Emily wants to Play

Emily Wants to Play is an indie horror franchise created by Louisiana developer Shawn Hitchcock, spanning two games released in 2015 and 2017. The series follows a pizza delivery man who becomes trapped in a haunted house and forced to survive the night against Emily, a ghostly girl, and her supernatural dolls by learning and following the specific rules each entity demands. Both games were self-published by Hitchcock through his Hitchcock Games label and built a following through YouTube and Twitch Let’s Play coverage at a time when streamer-friendly horror games were drawing significant audiences. A third entry has been hinted at through story elements in the second game but has not been officially announced.

Emily Wants to Play (2015)

Emily Wants to Play released December 10, 2015, for PC and Mac, developed solo by Shawn Hitchcock over approximately four months using Unreal Engine 4. The game places the player as a pizza delivery man arriving at his last address of the night to find an abandoned-looking house with its door open. Once inside, the door locks and the player must survive until 3 a.m. by learning how to interact with three antagonists: Emily, the ghost of a girl who wants to play tag and must be evaded; Chester, a doll who must be stared down; and Kiki, a doll who must be ignored. Each hour of the night introduces new threats and modifications to the rules, building pressure toward the game’s finale. Hitchcock was inspired by his childhood home for the house’s layout and by his own fear of mannequins for the game’s central doll antagonists. Mobile versions for iOS and Android released January 30, 2016. PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions followed in August and September 2016 respectively, with an Oculus Rift VR update arriving October 31, 2016.

Emily Wants to Play Too (2017)

Emily Wants to Play Too released December 13, 2017, for PC, with a PlayStation 4 version following April 24, 2018. Hitchcock spent over a year and a half developing the sequel solo, significantly expanding the scope relative to the original game. The setting shifted from the residential house to an office building functioning as a crime research facility for evidence processing, providing a larger and more varied environment. New antagonists including Big Margaret, an oversized baby doll, and Stefan, a jack-in-the-box figure, joined returning characters from the first game. The sequel retained the survival rule-learning structure while adding complexity through the multi-room office environment and the increased number of entities the player must track and respond to simultaneously.

Emily Wants to Play 3

Emily Wants to Play 3 has not been formally announced as of mid-2026. The ending sequence of Emily Wants to Play Too shows the delivery man reading a news article about the events of the second game and approaching a wall covered with drawings from the first location and a photograph of Emily’s house, stating that he needs to go back to figure out what has been going on. Hitchcock has consistently hinted at a third entry since the sequel’s release. No development timeline or platforms have been publicly confirmed.