Directive 8020 online multiplayer is out now. Supermassive Games released the free update on October 19 at 3pm BST (14:00 UTC, 10am ET) on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam, letting up to five players work through the sci-fi horror story together from different homes. There is no cross-play, and every player needs their own copy of the game.
The online mode has been a long time coming. Directive 8020 launched on May 12, 2026 with only local pass-the-controller multiplayer, and Supermassive spent the summer telling players online play was “definitely coming” before it set the October 19 date on October 12. The studio’s Dark Pictures account confirmed the patch was live this afternoon.
Supermassive's launch image shows the online lobby: five player slots and six crew to assign. Image: Supermassive Games
Table of Contents
Directive 8020 online multiplayer at a glance
| Release | Out now: October 19, 2026, 3pm BST / 14:00 UTC |
|---|---|
| Price | Free update (the base game is $49.99 on Steam) |
| Platforms | PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC (Steam) |
| Players | Up to 5, in any mix of locations |
| Cross-play | No |
| Ownership | Every online player needs their own copy |
| Also included | Retro silver space suits, 13 Premonition collectibles |
The two online modes: Custom and Round Robin
According to Supermassive’s Steam announcement, the update takes the game’s couch co-op Movie Night mode and rebuilds it for online play, with each player taking their turns on their own screen. There are two ways to set up a session:
- Custom Mode: the couch co-op setup, brought online. Each player picks a crew member at the start, and whenever that character is on screen, that player is in control. The lobby screen in Supermassive’s launch image lists six crew members (Young, Cernan, Stafford, Eisele, Cooper and Carter) to be assigned across up to five player slots.
- Round Robin Mode: no character picks. Control simply passes to the next player after a set amount of time, while everyone else watches and weighs in.
Choice Voting: help or hinder the player in control
The biggest new idea is Choice Voting. At decision points, on-screen prompts show who voted for which outcome, so the player holding control can follow the group or ignore it and go their own way. Supermassive pitches it as a way to “help or hinder” whoever is making the call, which suits a game where any of the crew can die depending on the choices made.
Groups can also be split however they like. Supermassive says any combination of up to five people works: five players in five homes, or two on one couch and three somewhere else.
In online play, choices like this Turning Point can be put to a group vote. Image: Supermassive Games
Silver suits and Premonitions also arrive
The patch is not only about multiplayer. It adds a new wardrobe of retro silver space suits for the crew, which Supermassive describes as customization DLC included with the release. It also brings Premonitions to Directive 8020: 13 new collectibles scattered through the story that show a glimpse of a possible future. Fans of the earlier Dark Pictures games will know the idea, and the visions can warn you away from a fatal choice if you find them first.
How to get the Directive 8020 multiplayer update
Update the game on your platform; no separate download or purchase is needed. Then pick online multiplayer and invite friends. Because there is no cross-play, your whole group needs to be on the same platform, and anyone joining has to own Directive 8020 (Steam lists the standard edition at $49.99 and a Digital Deluxe Upgrade at $10.99). Supermassive has not published a patch size or a separate list of bug fixes for this update.
Supermassive built its name on choice-driven horror with Until Dawn’s branching story, which returned in the 2024 Until Dawn remake on PS5. If you like decision-heavy story games, the Wolf Among Us Remastered Switch delay is another one to track.
What’s next
The timing lines up with Halloween, the peak season for horror co-op nights, and this update finally delivers the feature many players expected at launch. Supermassive has not announced further content for Directive 8020 yet. We will update this story if the studio publishes patch notes or fixes for launch-day multiplayer issues.
Sources: Supermassive Games on Steam, The Dark Pictures on X, Directive 8020 Steam page, Gematsu, Push Square.
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Featured image: Supermassive Games
