Steel Ranger 2 is now available for the Commodore 64, with Protovision opening downloads for Covert Bitops’ science-fiction action adventure on 20th October 2026. The sequel follows the 2018 original, expanding its armoured exploration across more than 800 screens.
The digital edition costs $12.99 on itch.io. Protovision also confirms immediate access to the game files for existing pre-order customers. The publisher lists the physical edition as being in production.
Lasse Öörni handles the code, concept, visuals and audio. Protovision names Turrican and Metroid as inspirations for the series, placing the sequel within a tradition of side-scrolling combat and exploration.
The story advances to 2224, six years after humanity’s war against Omega and its machine army. Reconstruction ends abruptly when orbital bombardments strike colonies and space stations. Investigators trace the attacks to defence installations left on a devastated Earth.
A Ranger team aboard the scout ship UMS Flail heads towards one of those installations. Its commanding officer subsequently faces the wasteland alone, with traces of nanobots suggesting something more deliberate than a malfunction. Player decisions affect the story’s outcome.
The original Steel Ranger belongs to the same fictional universe as Covert Bitops’ earlier Hessian, although its events take place two centuries later. Other Covert Bitops releases include MW ULTRA and the Metal Warrior series, which also combine action with adventure elements.
Exploration on a larger scale
The second-generation Ranger suit gains upgrades to its recharge, energy capacity and movement. An expanded armoury includes a rifle with several firing modes, a blade, mines and smartbombs. Hidden areas and boss encounters sit alongside the investigation, while three difficulty settings offer different levels of challenge.
Protovision lists full-framerate multidirectional scrolling among the sequel’s technical features. Its 45-minute soundtrack includes separate music for exploration, story events and bosses. Multiple save slots let players retain separate progress, with continuation from the last area entered.
The release supports PAL and NTSC C64s, alongside Protovision’s Protopad controller. On NTSC systems, players have a choice of 50Hz or 60Hz game speed. A SID filter adjustment also addresses differences between the 6581 and 8580 sound chips.
Disk and cartridge images accompany a PDF manual in the download edition. Protovision lists compatibility with 1541 and 1581 drives, IDE64 and SD2IEC, plus an EasyFlash cartridge image. The itch.io purchase page offers a Windows executable package and a separate C64-files-only download.
The arrival follows an earlier physical release announcement. Protovision opened reservations for the Gold Edition in September, with access tied to its supporter programme or qualifying previous purchases. Its latest announcement now directs customers to the Protovision shop and itch.io for the release.
Steel Ranger 2 is available from Protovision’s itch.io page. The publisher’s official game page carries the release announcement and details of the physical edition.
