From the studio behind Until Dawn and The Quarry comes an immersive cinematic horror experience. Directive 8020 blends intense survival gameplay with a branching narrative storyline featuring Hollywood actor Lashana Lynch (Bob Marley: One Love, The Woman King) as the groundbreaking astronaut ‘Young.'

In a dramatic step forward for the series, the game features persistent real-time threats, all-new stealth gameplay mechanics, and enhanced interactive cinematics powered by Unreal Engine 5.

Earth is dying and humanity is running out of time. 12 light years from home, Tau Ceti f offers a small sliver of hope. When the colony ship Cassiopeia crash lands on the planet, its crew soon realize they are far from being alone.

Hunted by an alien organism capable of mimicking its prey, the crew of the Cassiopeia must outwit their pursuers to make it home alive. As they battle to survive, they are confronted with the hardest choice of all: to save themselves, they must risk the lives of everyone on Earth.

In space, death takes many forms.

Supermassive Games has today unveiled an Oct. 2, 2025 release date (pre-orders available from June 2025), and action-packed story trailer for Directive 8020.

The new trailer takes fans deeper into the dangers on board the spaceship Cassiopeia, teasing new characters, environments, potential death scenes and a deadly alien threat.

Will Doyle, Creative Director at Supermassive Games, said: “The team at Supermassive Games has worked tirelessly to craft a narrative experience that melds sci-fi exploration with spine-chilling horror, where every choice could lead to a disastrous death. Today we’re unveiling some new layers to our story, exploring fragile alliances, unseen threats, and the limits of human resilience when faced with our deepest fears. We’re venturing into uncharted territory: the unsettling abyss of space.”

Fans of Supermassive Games’ previous releases will be pleased to know that the DNA of the Dark Pictures is still present – in fact, everything you love about the Dark Pictures is still here, from branching plotlines to impossible choices and split-second QTEs. In addition, gameplay has been redesigned, polished, and amped up to bring more of a threat when exploring the environment.

Key Features

• Next-Gen Cinematic Survival Horror: Experience immersive cinematic storytelling and edge-of-your-seat horror on a deep space mission to save humanity.
• Real-Time Alien Threats: Evade a deadly alien threat that roams the dark corridors of the ship, intent on eradicating human life. Overcome your enemies using improvised weapons, lightning reflexes, and stealth. 

• ALIEN INVASION: The colony ship Cassiopeia is infected with an alien organism, capable of transforming into any member of the crew. While you may be human, others in your crew may not be, and killers can hide behind familiar eyes. New stealth mechanics have been added to help players evade these deadly foes: you must keep your wits about you as enemies can emerge from unexpected places, and you’ll need to sneak and hide to get past these deadly alien stalkers.

• BRAVE RECRUITS: Introducing the Cassiopeia’s crew. You’ll control five crew members over the course of this expedition, but as paranoia and fear builds, so does distrust. With their lives in your hands, your decisions will determine not only the crew’s fate, but all of humanity's, too.  

• NEW MECHANICS: Directive 8020 introduces several new tools. Throughout the game, you can use these to locate secrets, solve puzzles and overcome enemies. The mission is all about survival, so every tool has its purpose in helping you think on your feet and stay alive.

   

  ● The Flashlight – As is to be expected from our games, you’ll spend a lot of time creeping around in the dark! Just be careful when using your flashlight, as aliens can spot the beam.
  ● The Scanner – You'll have a scanner at your disposal for detecting electronics and remotely activating systems, helping to distract enemies and overcome obstacles.
  ● The Messenger – Your messenger lets you communicate and strategize with crewmates while staying under the radar.
  ● The Wedge Tool – Made for opening doors… but as a last resort, can also be used as a weapon to temporarily stun enemies, giving you a chance to slip away and evade death.

   

Directive 8020 is coming to for PC (Steam), PS5 and Xbox Series X|S on October 2, 2025.