Oxenfree

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A night on an island, a radio, and a rift you should not have opened.

Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, iPhone, Android
Price: Paid
Rated: Very Positive on Steam (91% of 12,124 reviews); Metacritic 80 on PC
Players: 1
Controls: Keyboard and mouse or controller; choose replies from speech bubbles as people talk.
Made by: Night School Studio
Released: 2016

Get it on Steam Epic Games Store Nintendo eShop (Switch)App Store (Netflix edition, needs a Netflix membership)Google Play (Netflix edition, needs a Netflix membership)

What frightens A group of teenagers at an overnight party on an old military island open a ghostly rift; after that the night loops back on itself, friends become possessed and speak with other voices, and the static carries messages from the island's past, with light jump scares along the way.
Content: jumpscares, self-harm themes, suicide themes.

Oxenfree is a supernatural thriller from Night School Studio. Alex brings her new stepbrother Jonas to an overnight party on an old military island, and a radio opens a ghostly rift tied to the island's past. You talk your way through a night of time loops, possession and voices in the static, and your choices change how it ends.

About Oxenfree

Oxenfree is a game from Night School Studio, released in January 2016 for Windows, Mac and Linux and later on PlayStation, Xbox and Switch, with a Netflix edition on iPhone, iPad and Android. Its makers call it a supernatural thriller and list psychological horror, supernatural, sci-fi and horror themes in its content notes.

You play Alex, a teenager who brings her new stepbrother Jonas to an overnight party on Edwards Island, a former military base. Without meaning to, she opens a ghostly gate spawned from the island's past. The night then turns: friends vanish or speak with voices that are not theirs, time loops back, and the radio picks up voices from the island's past.

You walk the island side-on through painterly scenes of beaches, cliffs, woods and old buildings, and talk constantly. Dialogue is chosen from speech bubbles that appear over Alex's head as people talk, and what you say shapes relationships and the ending. The radio is your only tool, used to talk to the spectres and to change the world around you.

The horror is quiet more than violent: a mix of teen drama and ghost story, with light jump scares, possession and characters harming themselves while possessed. It suits players who like story-led horror and choices more than chases.

How to play Oxenfree

Buy it on Steam, the Epic Games Store or a console store, or play the Netflix edition on mobile with a membership.
Walk Alex across the island and talk to her friends, choosing replies from the speech bubbles.
Tune the radio to different frequencies to open doors and hear the island's past.
Choose carefully; what you say changes your friendships and the ending.

Screenshots

Oxenfree screenshot: teenagers around a bonfire on a dark beach below a cliff staircase, with speech bubbles

Oxenfree screenshot: three teenagers inside a lit old building at night by a large board and a control panel

Oxenfree screenshot: a cliff edge in green mist with speech bubbles reading We'll find her and Prepare for the worst

Tips

Try the radio in new places; it is how you talk to the spectres and change the world around you.
Think about how you treat each friend; your choices change your relationships and the ending.

Questions

Is Oxenfree a horror game?

It is a supernatural thriller with horror: ghosts, possession, time loops and light jump scares, built on dread more than gore. Its makers list psychological horror among its themes.

Is it scary?

Unsettling more than terrifying, with light jump scares used at a moderate rate according to its store page.

Can I play it on my phone?

Yes, as OXENFREE: Netflix Edition on iPhone, iPad and Android, which needs a Netflix membership.