Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival is out now, and the man who created the series has given it his seal of approval. The single-player survival horror action game from Saber Interactive and Boss Team Games launched last week (October 8th) on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2. A few days later, Clive Barker told Dread Central that he was blown away by how the game turned out.
"I think for the audience that loves Hellraiser and horror video games this will be a knockout," Barker said in the interview, which went up earlier this week (October 14th). He was even more direct when summing up his feelings, saying, "I'm proud as f*** at the end result." For anyone who has not seen the game in motion yet, here is a look at it through Saber's official gameplay overview trailer:
How Hellraiser: Revival Plays
Revival is played in first person and tells a brand new story in the Hellraiser canon. Players take control of Aidan, who has to use a mysterious puzzle box called the Genesis Configuration to help his girlfriend Sunny escape the Labyrinth. Along the way, he unwittingly kickstarts a ritual by Pinhead and has to fight his way through the Scarlet Church, a cult devoted to the Cenobites.
Combat is built around three pieces: melee weapons, firearms, and the powers of the Genesis Configuration. The box can hurl objects at enemies and set them on fire, and as players gather Suffering from the enemies they hurt, they can eventually unleash the infamous Hell Chains. Saber has said players will need to dodge attacks, scavenge for ammo and healing, lay down traps, and barter for upgrades to stay alive against Cultists, Runners, Bursters, the Unworthy, and other creatures.
Resources are scarce and melee weapons wear down over time, which keeps the game closer to survival horror than a straight action shooter. Stealth is optional for most encounters, but it becomes mandatory when a Cenobite shows up, since those fights are less about winning and more about getting away. Chatterer, for example, can teleport in front of Aidan as he tries to run, and players have to work out which path he cannot follow.
The Puzzle Box Does More Than Fight
The Genesis Configuration is also the key to most of the game's puzzles. In one area, players use it to rotate a giant wheel that realigns walkways in a room full of spikes. In another, three gates can only be opened by returning missing pieces to statues and then twisting the box into the right shape to act as a key. Mad Head Games, the Saber studio that worked on the game, comes from a background in adventure and hidden object games, and the team carried that experience over into Revival's puzzle design.
There are more traditional survival horror touches too, like lock picking and safe combinations that hand out crafting resources, ammo, upgrades, and even new weapons. "And you have to manage your inventory in a similar way to the Resident Evil games," Mad Head Games' Vid Rajin told the PlayStation Blog ahead of launch. He also estimated that the campaign takes around 8 to 12 hours, depending on difficulty and skill.
Doug Bradley Is Back As Pinhead
The biggest draw for longtime fans is Doug Bradley, who returns to voice Pinhead for the first time in nearly two decades. Saber and Boss Team Games first revealed the game back in July 2025, with Saber CEO Matthew Karch saying at the time, "Hellraiser is the quintessential horror franchise, and lends itself perfectly to a video game." Barker served as a guiding hand on the story from the start.
Barker had nothing but praise for Bradley's performance. "Doug is Pinhead and Pinhead is Doug," he said. "They occupy the same space. He does a wonderful job and I would have hated to see anyone else in that role." The two have been friends since Bradley was 14, and they worked in theater together for years before the first Hellraiser film in 1987.
Barker Expected A Tamer Game
Barker admitted he went into the project with one real worry. "I was fearful at one point that the game would be overly censored but I'm genuinely astonished by how far they've been able to push it," he said. He also credited Boss Team Games for bringing him in, saying, "The folks at Boss Team Games were kind enough to ask me. I was passionate about doing this and astonished by the quality of the content."
In the second part of the interview, published the following day (October 15th), Barker called the game "a wake-up call to anyone who's been involved in the making of a franchise like Hellraiser." He also said he is looking forward to working with the team again on other projects. The official Hellraiser: Revival account marked launch day with this post:
Editions And Collector's Edition Updates
On Steam, the standard edition costs $39.99 and the Deluxe Edition costs $49.99, while a free demo covering the prologue and part of Episode 1 is still available. Player reviews on Steam are sitting at Very Positive, with 94% of more than 3,400 reviews coming in positive at the time of writing.
Boss Team Games also sold physical Collector's Editions, which include an exclusive version of the Hellraiser puzzle box with an illumination effect inspired by the game and a statue to display it on. The company has been fielding questions about those orders since launch. "Everyone who purchased a Hellraiser: Revival Collector's Edition should please check their email using the account tied to the order," Boss Team Games posted on X the day after release, adding that it is sending daily updates and tracking information.
Have you jumped into Hellraiser: Revival yet, or is Barker's praise the push you needed to finally open the box?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.