Halloween made its surprise debut at Gamescom 2025 during the Future Games Show, and it’s not just another asymmetrical slasher. This time, IllFonic is putting you in the mask of Michael Myers for a single-player story mode set in the iconic town of Haddonfield.
Halloween Game Reveal
Best known for multiplayer horror titles like Friday the 13th, Predator: Hunting Grounds, and Killer Klowns, IllFonic is switching things up. Halloween is still built around suspense and tension, but it’s leaning hard into single-player. That’s new territory for the studio, and they’re serious about it. They even brought in John Carpenter and Compass International Pictures to make sure they stayed true to the source material.
Set for release sometime in 2026, the game will launch on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. It’ll still have multiplayer options but it’s the solo experience that’s stealing the spotlight.
Gameplay: Play the Killer or the Prey
You can step into Michael Myers’ boots and stalk your way through Haddonfield, hunting civilians and cutting the town off from outside help. Or you can flip the script and play as those civilians, trying to save others while avoiding a silent, creeping death.
Built with Horror Fans in Mind
The atmosphere is where Halloween wants to hit hardest. IllFonic says they’ve nailed the look and feel of Haddonfield, recreating multiple maps with eerie authenticity and using a score inspired by the original film. They even brought in new AI engineers to give the single-player mode more depth, especially around how enemies and civilians react.
Why Single-Player Matters
In an interview with IGN, IllFonic’s Chief Creative Officer Jared Gerritzen explained why this project needed a solo mode. “Some people don’t play multiplayer,” he said. Simple as that. By offering a story-driven route, the studio hopes to reach more fans, especially those who love the Halloween universe but never touched Friday the 13th or Predator.
Gerritzen said they want Halloween to be “the total package”: a game that pulls players deeper into Michael Myers’ world, whether they prefer playing alone or jumping into multiplayer with friends. According to Design Director Jordan Mathewson, the game aims to recreate “the purest form of Halloween,” not just in look, but in feel.
What This Means for Horror Games
IllFonic making a single-player shift isn’t just about variety but it’s a calculated move to bring in players who usually skip online horror games. Gerritzen said they learned from Ghostbusters, where adding a solo option helped bring in fans who then warmed up to multiplayer.
With Halloween, that model could go even further. By pairing a faithful adaptation with modern mechanics and a real narrative arc, the game could give horror fans something they’ve been missing: a chance to live through Halloween night on their own terms.