Home / Blade Runner / When does Blackout 2022 take place? (2022) — Timeline

When does Blackout 2022 take place? (2022) — Timeline

Answer: 2022

Context

Shinichirō Watanabe’s anime short depicts the catastrophic 2022 blackout.

Timeline anchor year only: 2022 .

Live Countdown

Want to see a live countdown to this event? Use the main Sci-Fi Countdown app and select this entry.

Historical Record

2022 brings a system‑wide blackout that knocks out networks, grids, and archives across major population centers. Subways grind to a halt, databases corrupt, and automated systems fail. In the immediate aftermath, authorities triage power, ration food, and rebuild basic communications. Banks and registries attempt reconstruction from partial backups while citizens discover how much of their identity existed only as entries in fragile machines.

The event’s legacy is lasting. Public confidence in centralized records collapses; corporate and municipal systems adopt air‑gaps, paper redundancies, and slower verification rituals. The blackout reshapes black markets and legal processes alike, since proof of origin becomes negotiable. For the replicant question, 2022 creates ambiguity that will echo for decades—who is accountable when the ledger goes dark, and who benefits when memory becomes optional?

Related

When does Blade Runner (1997 game) take place? (2019) — Timeline

When does Blade Runner: Black Lotus take place? (2032) — Timeline

FAQ

Q: When does Blackout 2022 take place?

A: Blackout 2022 happens in 2022 .