The Dark Pictures Anthology: Directive 8020 – release window, trailer, & everything we know

Directive 8020 is the first chapter in the second season of The Dark Pictures Anthology. Here’s everything we know about our trip to deep space.

As ever with The Dark Pictures Anthology, the next chapter, Directive 8020, was teased at the end of the last game, The Devil in Me. The game will be the first chapter of Season 2 of the anthology and will shift the setting to space for a sci-fi twist on the survival horror narrative adventure we’re used to playing from Supermassive.

Games in The Dark Pictures Anthology are similar to Until Dawn and The Quarry in that each chapter is essentially a playable movie where the player controls the decisions and fates of several characters as they navigate a perilous adventure. Every chapter of the anthology is separate from the last, but each shares similar themes and gameplay elements.

Here’s everything we know about The Dark Pictures Anthology: Directive 8020 so far.

Contents

• Does Directive 8020 have a release date?
• What platforms will Directive 8020 be on?
• Teaser trailer
• Gameplay and setting

Does Directive 8020 have a release date?

The Dark Pictures Anthology: Directive 8020 does not yet have a release date. Games in The Dark Pictures Anthology tend to be released around Halloween every year. Although, some have been released in late summer, and The Devil in Me was released in mid-November 2022.

Therefore, we expect Directive 8020 to release around September to November 2024.

It’s also possible the game will launch earlier in 2024, as the series skipped a Fall 2023 release. The only Dark Pictures game to release in 2023 was the VR game Switchback.

What platforms will Directive 8020 be on?

Platforms have not yet been confirmed, but based on previous chapters, we’d imagine PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC are safe bets.

There’s been no word on a Nintendo Switch release, but the only chapter in the Anthology released on that console is Little Hope – which didn’t come to the hybrid console until nearly 3 years after the game’s initial launch.

The Dark Pictures Anthology: Directive 8020 teaser trailer

Check out the game’s reveal trailer below:

Directive 8020’s gameplay and setting

Not much is known about the story of Directive 8020 yet, but from the teaser trailer, we know that a spaceship is in deep space looking for a new home for humanity. It seems that some cataclysm has befallen planet Earth, so finding a new home has become of paramount importance. Like earlier chapters, it will be a narrative-driven horror game.

However, as previous spacefaring horror stories have taught us, the great beyond is a lonely place, full of mystery, isolation, paranoia, and possible alien threats. This is a Dark Pictures game after all, so expect some nasty business to go down in a setting where nobody can hear you scream.

Audio recordings reveal a panicked astronaut calling for help as one of his colleagues has tried to kill him. Also, a premonition or ‘Dark Picture’ from The Devil in Me shows a character getting blasted into space by a trap or a poorly placed vent.

Therefore, we expect the game will feature a collection of astronauts who we’ll either need to guide to safety – or lead to the slaughter.

That’s everything we know so far about the next chapter in The Dark Pictures Anthology. For more on the biggest upcoming releases, check out our pages on some of the most-anticipated games that have been announced:

The Elder Scrolls 6 | GTA 6 | Death Stranding 2 | Assassin’s Creed Infinity | Wolverine | KOTR Remake | Wonder Woman | Hades 2 | DokeV | Haunted Chocolatier | South Park: Snow Day | Persona 3 Reload | Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League | Tekken 8 | Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth | Dragon’s Dogma 2 | Alone in the Dark reboot | Marvel’s Blade | Senua’s Saga Hellblade 2 | Indiana Jones & the Great Circle