# Postal 2
**Postal 2** is a first-person adventure game developed and published by Running With Scissors, released on April 14, 2003 for PC. The player lives a week in the life of "The POSTAL Dude", a hapless everyman completing mundane chores such as buying milk, returning an overdue library book, and getting [Gary Coleman](https://www.edgepedia.org/gary-coleman)'s autograph in the fictional town of Paradise, Arizona.[1](https://store.steampowered.com/app/223470/POSTAL_2/) The game is a sequel to the controversial 1997 top-down action game Postal, and it shifted the series to a first-person, open-ended format.[2](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/postal-2-announced/1100-2845215/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | April 14, 2003, PC; developer Running With Scissors[1](https://store.steampowered.com/app/223470/POSTAL_2/) |
| Premise | A week of everyday errands as the Postal Dude in Paradise, Arizona, in one large non-linear world[1](https://store.steampowered.com/app/223470/POSTAL_2/) |
| Engine | Unreal engine; announced using Epic Games' Unreal Warfare engine[2](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/postal-2-announced/1100-2845215/) |
| Violence design | "POSTAL 2 is only as violent as you are": the game can be completed pacifistically, though NPCs may also go postal[1](https://store.steampowered.com/app/223470/POSTAL_2/) |
| Critical reception | Metacritic critic score of 59; GameSpot scored the original 4.8 (Poor) and the Share the Pain re-release 6.2 (Fair)[1](https://store.steampowered.com/app/223470/POSTAL_2/) • [3](https://www.gamespot.com/games/postal-2/reviews/) |
| Player reception | Overwhelmingly Positive on Steam, 97% of 43,786 English user reviews[1](https://store.steampowered.com/app/223470/POSTAL_2/) |
| Expansions | Apocalypse Weekend (2005) and Paradise Lost, the canon sequel bridging to Postal 4[4](https://www.christcenteredgamer.com/reviews/pc-mac/postal-2-pc) |
## Design and gameplay
Postal 2 is structured as a series of daily errand lists from Monday onward, with the player free to accomplish each task at their own pace in a non-linear world.[1](https://store.steampowered.com/app/223470/POSTAL_2/) CEO Vince Desi described the game as a "first person adventure" rather than a typical shooter, set in one large game world containing several environments, such as Suburbs and Industrial, with loading between areas.[5](https://worthplaying.com/article/2003/3/2/interviews/8550-postal-2-developer-interview/) The map is broken into loading zones, with certain areas available only on certain game days.[4](https://www.christcenteredgamer.com/reviews/pc-mac/postal-2-pc)
**Violence is optional.** The game's stated design principle is that it is "only as violent as you are": a player choosing to play as a pacifist must still deal with NPCs who may themselves go postal.[1](https://store.steampowered.com/app/223470/POSTAL_2/) [Deception](https://www.edgepedia.org/deception) is part of the gameplay; depending on how aggressive the player is, the police respond accordingly, and a careful player can get away with a great deal.[5](https://worthplaying.com/article/2003/3/2/interviews/8550-postal-2-developer-interview/) The weapon list ranges from a humble shovel to a rocket launcher, and includes a taser, scissors, gasoline, and a cat silencer; the game's marketing highlights urinating on people and objects, using cats as silencers, and pouring gasoline on anything.[1](https://store.steampowered.com/app/223470/POSTAL_2/) • [5](https://worthplaying.com/article/2003/3/2/interviews/8550-postal-2-developer-interview/) The world uses Karma physics and liquid physics, allowing gasoline to be poured off rooftops.[5](https://worthplaying.com/article/2003/3/2/interviews/8550-postal-2-developer-interview/)
The game's content is deliberately provocative. The Steam page describes encounters with Krotchy, a toy mascot gone bad, a besieged religious cult compound run by Uncle Dave, sewer-dwelling Taliban, cannibal rednecks, corrupt cops, and berserker elephants, and the developers list blood and gore, intense violence, strong language, mature humor, sexual themes, and drug and alcohol use.[1](https://store.steampowered.com/app/223470/POSTAL_2/) Gary Coleman appears as a character the player meets at the mall on Tuesday.[6](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/pc/920851-postal-2-apocalypse-weekend/reviews/144258)
## Development
Running With Scissors, an Arizona-based studio, announced [Postal](https://www.edgepedia.org/postal-video-game) 2 as a sequel to its controversial 1997 game Postal, to be built on [Epic Games](https://www.edgepedia.org/epic-games)' Unreal Warfare engine with a first-person perspective.[2](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/postal-2-announced/1100-2845215/) Mike Jaret of Running With Scissors later said that although the game came out in 2003, development started sometime at the end of 2001.[7](https://finalweapon.net/2020/01/03/exclusive-interview-with-mike-jaret-of-running-with-scissors-about-all-things-postal/) The studio self-funded the game, which Desi said gave it freedom over content, and Whiptail Interactive published it.[5](https://worthplaying.com/article/2003/3/2/interviews/8550-postal-2-developer-interview/) Desi also said the studio received fan mail and support from postal workers themselves, while postal management disliked the game.[5](https://worthplaying.com/article/2003/3/2/interviews/8550-postal-2-developer-interview/)
The recommended specifications at launch were a Pentium 3 or [AMD Athlon](https://www.edgepedia.org/amd-athlon) 733 MHz processor, 128 MB of RAM, 1.2 GB of hard drive space, and a 32 MB GeForce 2 or Radeon-class video card.[5](https://worthplaying.com/article/2003/3/2/interviews/8550-postal-2-developer-interview/)
## Reception
Critical reception at release was negative. GameSpot's Erik Wolpaw scored the original 4.8, Poor, arguing that the success of [Grand Theft Auto III](https://www.edgepedia.org/grand-theft-auto-iii), which covered similar antisocial ground with more style, wit, and technical competence, made Postal 2 irrelevant out of the gate.[8](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/postal-2-review/1900-6025142/) [The Escapist](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-escapist-magazine) later called it "ambitious garbage", with interesting ideas buried under tasteless humor, failed satire, and mediocre shooting mechanics.[9](https://www.escapistmagazine.com/postal-2-ambitious-garbage/) Some critics argued the game offered violence without a point, lacking the satirical critique that made comparable shock-comedy works effective.[10](https://www.mobygames.com/game/8952/postal2/reviews/)
**Player opinion diverged sharply.** The game's Metacritic critic score is 59, while its Steam rating is Overwhelmingly Positive, with 97% of 43,786 English user reviews positive.[1](https://store.steampowered.com/app/223470/POSTAL_2/) [PC Gamer](https://www.edgepedia.org/pc-gamer), by contrast, called it "a pretty shoddy game" despite noting it inexplicably holds the same Steam rating as [Half-Life 2](https://www.edgepedia.org/half-life-2).[11](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/the-only-good-postal-game-is-a-spinoff-expressionist-boomer-shooter-that-takes-place-entirely-in-the-protagonists-depraved-mind/) Players commonly praise the errand structure, sandbox freedom, urination mechanic, cat silencers, and the choice between pacifist and chaotic playstyles, while criticizing dated humor, aging movement and combat, and crashes.[12](https://niklasnotes.com/dashboard/game/16213/postal_2)
## Re-releases and expansions
A rerelease titled Postal 2: Share the Pain addressed the original's most glaring technical issue, the long loading times between gameplay areas, and added multiplayer modes; owners of the original could buy the multiplayer upgrade at a discount.[13](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/postal-2-share-the-pain-review/1900-6086717/) The Mac release of Postal 2 included the Share the Pain multiplayer add-on.[14](https://www.macworld.com/article/175012/postal2-2.html)
The Apocalypse Weekend expansion extends the game past the original week into the weekend, though it is generally on rails and lacks exploration.[4](https://www.christcenteredgamer.com/reviews/pc-mac/postal-2-pc) • [6](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/pc/920851-postal-2-apocalypse-weekend/reviews/144258) [Paradise Lost](https://www.edgepedia.org/paradise-lost), described as the canon sequel and bridge to Postal 4, returned to the open errand format and introduced mechanics such as dual-wielding weapons and vending machines for buying equipment.[4](https://www.christcenteredgamer.com/reviews/pc-mac/postal-2-pc) The Steam release, which arrived in 2013, has since received updates including Steam Workshop integration, full controller support, 68 Steam achievements, the ability to play all seven days of Postal 2 and Apocalypse Weekend in one playthrough, and holiday events.[1](https://store.steampowered.com/app/223470/POSTAL_2/)
## Legacy
A Kickstarter for Postal 2 Redux, a remake, more than doubled its $250,000 goal.[15](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/remember-postal-in-the-last-48-hours-publisher-running-with-scissors-has-announced-a-new-game-insulted-fans-apologized-canceled-the-game-the-studio-making-it-denied-wrongdoing-shut-down-anyway-and-we-can-thank-the-magic-of-ai-for-all-of-it/) The game is also used in academic and policy contexts as a defining example of a sandbox game.[16](https://wiredspace.wits.ac.za/server/api/core/bitstreams/af7f461b-b928-43c5-a546-66e7141f6f8f/content) Its open world has been described as ahead of the curve for 2003, even by critics who judged the shooting itself weak.[11](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/the-only-good-postal-game-is-a-spinoff-expressionist-boomer-shooter-that-takes-place-entirely-in-the-protagonists-depraved-mind/)
## References
1. [POSTAL 2 on Steam, Running With Scissors](https://store.steampowered.com/app/223470/POSTAL_2/)
2. [Postal 2 announced, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/postal-2-announced/1100-2845215/)
3. [Postal 2 Reviews, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/games/postal-2/reviews/)
4. [Postal 2 (PC) review, Christ Centered Gamer](https://www.christcenteredgamer.com/reviews/pc-mac/postal-2-pc)
5. ['Postal 2' Developer Interview with Vince Desi, Worthplaying](https://worthplaying.com/article/2003/3/2/interviews/8550-postal-2-developer-interview/)
6. [Postal 2: Apocalypse Weekend review, GameFAQs](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/pc/920851-postal-2-apocalypse-weekend/reviews/144258)
7. [Exclusive Interview with Mike Jaret of Running With Scissors, Final Weapon](https://finalweapon.net/2020/01/03/exclusive-interview-with-mike-jaret-of-running-with-scissors-about-all-things-postal/)
8. [Postal 2 Review, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/postal-2-review/1900-6025142/)
9. [Postal 2 - Ambitious Garbage, The Escapist](https://www.escapistmagazine.com/postal-2-ambitious-garbage/)
10. [Postal 2 critic reviews, MobyGames](https://www.mobygames.com/game/8952/postal2/reviews/)
11. [The only good Postal game is a spinoff..., PC Gamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/the-only-good-postal-game-is-a-spinoff-expressionist-boomer-shooter-that-takes-place-entirely-in-the-protagonists-depraved-mind/)
12. [POSTAL 2 Reviews: What Players Think, Niklas Notes](https://niklasnotes.com/dashboard/game/16213/postal_2)
13. [Postal 2: Share the Pain Review, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/postal-2-share-the-pain-review/1900-6086717/)
14. [Postal 2: Share the Pain, Macworld](https://www.macworld.com/article/175012/postal2-2.html)
15. [Remember Postal? Running With Scissors saga, PC Gamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/remember-postal-in-the-last-48-hours-publisher-running-with-scissors-has-announced-a-new-game-insulted-fans-apologized-canceled-the-game-the-studio-making-it-denied-wrongdoing-shut-down-anyway-and-we-can-thank-the-magic-of-ai-for-all-of-it/)
16. [Research report, University of the Witwatersrand](https://wiredspace.wits.ac.za/server/api/core/bitstreams/af7f461b-b928-43c5-a546-66e7141f6f8f/content)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Games and gameplay › Individual game titles › Individual PC and computer-platform game titles › Shooter game titles*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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