Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 Editions Compared: Which One Is Worth Your Money?
After years in the shadows, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 finally arrives October 21, with all six clans available to everyone out of the box. Hype is high, but early reviews are mixed—making the choice of edition a thornier decision than expected.
After years of waiting, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 finally has a release date: October 21. Fans can take a breath too — all six playable clans are included for everyone at launch, not carved out as paid DLC. The early word is mixed, though, which makes picking an edition a little trickier than it should be.
What you actually get with each edition
- Standard Edition ($59.99): Base game with all six playable clans unlocked.
- Deluxe Edition ($69.99): Everything in Standard plus the Santa Monica Memories cosmetic pack.
- Premium Edition ($89.99): Everything in Deluxe plus the Expansion Pass, which covers Santa Monica Memories (a day-one cosmetic unlock) and two story packs — Loose Cannon (targeting Q2 2026) and The Flower & the Flame (targeting Q3 2026).
- Physical Premium Edition: Base game, the Bloodlines Nostalgia Jukebox pre-order bonus, the Expansion Pass, five character cards, a journal, and a SteelBook in a premium box. Limited run, so expect it to vanish fast.
Pre-order bonus across the board: the Bloodlines Nostalgia Jukebox with music from RIK Schaffer.
So... which one should you buy?
Short answer: go with Standard if you loved the first game or you just want to see what this one is without overspending. You get the full set of six clans, the core story, the vibes, the vampire nonsense — all the essentials — and if you pre-order, you still get the nostalgia jukebox. Given the mixed early reviews, locking yourself into extra content you might not care about in 2026 feels like a gamble.
Standard Edition gives you the full experience people are here for, without paying upfront for DLC two years out.
The reality check
Bloodlines 2 is not a blow-by-blow repeat of the original. It leans more action-RPG than deep, crunchy RPG. Compared to the first game, some of the traditional role-playing depth — mission design, character progression, how much your choices ripple — has been scaled back. If you were expecting a straight-line continuation of that older style, you might bounce off parts of this.
That said, there is still a story worth chewing on, plenty of dialogue (sometimes maybe a little too much), some fun vampire power moments, and an atmosphere that does a lot of the heavy lifting. All of that is already in the Standard Edition. If you are vampire-curious but not married to the franchise, same advice: Standard covers you.
Planning to spring for Deluxe or Premium anyway? Totally valid if those 2026 story packs are calling your name. But if you want the safest bet right now, Standard is the cleanest bite.