Sony’s Until Dawn 2 announcement at the June 2026 State of Play put the sequel on PS5 for a 2027 release, with no PC date attached. PC players who replayed the Unreal Engine 5 remaster of the original last year are looking for what to play next, and the choice-driven horror category has grown into a real genre since 2015. Supermassive Games shipped six more entries in the formula they invented, Quantic Dream’s catalogue is now on Steam, and a few smaller studios picked up the format.
We ranked 7 Until Dawn alternatives for PC that are on Steam, finished, and built around the same core loop: a cast of characters, branching choices, quick-time events, and at least some of them probably dying. The list spans Supermassive’s own sequels, the older Quantic Dream catalogue, and the smaller takes on the genre worth playing while waiting on Until Dawn 2.
Why people want Until Dawn alternatives
The Unreal Engine 5 PC port of Until Dawn made the original game current again, but a replay only goes so far:
- Choices are memorised. After a couple of playthroughs, the QTE timings and the choice trees are known. The horror loses its weight when you can see the branches.
- One game is not enough. The genre as a whole is the answer — Supermassive’s catalogue alone has six more entries, each with its own setting and twist.
- The PS5 sequel is years away. Until Dawn 2 is dated for 2027 on PS5. Even an optimistic PC port pushes the date out further.
- The casts vary widely. Each entry’s writing and acting quality is its own thing. The genre rewards trying more than one.
Quick comparison
| Game | Best for | Price (approx.) | Until Dawn similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Quarry | Direct spiritual successor | Around $40 | Very high |
| The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan | Ghost ship horror with co-op | Around $30 | High |
| Heavy Rain | Adult choice-driven thriller | Around $20 | High |
| Detroit: Become Human | Branching sci-fi narrative | Around $30 | Very high |
| The Casting of Frank Stone | Dead by Daylight-tied horror | Around $40 | High |
| Life is Strange | Slower-paced choice drama | Around $20 | Medium |
| House of Ashes | Iraq War horror with co-op | Around $30 | High |
The 7 best Until Dawn alternatives on PC
The Quarry — best direct spiritual successor
The Quarry is the closest thing to a true Until Dawn sequel that exists. Same Supermassive Games studio, same teen-summer-camp setup, same branching choices and QTE structure, same “everyone can die or everyone can live” stakes. Released in 2022 to a positive reception, and several years of patches have ironed out the bugs that the launch had.
Where it falls short: The opening hours move slowly even by the genre’s standards. The cast is larger than Until Dawn’s and not every character lands.
Pricing:
- Around $40 standard, frequent sales below $20.
- vs Until Dawn: comparable price, longer story.
Migrating from Until Dawn: Everything transfers. Choice impact is similar. The Movie Mode and Death Rewind features add replay flexibility Until Dawn did not have.
Bottom line: Pick this first. If you played Until Dawn and want more of the same, this is the answer.
The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan — best ghost ship horror with co-op
The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan is the first entry in Supermassive’s Dark Pictures anthology, with the trademark feature the main series lacked: shared-story co-op. Two players online (or pass-the-controller locally) each control different characters, and choices made by one affect the other’s playthrough. The ghost ship setting is the right amount of haunted-house claustrophobic.
Where it falls short: Shorter than Until Dawn — a single playthrough runs 5 to 6 hours. The character development is lighter as a result.
Pricing:
- Around $30 standard, regular sales below $10.
- vs Until Dawn: cheaper, shorter, co-op option.
Migrating from Until Dawn: Same studio means familiar QTE conventions and dialogue choices. The co-op mode is the meaningful addition.
Bottom line: Pick this if a friend wants to play with you, and you both enjoyed Until Dawn.
Heavy Rain — best adult choice-driven thriller
Heavy Rain is Quantic Dream’s 2010 noir thriller, brought to PC in 2020 and still one of the highest-rated choice-driven games on Steam. Four playable characters tracking the Origami Killer, branching paths with permanent consequences, and an adult tone that Supermassive’s teen-horror catalogue tends to avoid. The action sequences are QTE-driven in the same lineage that Until Dawn followed.
Where it falls short: Pacing is slow by modern standards. Some QTE sequences are clunkier than later games in the genre. The story’s mystery has a couple of plot holes that fans still debate.
Pricing:
- Around $20 standard, frequent sales below $10.
- vs Until Dawn: significantly cheaper, more mature tone.
Migrating from Until Dawn: Tone shifts to noir thriller, but the core branching-choice structure is the same. The cast handover between Until Dawn’s teen cabin and Heavy Rain’s adult investigators is the largest adjustment.
Bottom line: Pick this if you want the genre’s foundational adult entry, and you can accept some 2010-era rough edges.
Detroit: Become Human — best branching sci-fi narrative
Detroit: Become Human is Quantic Dream’s most ambitious branching narrative. Three playable androids in a near-future Detroit, with branch points more numerous than any other game in this genre — failed playthroughs branch into completely different chapters, and the post-game flowchart shows how many endings you have not seen. The PC port is the best of the Quantic Dream catalogue on Steam.
Where it falls short: The political subtext is heavy-handed in places, and individual character arcs vary in writing quality. Some QTE sequences interrupt strong dramatic beats.
Pricing:
- Around $30 standard, frequent sales below $15.
- vs Until Dawn: cheaper, longer, deeper branching.
Migrating from Until Dawn: Genre shifts to sci-fi but the branching structure is the closest in concept. Replays reveal a much wider tree.
Bottom line: Pick this for the deepest branching structure in the genre, and accept the sci-fi setting.
The Casting of Frank Stone — best Dead by Daylight-tied horror
The Casting of Frank Stone is Supermassive’s 2024 horror set in the Dead by Daylight universe. Standalone story, original cast, but the Entity-realm lore from DBD threads through the narrative. The pacing is leaner than The Quarry’s, the body count is lower per playthrough but consequential, and the time-period jumps between the 1980s and the 2020s give the story room to breathe.
Where it falls short: Lower-budget production than The Quarry. The DBD tie-in lands better with players already familiar with the universe; newcomers can follow along but lose some context.
Pricing:
- Around $40 standard, on sale below $20.
- vs Until Dawn: comparable price, shorter playthrough.
Migrating from Until Dawn: Same studio, similar mechanics. The horror register is heavier; this is not a teen-slasher tribute.
Bottom line: Pick this if you want a more horror-focused Supermassive game, particularly if you already play Dead by Daylight.
Life is Strange — best slower-paced choice drama
Life is Strange is the genre adjacent to Until Dawn rather than directly comparable. Episodic, slower-paced, focused on character drama and small-town mystery rather than slasher horror, and built around a rewind-time mechanic that turns choice into experimentation. Five episodes, around 15 hours, and a story that has held up since 2015.
Where it falls short: No horror — the genre overlap is choice-driven narrative and consequences, not scares. The dialogue dates inconsistently.
Pricing:
- Around $20 for the original, the franchise has expanded to several sequels.
- vs Until Dawn: cheaper, longer, very different tone.
Migrating from Until Dawn: The narrative-choice structure transfers. The horror element does not. Treat it as a story-driven game that uses the same toolkit.
Bottom line: Pick this if you want choice-driven narrative without horror, and you have the patience for a slower opening.
House of Ashes — best Iraq War horror with co-op
House of Ashes is the Dark Pictures anthology entry set in the 2003 Iraq War. American soldiers and a captured insurgent find themselves trapped together in an ancient Sumerian temple full of creatures. The setting is the most distinctive of the anthology, the cast is well-acted, and the co-op shared-story mode is the same as Man of Medan’s.
Where it falls short: The creature design is the weakest part — what scares in act one becomes ordinary by act three. The military setting is divisive.
Pricing:
- Around $30 standard, frequent sales below $10.
- vs Until Dawn: cheaper, shorter, co-op available.
Migrating from Until Dawn: Same Supermassive conventions. The setting is the largest adjustment.
Bottom line: Pick this as a second Dark Pictures entry after Man of Medan, especially if the war-horror crossover appeals.
How to choose
Pick The Quarry if you want one game that delivers the Until Dawn experience again, expanded. Pick The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan if you want shared-story co-op with a friend. Pick Heavy Rain for the adult thriller foundation of the genre, or Detroit: Become Human for the deepest branching tree.
Pick The Casting of Frank Stone for a heavier horror register from the same studio. Pick Life is Strange if you want the choice-driven structure without horror. Pick House of Ashes for a distinctive Dark Pictures setting after you have played Man of Medan.
Wait for Until Dawn 2 on PS5 in 2027 if no PC alternative scratches the itch and Sony’s history of PC ports gives you reasonable optimism on the port window. Most players will be better served by playing through The Quarry, then dipping into the Dark Pictures anthology, then circling back to Quantic Dream’s catalogue.
FAQ
Is Until Dawn 2 coming to PC?
Sony announced Until Dawn 2 at the June 2026 State of Play with a 2027 release window for PS5. No PC release has been announced. Based on the original Until Dawn’s PC release pattern, expect a PC port within one to two years of the PS5 launch.
What is the best Until Dawn alternative on PC?
The Quarry is the closest Until Dawn alternative on PC — same studio, same teen-horror structure, comparable production values. The Dark Pictures Anthology entries (Man of Medan, House of Ashes, The Devil in Me) are the right pick for co-op. Detroit: Become Human is the right pick for deeper branching narratives.
Can I play Until Dawn alternatives in co-op?
Yes, the Dark Pictures Anthology entries (Man of Medan, Little Hope, House of Ashes, The Devil in Me) all support shared-story co-op online and locally. Each player controls different characters in the same playthrough. The Quarry has a couch co-op pass-the-controller mode but not the same online shared-story format.
How long does a choice-driven horror game take to finish?
The Quarry runs around 10 hours for a single playthrough. The Dark Pictures Anthology entries are around 5 to 6 hours each. Heavy Rain and Detroit: Become Human are 10 to 15 hours. Replays for different endings can easily double those numbers — the genre rewards multiple playthroughs.
What is the difference between Until Dawn and The Quarry?
Both are made by Supermassive Games with the same core mechanics. The Quarry has a larger cast (nine playable characters), a longer story, a Movie Mode for non-interactive playthroughs, and a Death Rewind feature that lets you replay the moment after a character dies. Until Dawn’s atmosphere is tighter; The Quarry’s structure is more flexible.
