The second title in the Crysis universe has been optimised to run better on a wider range of PCs.

Crysis Warhead screenshot

EA has today announced the September 12 European release and September 16 North American release of Crysis Warhead, the highly anticipated second instalment in the acclaimed Crysis video game series.

Gamers can pre-order the game today from the EA Store to receive a $5 discount - pricing the title at only $24.99. Additionally, order both Crysis titles to receive a $10 discount.

"We think Crysis Warhead is going to offer a tremendous experience to a wide range of gamers," said Cevat Yerli, CEO and president of Crytek. "Fans of Crysis are going to enjoy more of the open-ended gameplay, cutting-edge visuals and huge, epic battles from the first game, while also finally finding out what kind of havoc Psycho was wreaking on the other side of the island.

"At the same time, we designed Warhead to be more accessible for gamers new to the Crysis franchise. It is a game with a story that can stand on its own, it has been optimized to run better on a wider range of PCs, and we are introducing Crysis Wars, a tailor-made experience for multiplayer gamers within the Crysis universe - all at a great value."

Crysis Wars will offer gamers three multiplayer modes, including TeamInstantAction, a new match type that blends fast-paced action with team gameplay. Also available will be InstantAction and PowerStruggle, two game modes which debuted with the first Crysis title. Crytek is also promising 21 maps - six new maps for TeamInstantAction and InstantAction, and one for PowerStruggle.

Crysis Warhead is a standalone title (does not require the original Crysis to play) and will be released across Europe for PC on September 12.