Poppy Playtime Chapter 3: Release Window, Story, Setting, & Characters (2024)

While the next entry in the horror saga has yet to be released, Poppy Playtime Chapter 3: Deep Sleep is in development at Mob Entertainment and set to launch soon. The episodic survival simulation sees players delve into the Playtime Co. factory to investigate the disappearance of the factory's entire staff, only to be confronted by violent monster toys. 2022's Poppy Playtime Chapter 2 ended on an intense cliffhanger, with Poppy Playtime Chapter 3 set to take fans even deeper into the depths of Playtime Co.

The ending of Poppy Playtime Chapter 2 dramatically sets up the next episode of the terrifying survival simulator. The franchise's second installment ends with the player nearly escaping Playtime Co. via train, only for the titular Poppy to divert the locomotive towards the mysterious Playcare area instead before it derails completely. Chapter 2 also sets up a number of monstrous toys, like the dinosaur Bron and Huggy Wuggy's feminine counterpart Kissy Missy, who may act as monstrous pursuers in Chapter 3. Fans are no doubt anticipating the next entry in the Poppy Playtime story, with Chapter 3 shaping up to be a particularly terrifying entry.

Poppy Playtime Chapter 3's Release Window Is In Early 2024

Poppy Playtime Chapter 3 Has Been Delayed From Winter 2023

Poppy Playtime Chapter 3 was initially set to release in winter 2023, but on December 11, 2023, developer Mob Entertainment announced on X (formerly Twitter) a delay for the game that would shift its release window "several additional weeks into 2024." The first two episodes in the ongoing horror experience were released about seven months apart, with the first chapter debuting in October 2021 and Poppy Playtime Chapter 2 arriving in May 2022. Project: Playtime, a free-to-play co-op spin-off of the main series, then came out seven months after that, in December 2022.

By the time the project is complete, over a year will have passed between the release of Project: Playtime and Poppy Playtime Chapter 3, representing the longest development cycle for the series yet. But that's not just because of the delay; it still would've been the longest ever development cycle in the series at approximately a year, even without the extra few weeks at the end. Poppy Playtime Chapter 3 was probably originally planned for an early-to-mid-December launch, following a similar strategy to Project: Playtime having released on December 12, 2022.

The delay doesn't come with a specific release date announcement, but based on the specificity of its wording, it's possible to guess. Chapter 3 has been delayed multiple weeks into 2024, which implies it's been delayed more than a week, but less than a month. As a result, the release of Poppy Playtime Chapter 3 is probably scheduled for early-to-mid January 2024, and will almost certainly be out by the end of that month.

Poppy Playtime Chapter 3 Has Teased An Intense Story

Set Immediately After Chapter 2

The story of Poppy Playtime has been incredibly intense so far, and Chapter 3 is set to continue the trend by building off Chapter 2, which left players alone near the Playtime Co. factory's Playcare area. The first Poppy Playtime Chapter 3 teaser trailer sheds more light on this aspect of the narrative, featuring voiceover audio that describes the Playcare, an orphanage that was once run on-site within the Playtime Co. toy factory. A gas mask is the central focus of the trailer, suggesting that the noble Playcare program came to a horrific end along with the disappearance of the factory's workforce.

With Playcare set up to be the game's central focus, Poppy Playtime Chapter 3 will likely be even darker and more disturbing than previous episodes. The series' lore suggests that Playcare was actually a front for strange experiments, which Playtime Co. performed on innocent children living in the orphanage. This Poppy Playtime Chapter 3 teaser trailer lore also hints that discovering and exposing these crimes committed by the toy company will be Poppy and the player character's primary goal. The truth will no doubt be protected by bloodthirsty toys sent to hunt the player, however, with the teaser's gas mask possibly warning of even greater hazards within this new area of the factory.

Poppy Playtime Chapter 3 Is Set In The Playcare

On-Site Ophanage At The Playtime Co. Factory

Based on previous teases, then confirmed by more recent trailers and the game's Steam listing, Poppy Playtime Chapter 3 appears to mainly be set within the Playcare orphanage established within Playtime Co. By moving away from the factory's industrial areas, this setting can help give the game's third episode a truly unique atmosphere and level design.

Material revealed so far has showcased brightly colored toys and drawings and a run-down home-like environment with sparse industrial trappings, a foreboding set-up considering the terrifying nature of the abandoned Playtime Co. factory and the horrific experiments which were supposedly conducted on the orphanage's young residents. This darker Poppy Playtime Chapter 3 story could also lead to unique level designs, with different toys pursuing players through differently themed areas.

Poppy Playtime Chapter 3 Introduces Horrific New Monsters

CatNap Is The Main Antagonist Of Poppy Playtime Chapter 3

Trailers for Poppy Playtime Chapter 3 tease a new monster, set to follow up on the legacy of the Poppy Playtime franchise's terrifying toys. The first installment features the iconic Huggy Wuggy, with the fuzzy blue doll chasing players through the factory with razor-sharp teeth at the climax of the horror experience. Poppy Playtime Chapter 2 then introduced Mommy Long Legs, a disturbing spiderlike creature that attempts to nurture the player character by any means necessary, alongside other toys like Bunzo Bunny and PJ Pug-a-Pillar. The multiplayer title Project: Playtime brought back both of these bloodthirsty playthings while also introducing a violent jack-in-the-box named Boxy Boo.

The new monster for Poppy Playtime Chapter 3 is CatNap, a wide-eyed, wide-mouthed purple cat. From a poster hanging on the wall of the Playcare in the first official game trailer, it appears CatNap functioned as a sort of caretaker for the children living in the orphanage. It's implied that CatNap's main responsibility was to ensure the children followed "lights-out protocol." In other words, it enforced rules around bedtime, ensuring the lights were out and everyone was under the covers after a certain curfew. Considering the experiments performed there, this has especially disturbing implications.

Voiceover in the same trailer explains that CatNap worships the Prototype, and inflicts harm on those who reject its beliefs. This could fit in with theories about the Prototype in Poppy Playtime, a yet-unrevealed antagonist who might finally appear in Chapter 3.

While the highly-anticipated horror sequel has been confirmed for an early 2024 release, many aspects of Poppy Playtime Chapter 3 remain in the dark. The delay is unfortunate, but for the best: Mob Entertainment has made big promises for Chapter 3, and a little extra time in the oven just gives it more opportunity to live up to the hype. For now, franchise fans are left imagining the horrors that await them in Poppy Playtime Chapter 3 and the terrifying Playcare orphanage.

Sources: Mob Entertainment/X, Steam, Mob Entertainment/YouTube