Directive 8020 Is Out Today — Dark Pictures Goes to Space

The Dark Pictures Anthology just took a giant leap into deep space. Directive 8020, the latest entry from Supermassive Games, is officially out today (May 12) on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC — and if you thought haunted mansions and underwater horrors were scary, wait until you meet what's lurking aboard the colony ship Cassiopeia.

What's the Story?

The game is set on a colony ship en route to the distant planet Tau Ceti f, a real exoplanet about 12 light-years from Earth. You and your crew are on what should be a routine deep-space mission — until something goes very, very wrong. A shapeshifting alien entity infiltrates the ship, and suddenly you can't trust anyone around you.

It's a classic who's-the-monster setup, done in the cinematic, choice-driven style that Dark Pictures fans know well. Every decision matters. Everyone can die. If you've played Man of Medan, Little Hope, or House of Ashes, you already know the drill.

Starring Lashana Lynch

This entry stars actress Lashana Lynch — known from No Time to Die and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness — as astronaut Brianna Young. Supermassive has always leaned into Hollywood-style casting, and Lynch is a great pick for a story that mixes claustrophobic sci-fi dread with high-stakes human drama.

Multiplayer Still in the Mix

Like previous entries, Directive 8020 supports both couch co-op and online multiplayer. The more players in the session, the more decisions get spread around — which means more chaos, more arguments, and more moments where your friend gets someone killed because they panicked. You know how it goes.

Movie Night mode also returns, letting up to five players pass a controller around and vote on choices. It's the perfect way to drag your non-gamer friends into a horror game without them realizing it until it's too late.

How Does It Look?

Early impressions put Directive 8020 as one of the stronger entries in the anthology. The sci-fi setting gives Supermassive more visual range than their previous games — zero gravity sequences, the cold vacuum of space visible through portholes, and the eerie quiet of a ship that has lost most of its crew. It's atmospheric in a way that Man of Medan's ocean setting only hinted at.

It leans hard into the paranoia. You'll be second-guessing every character by chapter two.

Should You Play It?

If you're a Dark Pictures fan, this is a no-brainer — it's out today, and the setting is genuinely fresh for the series. If you're new to the anthology, Directive 8020 is as good a starting point as any. You don't need prior knowledge of the other games.

Just maybe don't play it alone. Or in the dark. Or both.

Directive 8020 is available now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.