The Dark Pictures Anthology

The Dark Pictures Anthology is a series of standalone interactive horror games developed by Supermassive Games and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. Each entry is a self-contained horror story with a cast of characters whose survival depends on the choices made by the player. The games are connected by a framing device featuring the Curator, an enigmatic figure who presents each story, and take place in different settings and time periods. The anthology began with Man of Medan in 2019 and concluded with Directive 8020 in 2024, completing a run of eight games across six years.

The Anthology Games

Man of Medan (2019)

A group of young Americans on a diving trip discover a ghost ship from World War II with a haunted history. The first entry in the anthology established the format and introduced the Curator. Supports a shared story multiplayer mode where two players experience the story separately and their choices affect a shared outcome. Received generally positive reviews.

Little Hope (2020)

A group of college students and their professor become stranded in an abandoned town in Massachusetts and experience visions connected to the Salem witch trials. Received mixed reviews with criticism of its twist ending.

House of Ashes (2021)

American and Iraqi soldiers discover an ancient underground Akkadian temple during the Iraq War in 2003 and encounter a creature of ancient origin. Widely considered the best entry in the anthology. The wartime setting gave it genuine dramatic stakes and the creature design was distinctive. Strong character work across the cast made the deaths meaningful.

The Devil in Me (2022)

A documentary film crew investigating a replica of H.H. Holmes’s Murder Castle find themselves trapped in a real replica run by a killer following Holmes’s methods. The most mechanically ambitious entry with light exploration and tool use. Received mixed reviews.

Switchback VR (2023)

A virtual reality spinoff for PlayStation VR2 that is a shooting gallery horror game set within Dark Pictures locations. A departure from the narrative format of the main anthology.

Directive 8020 (2024)

The final entry in the anthology, set in space aboard a spacecraft that has encountered an alien life form. Released November 2024. Completed the anthology’s run of eight games as originally planned by Supermassive Games.

What Makes the Dark Pictures Anthology Distinct

The Dark Pictures Anthology operates as a companion to Supermassive’s standalone games like Until Dawn and The Quarry, offering shorter and more contained horror experiences in different genres and settings. The consistent framing device of the Curator, played by Pip Torrens, ties the anthology together thematically. The multiplayer options, both couch co-op and online shared story modes, make the games a specific kind of social horror experience. House of Ashes is the essential entry point for the series. The anthology as a whole demonstrates Supermassive’s ability to execute competent interactive horror consistently if not always at the highest level of the genre.