You remember that feeling. The one where your palms are sweating, the controller is vibrating like crazy, and you have exactly 0.5 seconds to decide if Ashley should open the trapdoor or keep walking. If you’ve played Until Dawn, you know it isn't just about the jump scares. It’s about the butterfly effect. One tiny mistake, one missed button prompt, and suddenly your favorite character is headless. It sucks. It’s also brilliant.
Finding a game like Until Dawn is surprisingly hard because Supermassive Games captured a specific kind of lightning in a bottle back in 2015. You aren't just looking for horror. You're looking for that "couch co-op" vibe where you scream at your friends for making bad choices. You want a cinematic experience that feels like a B-movie slasher but plays like a high-stakes stress test.
The industry has tried to replicate this formula. Some games nailed it. Others? Well, they felt like clicking through a very expensive PowerPoint presentation.
Why The Butterfly Effect Is So Hard to Copy
Most games promise that "your choices matter." Usually, that’s a lie. In most RPGs, choosing "Option A" or "Option B" just changes a line of dialogue. But in a game like Until Dawn, choosing to be mean to a character in Chapter 2 might literally result in them refusing to save your life in Chapter 9. That complexity is a nightmare for developers.
Supermassive Games actually doubled down on this with The Quarry. Honestly, it's the closest thing you’ll ever get to a spiritual successor. It has the same DNA: a summer camp setting, a cast of recognizable actors like David Arquette and Brenda Song, and a looming threat that feels very "80s horror." If you loved the snowy isolation of Blackwood Pines, the lakeside cabins of The Quarry will feel like home.
But here’s the thing. The Quarry is much more forgiving. In Until Dawn, the "Don't Move" mechanic was terrifying because the PS4 controller’s light bar would betray even a slight hand tremor. The Quarry replaced this with a "Hold Breath" mechanic that feels a bit more "gamey" and a lot less visceral. It's still great, but it’s different. It’s a bit more relaxed, if you can call a game about werewolves relaxed.
Beyond the Slasher: The Dark Pictures Anthology
If you’re hunting for a game like Until Dawn, you’ve probably seen The Dark Pictures Anthology on Steam or the PlayStation Store. These are shorter, bite-sized horror stories. They’re experimental. Man of Medan takes place on a ghost ship, Little Hope deals with witch trials, and House of Ashes goes full military-horror in an underground Sumerian temple.
House of Ashes is arguably the best of the bunch. It shifts the tone from "helpless teens" to "trained soldiers," which changes the stakes. You aren't just running; you're fighting back. However, these games sometimes struggle with "uncanny valley" facial animations. It’s weird. One second, the character looks like a real person, and the next, their eyes are pointing in two different directions while they scream. It’s a trade-off for the lower price point.
The newest entry, The Devil in Me, leans into the "Saw" aesthetic. It’s gritty. It’s claustrophobic. It focuses on a H.H. Holmes-inspired murder castle. If the psychological horror of the Psycho from Until Dawn was your favorite part, this is the one you should play.
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The Quantic Dream Factor
We have to talk about David Cage. Before Until Dawn existed, Quantic Dream was the king of this genre. Heavy Rain is the blueprint. It’s a grounded, depressing thriller about a father trying to find his kidnapped son. There are no monsters, just a serial killer called the Origami Killer.
Is it a game like Until Dawn? In terms of mechanics, yes. In terms of "fun," it’s a lot heavier. You aren't laughing with your friends; you’re agonizing over whether to cut off your own finger to save a child.
Then there’s Detroit: Become Human. This is the gold standard for branching narratives. The flowcharts are insane. You can see exactly how many paths you missed, and the sheer volume of endings puts Until Dawn to shame. If you want a game where your choices actually have a massive ripple effect across the entire world, play Detroit. Just be prepared for some very heavy-handed social metaphors.
The Indie Gems Most People Miss
Stop looking at AAA budgets for a second. Some of the best "choice-based" horror comes from smaller studios. Take Night in the Woods. Okay, it’s 2D. It’s about a cat. It doesn’t look like Until Dawn. But the way it handles character relationships and the creeping dread of a small town with a dark secret? It hits the exact same emotional notes.
Then there’s Oxenfree.
Oxenfree perfected the natural dialogue system. In most games, you wait for a character to finish talking, then you pick an option. In Oxenfree, you can interrupt. You can stay silent. You can walk away. It makes the horror feel much more personal because the conversations flow like real life. The sequel, Oxenfree II: Lost Signals, carries this forward with a more mature cast and some genuinely trippy reality-warping mechanics.
Horror Isn't Always About Jump Scares
Sometimes a game like Until Dawn is about the atmosphere. Telltale’s The Walking Dead is the obvious mention here. Lee and Clementine’s story is legendary for a reason. It’s not "scary" in the sense of a monster jumping out of a closet, but it is terrifying in the sense that you have to decide who eats and who starves.
The tragedy of Telltale games is that the "illusion" of choice is often thinner than in Supermassive's titles. Usually, a character you save will just die ten minutes later anyway because the writers didn't want to script two different versions of the next level. It’s frustrating, but the emotional impact usually makes up for it.
A Quick Word on "The Casting of Frank Stone"
If you are a fan of Dead by Daylight, you need to look at The Casting of Frank Stone. It’s developed by Supermassive, so it’s literally a game like Until Dawn set in the DBD universe. It returns to that classic cinematic style. It follows a group of young filmmakers in the 1980s. It feels like a love letter to the genre. It's proof that this specific style of "interactive cinema" isn't going anywhere.
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How to Choose Your Next Play
Don't just buy the first thing you see. You need to know what part of Until Dawn you actually liked.
- If you liked the "Slasher Movie" tropes: Go with The Quarry. It’s the most direct transition.
- If you liked the mystery and detective work: Try Heavy Rain or The Wolf Among Us.
- If you want the most complex branching possible: Detroit: Become Human is the only answer.
- If you want something short for a weekend with friends: Grab House of Ashes.
- If you want something "indie" and creepy: Oxenfree is your best bet.
Actionable Next Steps for Your Horror Binge
Before you hit the "buy" button on your next game like Until Dawn, do these three things to ensure you don't waste your money. First, check if the game has a "Movie Night" mode. Games like The Quarry and The Dark Pictures have built-in modes that let you assign characters to different players. It is the absolute best way to play these games.
Second, avoid spoilers at all costs. These games rely 100% on the unknown. Don't look up "how to save everyone" on your first playthrough. The whole point of a game like Until Dawn is the tragedy of your own failures. Your first run should be a "blind" run, messy endings and all.
Third, look into the "Friend Pass" options. Many of the Dark Pictures games offer a system where you can play the entire game online with a friend even if only one of you owns the game. It’s a huge value add that many people overlook.
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The genre of interactive horror is expanding. We are seeing more focus on high-fidelity facial capture and more nuanced writing. While Until Dawn might have been your entry point, the landscape in 2026 is filled with titles that take that foundation and run with it in wild, terrifying directions. Grab a controller, turn off the lights, and remember: don't move.