Updated 7 October 2026, 20:00
The guessing game is over. Back in August it came out that Polda 5.5 would feature a second Czech actor next to the voice of Luděk Sobota, and that the same performer could potentially carry the role into the eighth installment too. The developers finally dropped the name on their official Facebook page: the new Pankrác is played by actor Pavel Liška, known in recent years from films, TV series and stage productions.
On top of that, the release date is now set. Polda 5.5 arrives on Steam on October 9 at 4 PM.
What Polda 5.5 actually is
The game fills the story gap between the fifth and sixth installment. It reveals how detective Pankrác got out of ancient Egypt, so it works as a bridge rather than a standalone side story. If you want to keep track of how the series develops, we collect everything in one place in our Polda news section.
Pavel Liška is not the only familiar name on the cast list. Other roles are voiced by Zdeněk Mahdal, Bohdan Tůma, Valérie Zawadská, Jan Šťastný and Pavel Rímský.
The first recording session is done
Zima Software says the first part of the dubbing work has already been wrapped up and the studio is happy with how the collaboration went. The key detail: the new performance is not an imitation. Pavel Liška does not try to copy Luděk Sobota’s style – he takes Pankrác and plays him his own way, which is exactly what the authors were after. The stated goal was to cast an actor who is not just a voice-over artist, but someone able to genuinely perform the role of Polda with his own distinctive energy.
The first teaser went live yesterday and you can hear both actors in it:
You get to choose which Pankrác talks
Here is the part that matters most for you as a player: Polda 5.5 is effectively a test run. The game lets you listen to Pankrác in both performances and the decision is yours – the character can speak with the original voice of Luděk Sobota, or with the new take by Pavel Liška.
- both voice tracks are part of the game,
- the switch is a player choice, not a forced replacement,
- the reception of the new voice will shape what happens next.
What about Polda 8?
For now, the situation around the eighth game remains open. The developers say they intend to address it when it becomes relevant, and according to the plan, the full-fledged eighth installment should still land this year. At the same time, they have made their preference clear: they would like Pavel Liška to play Pankrác again in the next game, should Luděk Sobota not feel up to taking on the closing chapter of the Polda saga. The series could even continue past Polda 8, provided it is a commercial success.
In other words, Polda 5.5 is not only a new adventure – it is also the place where the future voice of the series gets decided. If you are hunting for the game on PC, there is also a PC games listing linked by the source of the announcement.
FAQ
On October 9 at 4 PM, on Steam.
Czech actor Pavel Liška, whom you may know from films, TV series and theater productions. Zima Software announced the casting on its Facebook page.
No. His original voice is still in the game. Polda 5.5 contains both performances and you decide which one Pankrác speaks with.
It fills the gap between the fifth and sixth installment and reveals how detective Pankrác got out of ancient Egypt.
That is not confirmed yet. The developers plan to deal with the eighth game when the time comes, but they would like Liška to return if Luděk Sobota does not feel up to the final installment.