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These Are the Horror Games of May
A brand new month can only mean one thing, and that’s another handy release schedule so you know exactly what to expect. The deluge of horror gaming goodness we’ve been enjoying since January lightens up considerably this month, but that’s a good thing, because it means you’ll have precious extra time to finish some of the numerous spooky scary video games that arrived in April.
Let’s take a look at what’s ahead of us in May.
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood
Two months ago, Bethesda announced Wolfenstein: The Old Blood, a standalone prequel to Wolfenstein: The New Order. It’s not a horror game in the traditional sense, but it will dip its toe into the franchise’s roots in the supernatural and the occult. So look out for zombies.
Release Date: May 5 (PC, PS4, XBO)
Mortal Kombat X – Jason Voorhees
I spent some of my weekend roaming the Krypt in Mortal Kombat X in an effort to unlock all of its secrets. The fact that I’m still playing, and enjoying, this game should be a testament to how great it is. I might not be able to play on a difficulty higher than Normal without getting my ass handed to me, but that’s only because I don’t have the right tool.
Next week will see the addition of Jason Voorhees to its roster, and I suspect that lovable killing machine is the exact right tool I need to send my opponents packing.
Release Date: May 5 (PC, PS4, XBO)
Malebolgia
Malebolgia released on Steam Early Access last December, and this month it’s scheduled to release in full on Steam. That’s not a bad turnaround time for Valve’s platform, especially when compared to other spooky Early Access offerings like The Forest, which have been steadily evolving in the early release program for considerably longer.
Release Date: May 6 (PC)
The Last of Us: Left Behind
The Last of Us’ excellent solo chapter, Left Behind, will soon be available as a standalone game. So if you’re like me and you never played it, your excuses for not doing so are about to run out. Some of it runs concurrently with the events in the main game, but I’ve heard the best parts come when it dives into the past. If you’re a fan of Ellie, you won’t want to miss this.
Release Date: May 12 (PS3, PS4)
Monstrum
Team Junkfish is taking their survival horror scavenger hunt game Monstrum out of Steam Early Access on May 20. Check out my review of it for an idea of what to expect, but keep in mind that it’s seen quite a lot of changes since I last played it back in February.
Release Date: May 20 (PC)
The Evil Within: The Executioner
In the third and final bit of DLC we’ll be getting for The Evil Within, we finally get to play as the Keeper — otherwise known as that weird guy who likes hammers and wearing a safe on his head. This expansion promises an experience that will be completely unlike what we’ve seen before. I’m as nervous of how it’ll turn out as I am excited to play it.
Release Date: May 26 (PC, PS3, PS4, 360, XBO)
Quadrant: Chapter One
The makers of the indie horror game Quadrant had to push back the release window for its first chapter, which is tentatively scheduled to hit Steam later this month. Here’s to hoping they were able to remedy those technical issues.
Release Date: May 26 (Steam Early Access)
Dying Light – The Bozak Horde
After a few months of incremental updates, Dying Light will receive its first major DLC — The Bozak Horde — on May 26.
Release Date: May 26 (PC, PS4, XBO)
Homesick
After going silent for almost too long, the indie horror adventure game Homesick is back with a release date of May 28.
Release Date: May 28 (PC)
Sam Neill, the New Zealand actor best known for his role in 1993’s Jurassic Park, has passed away this week at 78 years old. In a statement shared on Neill’s Instagram page this morning, the actor’s family said that his passing was “sudden and unexpected.”
Neill had been diagnosed with a rare blood cancer in 2022, but stated the following year that he was in remission. The family notes that he “remained cancer free” at the time of his passing.
The family statement reads, “It is with immense sadness that the whānau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July, in Sydney Australia. Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life. The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer free.
“They would like to express their deepest gratitude to the staff at St Vincent’s Private Hospital for their incredible care. More details will be shared later, but for now, on behalf of the family, we ask that you respect their privacy as they navigate this immeasurable loss.”
In addition to his iconic role as Dr. Alan Grant in the original Jurassic Park and the sequels Jurassic Park III and Jurassic World: Dominion, Sam Neill left an indelible mark on the horror genre with memorable roles in Andrzej Żuławski’s Possession, The Omen: The Final Conflict, John Carpenter’s In the Mouth of Madness, and sci-fi horror favorite Event Horizon.
Sam Neill’s vast resume in film and television began in the early 1970s and also includes the films Sleeping Dogs, Enigma, The Good Wife, A Cry in the Dark, Dead Calm, The Hunt for Red October, Memoirs of an Invisible Man, Hostage, The Jungle Book, Snow White: A Tale of Terror, The Horse Whisperer, Bicentennial Man, Daybreakers, Escape Plan, and Thor: Ragnarok.
Sam Neill is survived by his four children and eight grandchildren.
Steven Spielberg said in a statement to Variety, “I owe a debt of gratitude to Roger Donaldson, Gilliam Armstrong, Graham Baker and Phillip Noyce for casting Sam Neill in the roles in which he was so brilliant that brought him to my attention and led to his playing Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park. Sam was exceptionally collaborative. It was a stretch for him to play a character who acted as though children were messy and smelly because this was the opposite of the loving father he was to his children. I adored making all the Jurassic movies with him.”
Spielberg adds, “Along with Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, we will always have our Jurassic family and Sam will never be forgotten by us or his many millions of fans around the world.”
Sam Neill in ‘Event Horizon’
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