Stealth horror Horror puzzle Mystery and detective horror

The Occultist

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A cult's abandoned island, a missing father and a pendulum that sees the dead.

Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox
Stores: Steam, GOG
Price: Paid
Rated: Mostly Positive on Steam (76% of 380 reviews); 4.19 of 5 from 403 ratings on the PlayStation Store; Metacritic 66 on PS5 from 13 critics
Length: about 6.5 hours for the main story, according to HowLongToBeat
Players: 1
Controls: Keyboard and mouse, or a controller (full controller support on Steam)
Made by: DALOAR
Released: 2026

On GOG: one of the GOG horror games.

Get it on Steam GOG PlayStation Store (PS5)Xbox (Series X|S)

What frightens A paranormal investigator searches the abandoned island of Godstone, home until 1950 to a macabre cult of experiments and rituals, for his missing father; with a mystical pendulum he reads and changes the places he explores, and hides from the wrathful spirits and creatures that hunt him in its foggy streets and decaying buildings.
Content: blood, violence, strong language, jumpscares.

The Occultist is a first-person horror game from DALOAR, published by Daedalic Entertainment in 2026 for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series. As paranormal investigator Alan Rebels you search the abandoned island of Godstone, once home to a cult of cruel rituals, for your missing father, using a mystical pendulum to solve its puzzles and hiding from the spirits that remain.

About The Occultist

The Occultist is a first-person horror game by the studio DALOAR, published by Daedalic Entertainment and released on April 8, 2026 for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. You play Alan Rebels, a paranormal investigator whose father has vanished. All Alan really knows is that his father was born on Godstone, a British island nobody has set foot on since 1950, when the infamous cult that ran it, with its macabre experiments and rituals, came to an end.

Godstone is a foggy island of wooden houses, overgrown graveyards, dark forests and a grand, decaying mansion, and reviewers mention an orphanage, a hospital and an old carnival among the places you search. Alan carries a mystical pendulum that has gone with him on every case. At first it just shows clues you couldn't see otherwise. Later it lets you turn back time on certain objects, steer rats and call a raven to fetch things out of reach. The puzzles are built around it, from straightforward ones to riddles that need some knowledge of the occult.

Alan doesn't fight. Some of the souls left on the island will talk and point you on, while the wrathful ones have to be avoided, so when a spirit or creature comes for you, you hide or run. GamingBolt found the cramped hospital and orphanage tense, full of jump scares that still caught the reviewer off guard. It also wished the pendulum could do something against the hostile ghosts, since all you can do is get away from them.

Critics landed in the middle (66 on Metacritic for PS5), praising the visuals and the story more than the stealth. It suits players who like slow first-person investigation with puzzles and hiding rather than shooting. HowLongToBeat puts the main story at about six and a half hours.

How to play The Occultist

Buy The Occultist on Steam, GOG, the PlayStation Store or the Xbox store.
Explore Godstone as Alan, reading notes and following the trail of your father.
Use the pendulum to reveal hidden clues and, as it gains powers, to turn back time, guide rats or send a raven for things out of reach.
When a hostile spirit or creature is near, hide or run; Alan cannot fight.
Talk to the calmer souls of the island to learn what the cult did and where to go next.

Screenshots

The Occultist store header: a man in a dark jacket holds up a glowing pendant before a teal occult sigil, with the title beside him

The Occultist screenshot: a hooded figure with glowing eyes stands in the green-lit doorway of a mausoleum in a foggy graveyard at night

The Occultist screenshot: a doll-like figure with glowing red eyes peeks out from behind a chair in a dark mansion corridor

The Occultist screenshot: Alan holds his skull pendulum in a decaying grand hall with a large ornate clock and sweeping staircases

The Occultist screenshot: a derelict wooden cabin in thick teal fog among tall grass in an abandoned village at night

The Occultist screenshot: a foggy carnival boardwalk with a Freakshow banner leads to a giant snarling clown-head tent entrance

The Occultist screenshot: inside a dim circus tent, stitched dolls with glowing eyes line the way to a sign reading The Main Event

Tips

Use the pendulum everywhere; many puzzle answers are hidden until it shows them.
Watch and listen before crossing open ground, since you cannot fight what hunts you.
Read the documents you find: the occult puzzles draw on what they explain.
Some puzzles ask you to draw a shape, and GamingBolt found they only count when the drawing is precise, so redo it carefully if a right answer isn't accepted.

Questions

Is The Occultist on PS5 and Xbox?

Yes. It came out on April 8, 2026 on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. On PC it is sold on Steam and DRM-free on GOG.

Can you fight in The Occultist?

No. Alan avoids direct combat, and the pendulum cannot drive off hostile ghosts, so you hide or run from them.

How long is The Occultist?

HowLongToBeat puts the main story at about 6.5 hours and everything at about 8.5 hours.

Is The Occultist scary?

It leans on atmosphere and dread more than chases. Reviewers found its hospital and orphanage tense with jump scares, while the ghosts hunting you outside rarely felt like a real threat.