There is something extremely satisfying about a horror game that combines it with a rich storyline. Luckily for us, Until Dawn is one of them. This interactive horror game follows a group of eight adults who find themselves stranded on a mountain. And while the 2024 remake wasn’t received very well, everyone still loves the game. But what if you’ve finished it and want even more? For all those cases and some, we have compiled a list of the best games like Until Dawn that you should play to continue the horror going. So with that, let’s begin!
1. The Quarry
- Released: June 10, 2022
- Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Windows
We begin our list of the best games like Until Dawn with a title by Supermassive itself. If you know Friday the 13th, you’ll relate to this game well enough. The Quarry also revolves around nine teenage friends who must survive a night through Hackett’s Quarry camp against all kinds of threats.
Much like Until Dawn, gameplay in The Quarry revolves around players engaging in conversations and making choices that will impact the rest of the story. These choices affect the entire course of the game including the character’s permanent deaths and over 186 endings. Rest assured you can play through The Quarry and have an amazing time.
2. Oxenfree
- Released: January 15, 2016
- Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, Windows, Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch
Forget about finding yourself in a horror camp, what about opening a ghostly rift? Oxenfree places you in the shoes of Alex, who brought her stepbrother Jonas to an island party. However, things quickly wrong as your friends open up a portal to an unseen place.
Unlike other immersive games, Oxenfree is a sidescrolling adventure where you must walk around the island, explore your surroundings, and talk to your friends to uncover the truth. As before, players have full control of Alex’s storyline including making choices that will shape the story. The game’s 2016 update added even more content including scenes, storylines, and even endings to make what we consider one of the best games like Until Dawn even better.
3. The Dark Pictures Anthology
- First Released: August 30, 2019
- Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Windows
The Dark Pictures Anthology like its name is not one but a collection of interactive horror games. And while Little Hope wasn’t my favorite from season one, Man of Medan really scared the wits out of me. The theme remains the same. A group of friends and strangers who find themselves stranded in a remote location.
As before, players must make strategic choices between important decisions and deciding who lives and dies. As it is with other games, the characters can live and die and the choices you make will decide their fate and the game itself. While The Dark Pictures was given flak over its bugs, it’s become one of the best games like Until Dawn due to its interesting plot.
4. Detroit: Become Human
- Released: May 25, 2018
- Platforms: PS5, PS4, Windows
Even though Detroit: Become Human doesn’t qualify as a horror game, it’s still one of the best games like Until Dawn due to its gripping storyline and intense choices. Instead of controlling a human, you control an Android detective who is trying to do his job and blend in. However, things go sideways then the robot suffers from a glitch and starts to become “Human.”
One of the best parts about the game is that besides the choice you make, Detroit: Become Human has excellent movement mechanics. Players can examine their surroundings, and engage in high-octane quick time events that can literally end up with the main character dying. Tread lightly in this futuristic game.
5. Heavy Rain
- Released: February 23, 2010
- Platforms: PS5, PS4, PS3, Windows
I’ll be honest. Heavy Rain is the one game I didn’t get around to finishing fully. However, that was my own busy schedule and not what I still consider one of the best games itself. Heavy Rain’s story is a dark and gritty one as it follows four different characters hunting down a person only known as the Origami Killer.
Heavy Rain has a perpetual dark theme that follows it around like a plague. Every moment you spend exploring areas and gathering intel gets you a step closer to the killer. However, with that comes danger as players are faced with twisty choices that ultimately impact the overall plot and even the characters themselves. Gamers looking for a Max Paynesque story-based thriller will find it in Heavy Rain.
6. The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series
- First Released: April 24, 2012
- Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Windows
Taking a different turn entirely, the Walking Dead series is based on the namesake and has an overarching zombie apocalypse as its backdrop. And while you would expect shooting, the focus here is on an extremely heavy storyline and emotional choices. Packing over 23 different episodes and 50 hours of games, the Telltale Series is an amazing one.
The gameplay focuses on an expansive set of characters all trying to make it out of the disaster they’ve found themselves in. The best part about the series is that the choices made carry across different chapters thereby adding more weight to it. As someone who played through the series with tears in his eyes, I recommend only starting The Walking Dead if you’re prepared for an emotional journey.
7. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
- Released: September 25, 2014
- Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, Windows, Nintendo Switch
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter remains to me remains one of the best indie games of all time. This first-person mystery game has exploration at its core as the player is left free to roam the entire map. You are Paul Prospero, a detective with a keen eye for the occult. Receiving a letter from Ethan, Paul arrives at Red Creek Valley in an attempt to find him. However, what seems like a simple murder/missing case turns out to be something much more.
Akin to Until Dawn’s heavy lore, Ethan Carter’s story follows multiple twists and turns as Paul makes his way unraveling clues. Besides your keen eye, you will have Paul’s supernatural abilities that allow him to see things others can’t. While non-linear in nature, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter gives off the same vibe as Until Dawn and then some.
8. The Casting of Frank Stone
- Released: September 3, 2024
- Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows
Last but not least is The Casting of Frank Stone, a cinematic horror experience with an extremely dark story at its core. Set in the Dead by Daylight universe, the game’s story follows four aspiring filmmakers wanting to make a film in an abandoned steel mill. The ones among you who play DBD know where we’re going.
As the friends set off on a journey across the mill, they run smack dab into Stone and his crimes. Besides exploration like in Until Dawn, the title has a branching storyline with each choice impacting the story. Combine that with untold violence as you would expect from DBD, and you have one of the best games like Until Dawn to try out.
And these are the best Until Dawn like games you should play. Got more additions for us to include? Let us know in the comments below!
