Directive 8020 brings Supermassive Games’ signature brand of cinematic horror into a more action-heavy, survival-horror-flavoured space. The studio has always had a knack for tense choices, grisly consequences, and making you deeply suspicious of every dark corridor, but this time, that familiar formula is heading into sci-fi territory.
So, we’ve rounded up the best games like Directive 8020, from choice-driven horror stories to sci-fi scares, lurking threats, and games where everything can go horribly wrong very, very quickly.
Silent Hill f is an exceptional entry in one of horror’s most beloved series, and a great pick if what you’re after is lurking terror, unsettling imagery, and a story packed with twists and turns. You take control of Hinako as she explores her hometown, now swallowed by a strange fog that has warped everything into something deeply unpleasant. It’s eerie, stylish, and deeply unnerving, which makes it an easy recommendation for anyone after a strong dose of psychological horror.
Alien: Isolation is the perfect game if you want to spend every waking second fearing for your digital life. You play as Amanda Ripley, skulking through dark corridors and trying to survive while a relentless Xenomorph stalks you from the shadows. The game uses plenty of clever tricks to make sure you never feel safe for long, and while you’re desperately trying to stay alive, you’re also uncovering the truth about what happened to your mother. Lovely stuff, really, if your idea of lovely is constant terror.
The Quarry is all about trying to keep yourself and a group of teenage counsellors alive in the very classic horror setup of a summer camp gone horribly wrong. It’s packed with choices, grisly outcomes, and the kind of “please don’t go into the dark woods alone” moments that make Supermassive’s games so much fun. It’s also playable with others, which adds a nice bit of chaos to the whole thing. Really, this is our stand-in for Supermassive’s wider catalogue, because if you want something like Directive 8020, it makes sense to start with another game from the same developer.
Resident Evil Requiem is another strong choice from a long-running survival horror series, and it delivers that familiar mix of tension, action, and deeply unpleasant monsters. This one puts you in control of Grace Ashcroft and Leon S. Kennedy as they try to survive the horrors connected to the Umbrella Corporation. It’s a great pick if you like your horror with a bit more firepower, a lot of stress, and the occasional moment where you realise you probably should have saved those bullets.
Prey fits the bill nicely because it’s creepy, clever, and set in space, which is a pretty good starting point when looking for something in the same general orbit as Directive 8020. It’s also just a stunning game all-around, with a fantastic concept and loads of ways to approach its many problems using your growing set of strange tools and abilities. Also, sometimes mugs come to life and try to eat you, and frankly, there just aren’t enough games willing to commit to that bit. Then again, almost anything in Prey could be an alien, so you’re better off trusting absolutely nothing.
Quantic Dream games can be a little divisive, and Detroit: Become Human has moments where it lays things on a bit thick, but it’s still an excellent game if you want choice-driven storytelling with a sci-fi edge. It explores advanced androids, personhood, and what it means to be alive, all while giving you plenty of decisions that can send the story in different directions. It’s also a beautiful game to explore, and if you want to feel like every choice you make matters, this is still one of the better options out there.
We’re finishing up with probably the biggest curveball on the list. Sherlock Holmes The Awakened comes from Frogwares, which means there’s plenty of investigating to do, a story that pulls you along, and, in this case, a thick layer of horror and tension. You take control of Mr Holmes himself as he dives into a mystery far stranger than his usual cases, with the Cthulhu Mythos creeping in and making everyone involved question absolutely everything they know. It might not seem like an obvious match at first, but if you’re here for mystery, dread, and a story that keeps getting weirder, it absolutely earns its place.
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