Directive 8020 – Highly Anticipated Sequel in Dark Anthology Series Coming First Half of 2026
Get ready, horror nerds! The highly anticipated next game in the Dark Anthology series, Directive 8020, will be released in the first half of 2026. The game was first teased in the last Dark Anthology game, The Devil in Me, which was released in 2022, through a premonition cutscene that showed a bit of the game off. It was definitely confusing, but fans understood that it was a teaser for the next game in the series.
Directive 8020 has experienced many delays since the teaser, but Supermassive Games has finally announced a release time frame for this year. Here’s all we know about the release of the next game in the Dark Anthology series, and what we should expect at launch.
Directive 8020 Gameplay, Plot, and More
Supermassive Games’ Dark Anthology series has become wildly popular for its unique gameplay style, where every single choice you make changes the outcome of events in the game. Modeled after Supermassive Games’ first game, Until Dawn, the Dark Anthology series is a collection of games with the same concept of how each choice you make matters. Directive 8020 is no different; however, this story takes us to space.
Directive 8020 is a sci-fi body horror game that takes inspiration from John Carpenter’s The Thing. In this story, Earth is dying. Tau Ceti f is humanity’s only hope to find another planet to sustain life, so the colony ship Cassiopeia is sent out, but it crashes, and soon the crew finds themselves facing off against an alien organism that can mimic anyone it inhabits. Directive 8020 is not only inspired by John Carpenter’s The Thing, but also by other films, like Aliens, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and Event Horizon.
Creative director Will Dolye explains the reason for such a big shift in genre, and making a sci-fi body horror-inspired game. From what Dolye says, many fans of the series wanted to see a game inspired by The Thing, stating, “We had the fans saying to us way back since Man of Medan, ‘oh make The Thing’, make The Thing’. So, it fit really, really well.” This installment of the series is a highly anticipated horror game this year, and fans can’t wait for its release.
Release Window
Though an official release date has yet to be revealed, Supermassive Games announced that Directive 8020 will release in the first half of 2026. Directive 8020 was originally supposed to be released in October 2025; however, after several layoffs at Supermassive Games, the game was delayed into the next year. It wasn’t specified outright, but many people believe the layoffs were a pretty big reason for the delay. Here’s the full message from Supermassive Games posted on their website:
“We’ve made the decision to move the launch of Directive 8020 to the first half of 2026.”
“The reaction to the game so far has been incredible, and we believe that taking a bit more time will help us deliver the very best experience for you all.”
“Everyone at Supermassive is deeply grateful for your patience and ongoing support. We can’t wait for you to board the Cassiopeia.”
The demo release at Gamescom 2025 definitely showed how much fans have supported the series for years. Since the last game, The Devil in Me, was released well over 4 years ago, fans have been waiting patiently for any kind of new information on this newest installment, and people have such high hopes for it. Directive 8020 is scheduled to be released in the first half of 2026, and we should expect a release date within the next couple of months.
