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Lollipop Chainsaw 2 Back2Back PS5 Reveal Sets a 2027 Return

Official Lollipop Chainsaw 2: Back2Back gameplay screenshot showing Juliet fighting enemies in the sequel
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Published
9/18/2026
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5 min

Lollipop Chainsaw 2 Back2Back is confirmed for PS5 in 2027, with Juliet returning in a sequel that looks faithful but very early based on TGS hands-on reports.

Official Lollipop Chainsaw 2: Back2Back gameplay screenshot showing Juliet fighting enemies in the sequel

Image: techtroduce.com

Juliet returns, with a PS5 date and a platform gap

Lollipop Chainsaw 2 Back2Back has been officially announced for PlayStation 5 with a planned 2027 release window, putting Juliet Starling back in front of a chainsaw, a zombie horde, and a question the reveal does not yet answer: is this a PS5-first launch, or a PS5-only one?

Siliconera reports that Dragami Games, Nada Holdings, and the Japanese PlayStation Blog revealed the sequel during Tokyo Game Show 2026, after previously saying a demo for the new Lollipop Chainsaw game would appear at the event. Gematsu similarly lists Dragami Games and Nada Holdings as publishers, JP Universe as developer, and PlayStation 5 as the announced platform. Siliconera states that no other release platforms have currently been announced.

That last detail is the first real pressure point around the reveal. Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP, the 2024 remaster of the 2012 original, eventually reached Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC, then later PS4 and Xbox One, with a Switch 2 version following in May 2026 according to Siliconera. The sequel, at least today, has no confirmed Xbox, Nintendo, or PC version. Readers looking for Lollipop Chainsaw 2 PS5 details have a clear answer. Everyone else has a wait-and-see situation, not a quiet confirmation.

A sequel without the original cult-game pairing

The Lollipop Chainsaw sequel is arriving with recognizable names attached, but not the exact creative constellation that made the first game a curiosity in 2012. The original Lollipop Chainsaw was developed as a collaboration involving Grasshopper Manufacture’s Goichi Suda, often known as Suda51, and filmmaker James Gunn, with Siliconera noting that Gunn co-wrote the script alongside Masahiro Yuki. Push Square describes that PS3 game as a crass, bubblegum beat-’em-up with a distinctive identity and an unexpectedly large Warner Bros. production footprint.

For Lollipop Chainsaw 2 Back2Back, the confirmed structure is different. Siliconera says Dragami Games and Nada Holdings are publishing the sequel, while JP Universe is developing it. The same report notes that JP Universe was founded by Final Fantasy XV director Hajime Tabata in 2022, when the studio was originally known as JP Games. Gematsu also lists Tabata among the staff involved with the project.

The returning connective tissue is Masahiro Yuki and NekoshowguN. Siliconera says Yuki, who co-wrote the original Lollipop Chainsaw script with Gunn, is returning for the sequel, while NekoshowguN is again handling character designs and art. Push Square and Polygon both report that Gunn and Suda do not appear to be involved this time. That does not make Lollipop Chainsaw 2 Back2Back disconnected from the original, but it does mean the sequel has to recreate a very specific comic-book rhythm without the two most famous names associated with its first act.

Jaredwood reframes San Romero as a zombie movie nightmare

The confirmed story setup comes from the official description quoted by Gematsu and Polygon, attributed to Dragami Games and the PlayStation Store listing. Juliet returns to a rebuilt San Romero, now transformed into Jaredwood, a metropolis centered on the film industry. A mysterious director traps her inside a twisted zombie movie world, forcing her to fight alongside allies, uncover a conspiracy behind the chaos, and stop a new threat tied to Corrupted Realm zombies.

That premise is useful because it tells us the sequel is leaning into staged spectacle rather than abandoning the original’s cartoon-horror tone. The first Lollipop Chainsaw built much of its identity out of abrupt genre swings, brightly colored violence, boss theatrics, and Juliet’s clash between cheerleader pep and undead carnage. Back2Back’s movie-world setup gives the team a flexible structure for set pieces, shifting backdrops, and self-aware genre jokes, at least based on the official description.

What has not been confirmed is how much of that setup plays out in dialogue, mission structure, or companion writing. Polygon notes that Juliet’s boyfriend Nick is returning as a severed head in the TGS demo, but the preview build reportedly lacked voiceover work outside of zombie sounds. That means the premise is official, while the delivery of character banter, comic timing, and story pacing remains largely unseen.

Early hands-on reports find an authentic sequel in very rough shape

The most revealing part of the announcement is that Lollipop Chainsaw 2 Back2Back is already playable in public at Tokyo Game Show 2026, despite being slated for 2027. That hands-on access has produced a split impression: both Polygon and Push Square describe a game that resembles the original on the surface, while stressing that the build feels early.

Push Square’s preview says the demo plays as a traditional three-dimensional brawler, with Juliet using cheerleading abilities and chainsaw attacks against zombie mobs. That is the expected foundation for a proper sequel rather than a side experiment. However, Push Square also says the combat felt “really floaty” and slow at this stage. The same preview reports that the writer’s roughly 10-minute demo appeared to bug out with no sound effects, though the outlet notes that gameplay footage from Asian outlets suggests sound effects should have been present.

Polygon’s hands-on account lines up with the broad shape of the combat. It describes Juliet combining cheerleading moves and chainsaw slashes against slow-moving zombies, with roller skates used to move through packs and a chainsaw-propelled dash that lets her shred forward by driving the blade into the ground. Polygon’s concern is the camera, which it calls unpredictable as it zooms in on cinematic kills. The outlet says the effect almost works, but reads as another sign of the build’s early state.

The absence of voiceover is the detail that hangs over both previews. Polygon says neither Juliet, Nick, nor the boss Zorbie had anything to say in the demo, beyond a few zombie noises. Push Square similarly says there did not seem to be dialogue yet. For a series remembered partly for its loud, abrasive personality, silence changes the feel of the room. The mechanics can show structure, but Lollipop Chainsaw’s tempo depends heavily on voice, music, UI, enemy introductions, and the punchline arriving at the exact wrong second.

The Zorbie fight shows the promise and the current problem

The clearest reported set piece from the TGS build is the Zorbie encounter. Push Square says the demo moved from a car park fight into a candy-pink dance floor where Juliet faced a punk princess named Zorbie. The outlet found some returning comic energy in the setup, with undead followers lining up to worship the boss before she ripped off their heads and threw them at Juliet.

Mechanically, Push Square describes the first phase as a simple exchange where players punch incoming heads back toward Zorbie to damage her. In the second half, Juliet roller-skates into crates to uncover human missiles that lock onto the boss. Push Square was blunt about the presentation, saying the sequence looked particularly bad in the demo because few animations made the zombie missiles clear, while adding the assumption that this would change by launch.

That encounter is a useful early read on Lollipop Chainsaw 2 Back2Back because it sounds exactly like the kind of idea this series should attempt: a ridiculous boss arena, a gross joke built into the attack pattern, and movement mechanics folded into the phase change. The risk is execution. Action games live and die on rhythm, especially brawlers where hit reactions, camera framing, animation priority, lock-on clarity, and audio cues tell the player when a gag has become a threat. Push Square did praise the music and the returning comic book-style UI elements, and said the developers appear to understand Lollipop Chainsaw. Polygon also sees promise if the team gets enough time to polish the experience. Those are cautious signals, not a verdict.

The 2027 window gives the team time, but it also raises expectations

A 2027 release window is both distance and pressure. It gives JP Universe time to tune combat weight, fill in voiceover, stabilize the camera, and sharpen the transitions between mobs, traversal flourishes, and boss gimmicks. It also means the public demo is being judged unusually early. Push Square openly questioned why the build was shown at a convention in its current state, while acknowledging that the game could still be a year or more away.

For action fans, the question is less whether the sequel looks finished now and more whether its fundamentals are pointed in the right direction. The reported return to three-dimensional brawler combat is a meaningful choice. So is the preservation of Juliet as protagonist, the use of bright comic UI, and the commitment to absurd enemy staging. But floaty combat, camera instability, missing dialogue, and unclear animations are not small issues in this specific kind of game. Lollipop Chainsaw works when chaos is readable. If a boss joke is funny but the player cannot parse the hit window, the joke becomes friction.

The production handoff also matters. Hajime Tabata’s name brings experience from large-scale Japanese development, but the sequel is not being led by the original Gunn and Suda pairing that defined the first game’s public identity. Returning staff such as Masahiro Yuki and NekoshowguN help bridge that gap, yet Back2Back still has to prove that its own voice can carry the same fast-cut energy without leaning entirely on recognition.

Platform, pricing, and wait-or-play guidance

For now, the practical facts are narrow. Lollipop Chainsaw 2 Back2Back is announced for PS5 and planned for 2027. No price, exact release date, editions, performance targets, physical release details, or upgrade path have been confirmed in the provided source material. No other platforms are announced, even though RePOP is available across PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, and PC storefronts according to Siliconera and Noisy Pixel.

There is one related purchasing note. Gematsu and Noisy Pixel report that Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP is on sale for up to 45 percent off across digital storefronts to mark the sequel announcement. Noisy Pixel specifies that the Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One sale runs from September 16 at 5 PM PDT through October 15 at 4:59 PM PDT, while the Steam discount runs from September 16 at 10 AM PDT through September 30 at 10 AM PDT. Sales for PS5, PS4, Switch, Switch 2, and GOG are planned later according to those reports.

If you are already searching for Lollipop Chainsaw 2 2027 or Lollipop Chainsaw 2 Back 2 Back after the reveal, the sensible stance is cautious interest. The sequel is real, Juliet is back, the PS5 version is confirmed, and the official setup gives the team a strong frame for theatrical undead nonsense. The early hands-on impressions suggest an authentic follow-up, but also one that needs substantial tuning before it can match the snap, noise, and stagecraft that made the original cult action game stick in memory.

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