Directive 8020

Directive 8020 is an upcoming interactive drama and survival horror game from Supermassive Games, the fifth entry in The Dark Pictures series. The story follows the crew of the colony spaceship Cassiopeia, which crash-lands on the planet Tau Ceti f, located 12 light-years from Earth. Stranded there, the survivors must contend with a shapeshifting alien that can mimic their appearances. As of 2025, no official release date has been confirmed, and no lead actress has been announced. The title is expected to launch for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S.

The game’s plot is multilinear, with player decisions significantly altering the story’s direction and the relationships among the crew. Some choices can permanently kill characters. Details on specific gameplay systems, such as Turning Points or Destinies, have not been officially confirmed. Critical reception is not yet available, as the game has not been released.

**Gameplay**

Directive 8020 is a third-person interactive drama and survival horror game. Players control the Cassiopeia’s crew—who were meant to survey Tau Ceti f from orbit for a colony ship arriving six months later. Earth is dying, making the planet humanity’s last hope, but the Cassiopeia crashes on Tau Ceti f after the crew is prematurely awakened from hypersleep. The game is split into episodes, each about an hour long. To build tension, most chapters include flashforwards showing characters in future life-or-death situations. There are a handful of optional objectives tied to the branching narrative, which may depend on earlier decisions or introduce new consequences.

Quick time events return from earlier series entries, but the game also includes live combat to heighten danger. The focus is not on fighting the aliens but on evading them through stealth, since players lack weapons. Players must stay quiet in shadows to avoid detection. Supermassive calls this “threatening exploration,” a mechanic where characters can be killed if caught.