‘Sally, I hear something… stop… stop…’
Adapted from Tobe Hooper’s magnificent 1974 picture,The Texas Chain Saw Massacrewill pit a party of hapless survivors — all hippie hair and booty shorts — againstthe terrifying Sawyer family, consisting of members either directly pulled from, or inspired by, Hooper’s seminal horror classic.
The survivors, (or “Victims” to use the game’s lexicon), will be required to complete objectives and gather key items from several recognizable locales while staying one step ahead of family members The Cook, The Hitchhiker, and, of course, the horrifying, chainsaw-wielding Leatherface. All new original characters, including “Johnny” and“Sissy”, have also been created to… flesh out the roster of cannibalistic killers.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacreis clearly hoping to carve itself a piece of the assymetrical horror pie established by titles such as Behavior Interactive’sDead by Daylightand Illfonic’s Friday the 13th: The Game. These releases were, in turn, followed by Illfonic ownPredator: Hunting Grounds,Saber Interactive’sEvil Dead: The Game,and the currently in-developmentKiller Klowns from Outer Space.
chainsaw revving noises do you guys hear that too?@txchainsawgameis coming Day 1 to Game Passpic.twitter.com/jJVAm0cVen
— Xbox Game Pass (@XboxGamePass)June 24, 2025
It’s admittedly something of a risky proposition, given thatDead by Daylighthas all but completely cornered the market on multiplayer horror movie mashups, but developer Sumo Digital will be looking to capture the distinct (and suspicious) flavor of the original movie to provide an experience that — aesthetically at the very least — will be quite unlike its contemporaries.
My curiosity for this plucky release is piqued, just add Stretch as a playable character, (complete with Caroline Williams providing the voice), and I’ll be buzzin’. I think, for the title to have legs among its kin, it might have to paint itself as a full tribute to the entire franchise, eventually adding locations, characters, and “skins” (no pun intended) from the film’s scattershot sequels, spin-offs, and remakes.
But I’m perhaps jumping the gun a little. Let’s get the title through the steel-shuttered door first.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacrelaunches August 18 on PS5, PC, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Game Pass. A“technical test”is currently scheduled for May 25.
