variety of dangers such as "deadly floor tiles [and] angry droids" that are perhaps not quite so "non-murderous" as advertised. 

Despite all the similarities to its predecessor, ChromaGun 2 is not just the same game with a... well, a new coat of paint. You'll still directly interact with "beams, tools and switches" you encounter and "shoot and mix primary colors" at any stickable surfaces (only predetermined ones are compatible) to "manipulate the environment, activate doors, and neutralize colorful enemy drones" as needed. However, this game promises "more playful surprises" as well as "smarter puzzle designs, expanded color physics and environmental threads" for a more "ambitious, brain-bending 3D experience." And impressively for any game, let alone one built around color, this one includes a "symbol overlay system designed for color blind players," as well as "audio cues and adaptable controls" to ensure maximum accessibility for players. 

If you're ready to paint the town red (and blue, and yellow), you can start firing right away as ChromaGun 2: Dye Hard is available now for Windows PC on Steam and Epic, along with console versions for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2. Or you can try some target practice first as a playable demo is also available for PC.