“So much flesh, so many different pleasures.” – Pinhead
Saber Interactive and Boss Team Games have released a demo of Hellraiser: Revival on Steam. Before we get into our first thoughts of the demo, let’s bring you up to speed on what’s been going on.
In July of 2025 Saber Interactive teased and then announced they were releasing a first person, narratively driven horror game set in the Hellraiser Universe. This was met with the obvious concerns due to the graphic nature of the source material. But to ease that suffering, they also announced that the Hell Priest himself, Doug Bradley is back to voice the horror icon. A month later we got a glimpse of what sights they wanted to show us. Things looked promising, the game looked just as brutal and unforgiving as the films. And just like Frank Cotton, WE WANTED MORE.
Then things went relatively quiet. Preorders were available, but no release date. Fans worried over the fact that Saber couldn’t solve the puzzle box and maybe the game would be cancelled, or worse, a mere shell of what it was meant to be.
But then a year after their first announcement, Both Saber Interactive and Boss Team Games shocked us all and finally gave us a release date. October of 2026, we can seek out the pleasures ourselves and welcome in the glorious suffering.
This brings us to now. Earlier this week, Saber and Boss Team surprise dropped a demo for Revival. Could we finally get a game that is worthy of the Hellraiser name? Why not follow me into the abyss and we can find out together.
First and foremost, for this to be a true Hellraiser experience, there has to be certain criteria and boxes checked off the list. To anyone unfamiliar with The Hellbound Heart, or even The Scarlet Gospels, Hellraiser has always been about desire. The desire to always want and have more. This usually leads to sex, pain, BDSM, and many other things.
The game wastes little time confirming this by showing the lead character Aiden and his girlfriend Sunny engaging in such pleasures. This is when Sunny decides to use the infamous Lament Configuration in the bedroom fun and the box can feel her desire. Small electrical surges further excite the couple, but also invite a more sinister outcome. Her desire solves the puzzle, and a door to the abyss opens. They opened the box, and the cenobites came.
I won’t spoil too much of what happens after that, so you can witness it for yourselves. But I am VERY happy to report, it was one hundred percent Hellrasier. You only witness the divine gifts from The Hell Priest for a second, but everything that should happen, do happen. Jesus wept. IYKYK.
Gameplay and story are pretty straight forward. In the demo Aiden is taken by a cult called The Scarlet Church that worships the Order of the Gash. They know you used the box, they know you activated its power. Power they want. Naked and terrified, Aiden must find a way out of this compound and try to save Sonny from the pain she asked for.
The combat and gunplay are solid. I came across different weapons, like bats, knives, and machettes. Most melee weapons degrade over time, but there was a way to fix them with kits. I came across a leather clad cult member with a shotgun,and after killing him his gun disappeared. Which was odd, I should have been able to use that weapon. But that’s a minor issue. There is a nice mechanic that allows you to dodge an attack, leaving your opponent open. But timing is important to not leave yourself open by missing the attack.
There wasn’t much in terms of puzzles in the demo. Just typical item hunting and placing them in the correct slots. So I’m curious if this game will have some real brain twisters, since it’s all based off of a puzzle box that doesn’t open for everyone,
You do come across Chatterer, and he is absolutely terrifying. He makes Nemesis from Resident Evil look like a puppy, which makes me even more excited.
FINAL WORD
Overall, this demo answered a lot of the concerns we had. The game is filled with blood, gore, sex and just… Hellrasier. We can’t wait to experience the pain and pleasure, indivisible.
Hellraiser: Revival releases on October 8th, 2026 on Playstation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC