Game: Playable Archive
Developer: DarkStone Digital
Publisher: DreadXP
Release: Out now (October 26, 2026)
Price: Free
Platforms: PC (Steam)
Length: 30–60 minutes
Genre: Found-footage psychological horror
Content note: the developers warn that the game contains strong language, violence, murder and references to the occult.
📼 Playable Archive is out now, and it’s completely free on Steam. Brian Clarke, the creator of The Mortuary Assistant, and publisher DreadXPshadowdropped the micro-horror experience just in time for Halloween. It runs 30–60 minutes, but there’s no save system, so play it in one sitting.
📹 Review With Caution
An archive from an anonymous whistleblower has surfaced, containing unexplainable events. A young couple begins their first home remodel, but while demolishing the dilapidated house, they stumble on pieces of its hidden past, awakening something set in motion long ago.
Steady your handheld camera, perform demonic rituals, communicate with the dead and experience multiple timelines. The only hope of survival is decoding the mysteries revealed through time. And if you begin to experience unexplainable events around yourself or loved ones, please report them to your local field office.
Some walls are thick for a reason.
Halloween came early for horror fans this week. DarkStone Digital, the studio behind The Mortuary Assistant, has released Playable Archive, a free, self-contained psychological horror experience inspired by and paying tribute to the found footage subgenre. It’s a rare chance to play the core vision of a game that was cancelled, and it comes from a developer we’ve been following for a while, from his Mortuary Assistant Definitive Update to the reveal of Paranormal Activity: Threshold.
A Cancelled Game, Preserved
If the found-footage angle sounds familiar, there’s a reason. In May, Paranormal Activity: Threshold, Clarke’s licensed take on the horror franchise, was cancelled. Clarke said the game needed more development time, and when Paramount declined to extend development, he chose to end the project rather than release a rushed version. Neither the press release nor the Steam page names the project, but Dread Central reports that Playable Archive comes from that cancelled Paranormal Activity game.
The full-scale game will never be released, and plenty of what was planned was left on the cutting room floor. According to Clarke’s launch post, it was DreadXP that suggested releasing the unfinished project, and he reworked and polished it into something people could actually play.
“Releasing Playable Archive is really exciting, and it feels like some form of personal healing. After working for so long on something I cared so much about, it felt wrong to leave it sitting on the shelf like some cursed item. Although the full-scale game this demo was built for will never see the light of day and many pieces of it had to be left on the cutting room floor, I feel like it’s important to honor what was built.”
Brian Clarke, owner of DarkStone Digital
What’s in the Archive
🔨 1. The Remodel
A couple’s first fixer-upper, locked doors, piles of boxes and a wall that’s far too thick.
📼 2. The Tapes
Camcorder footage and recordings reveal what happened in the house, across more than one timeline.
🕯️ 3. The Ritual
Symbols, offerings and demonic rituals. Every time you reach out, the connection grows stronger.
👁️ 4. The Contact
Something in the house doesn’t want to be controlled, and it’s not afraid to show it.
📈 Very Positive and Already Patched
Playable Archive is sitting at Very Positive on Steam from its first 177 reviews. A day after launch, Clarke pushed a small hotfix that adds look sensitivity sliders in response to player feedback, adds a couple of missing controller binds (including the flashlight), and improves inventory responsiveness. He says it’s likely the only update the game will get, apart from fixes for anything game-breaking, as he focuses on new work.
⚠️ Before You Hit Record
There’s no save system, so set aside up to an hour. Controller support wasn’t a focus for such a short experience, so mouse and keyboard is the way to play. It’s English only (full audio and subtitles), and Steam hasn’t rated it for Steam Deck yet.
Playable Archive at a Glance
Genre
Psychological horror · found footage · puzzle · exploration
📅 Out Now · Free on Steam
Turn off the lights and press play: Playable Archive is free on Steam right now. For DarkStone Digital’s next haunt, follow @DSDigitalDev.
Hi there! I’m Marie, also known as CtrlQueen. I’m passionate about keeping up with the latest in gaming news and sharing my insights. RPGs steal my heart with their rich narratives and immersive worlds, but I also love unwinding with fun, casual games. Whether you’re here for deep dives into game mechanics or just to chat about your favorite casual game, you’ve found the right place! Let’s game and explore together.
