The Dark Pictures Anthology Ranked From Best to Worst

Saying you’re into horror is a bit like stating an interest in pizza – for dedicated fans, you’re going to need to be a bit more specific. Napolese or Chicago, slasher or gothic? Fortunately, Supermassive Games’ Dark Pictures Anthology was designed to cater to all macabre tastes. The cinematic collection of narrative horror games already boasts terrors at sea, folktale mystery, B-movie monster escapades, and more. But which is the best, and where should you start if you’re new to the series?

Below, we’ve ranked all The Dark Pictures Anthology games from best to worst. Their placement comes based on their quality and our personal tastes for spooks and scares. And for those new to the games or more particular about their terror tastes, you’ll also find a bit of information on the genre of horror that each game covers.

A quick spoiler note: We’ve done our best to keep explicit spoilers to a minimum in case you’ve yet to play each game, but in commenting on where each title excels or fails, some details of the narratives and characters are covered.

1. House of Ashes

A woman wades through a thick black liquid holding up a torch. She moves toward a carved statue of a winged humanoid monster — ©Supermassive Games

Order of release: 3rd
Genres: Ancient evils, monsters, vampires, B-movie
Length: ~ 6 hours

The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes comfortably holds the series top spot in our estimations. The setting is brilliant, as clashing US and Iraqi forces find themselves tumbling into, and then trapped within, an ancient Sumerian ruin. It soon becomes apparent that a threat to them all lurks within the darkness, but both international and personal relationships strain any hope of cooperation.

Torch-lit ancient ruins and monsters dashing between shadows make for spectacular visuals. There’s a classic horror flare to House of Ashes that we adored. But where it really excels is through its excellent cast. Iraqi soldier Salim alone is worth the price of entry. He’s easily the most loveable character the series has produced, and it’s almost impossible to root against his initially hostile encounters with bigoted soldiers like Jason eventually bonding into a brilliant brotherhood.

The tail end of the story dives far further into B-Movie monster action than any other Dark Pictures entry. If, like us, you’re into that, then it’s a glorious crescendo that’ll have a room of players erupting into screams and cheers in equal measure. But if you’re seeking terror with roots more firmly founded in reality, House of Ashes may not be for you.

House of Ashes was also the first game in The Dark Pictures Anthology to introduce difficulty levels for players. This makes it possible for those less experienced with game controllers to join a shared game night without guaranteeing their character a grisly early exit. Thankfully, both Little Hope and Man of Medan’s next-gen upgrades brought this function to the older games as well.

A worries woman's face and a stone statue are visible inside a skull with fangs

The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes

Release Date: October 22, 2021

2. The Devil in Me

Five figures sit around a dinner table in a rich room with wine glasses — ©Supermassive Games

Order of release: 4th
Genres: Serial killers, death traps, slasher
Length: ~ 7 hours

It was a close call between The Devil in Me and prior entry Little Hope, but the fourth addition to The Dark Pictures Anthology just snagged the upper spot thanks to its better-defined characters and slightly longer runtime. The story here follows a frayed documentary team who receive an invite to a recreation of infamous serial killer H. H. Holmes’ murder hotel. Quelle surprise, they soon find themselves locked inside and fighting for their lives.

For those into Saw-style traps, jump scares, and twisted life-or-death choices, The Devil in Me’s first half is a delight. Shifting corridors and death chambers abound, though here your choices and reactions almost always offer an avenue out of a grisly fate – provided you can keep your composure. There are some smart decisions with regards to items and behaviors to be made here, and in ways that feel more logical to the player.

The Devil in Me’s main downfall is that the mystery of the antagonist really doesn’t hold up for long. As such, much of your exploration reveals little revelation. The latter stages also shift focus into a Michael Myers-esque slasher. It’s still highly enjoyable but draws attention away from the excellent hotel locale for longer than we’d like.

A frightened woman, a man with an axe, and a hotel are visible inside a skull

The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me

Release Date: November 18, 2022

3. Little Hope

A young man crouches down to look at a stick figure on a dark street. — ©Supermassive Games

Order of release: 2nd
Genres: Folk, witchcraft, monster, psychological
Length: ~ 5 hours

The Dark Pictures Anthology’s second entry, Little Hope, marks an impressive step up in quality from the first. This folk horror tale with a psychological spin tracks a group of students and their professor after a bus crash leaves them stranded in the woodland town of Little Hope. Dogged by visions and monstrosities from the witchcraft trials of the town’s notorious past, they must face their fears, and figure out why those in their glimpses of the past look suspiciously like their own reflections.

Little Hope’s time-linked mystery generates immediate intrigue, and some of its core, witchy monsters are spine-shudderingly spooky during your tense encounters. It’s a great premise with some excellent segments. But it also feels hindered at times by bizarre tonal shifts in personalities and line deliveries, especially in the early sections. Depending on character outcomes, the pacing can also feel a touch odd, though Little Hope really kicks into gear during the middle and second half as dangers and characters begin to converge. The resolution certainly won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but Little Hope delivers a decidedly distinct story from the other entries in the anthology.

A man's face and a stick figure above a fire and small girl are visible within a skull over a map of a village

The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope

Release Date: October 29, 2020

4. Man of Medan

A man in glasses, a polo shirt and shorts shines a torch down a grimy ship corridor — ©Supermassive Games

Order of release: 1st
Genres: Ghost ship, hostage, paranormal
Length: ~ 4 hours

Man of Medan is the opening entry to The Dark Pictures Anthology, so it shouldn’t really be a surprise that it comes with the most teething issues. The horror catalog’s first tale covers a group of scuba-diving tourists who are kidnapped by pirates and taken aboard a mysterious ghost ship. On this vacant vessel, paranormal elements begin to toy with the minds of all involved.

To put it bluntly, Man of Medan is the only game on this list that we have little interest in returning to – even after the next-gen upgrade introduced a new chapter. The core story is definitely worth experiencing once, and there are a handful of seriously stressful sequences including the iconic Sailor Girl ghost and a fight under a precarious cargo door. But the nature of the narrative means it doesn’t really hold up to a second run, and there’s little return interest in terms of branching paths. Worse still, the lead cast are largely unlikable or, worse, entirely forgettable. Unless you’re a particular fan of the ghost ship premise, Man of Medan is unlikely to make for a favorite entry. That said, it’s still well worth running through to complete The Dark Pictures anthology.

A scared man's face and a ship are visible inside a skull over a map

The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan

Release Date: August 29, 2019

Still hungry for scares? Try the Quarry and Until Dawn
All caught up on The Dark Pictures Anthology and desperate for more deadly drama? Supermassive Games’ Until Dawn and The Quarry should definitely be your next petrifying ports of call. Both are far larger and longer than anything in The Dark Pictures Anthology, so be prepared for at least a couple of play sessions to get through them with a group.
Until Dawn is the release that defined the studio’s entire genre of horror games. It follows an ill-fated friendship reunion in a snowy mountaintop chalet. It’s easily one of the scariest and toughest of Supermassive’s releases, and got the remake treatment around Halloween 2024 to bring it closer in line visually with the studio’s newer games.
The Quarry, by contrast, is a campier affair, and we mean that quite literally! A group of camp counselors stick around for one night too many and are soon fighting for their lives during encounters with werewolves and a shady local family. It’s indulgently tropey and often quite silly, leaning toward B-movie horror and gore over Until Dawn’s genuine scares. Ideal for raucous group gatherings.

Upcoming: Directive 8020

After a few years of developmental break, the next game in The Dark Pictures Anthology is set to release in 2025. And with a setting that takes a far greater leap into the future. Much to the delight of sci-fi nerds like us, Directive 8020 plays out on a colony ship searching for a new planet during Earth’s dying days. But the crew encounters alien life far more advanced and insidious than they had prepared for.

With human-mimicking alien menaces stalking the ship corridors, Directive 8020 looks like it’ll take the fear and distrust of John Carpenter’s The Thing, and pair it with the lonely darkness of space. It could make for quite the combination.