Dark Hours

About

Dark Hours is a multiplayer action adventure game. It was developed by Piece of Cake studios and was released on October 23, 2025. It received positive reviews from players.

Dark Hours is a co-op survival horror game where up to four players execute heists in five unique locations while facing eight terrifying monsters. Trapped inside after a power outage, you must use over 50 heist tools and complete mission objectives to steal loot and escape. Cooperation and strategy are essential to survive the night and evade deadly creatures.

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85%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,356 reviews

gameplay35 positive mentions

stability37 negative mentions

Extremely fun to play with friends, providing a mix of horror and comedy.
Unique monster mechanics that keep gameplay fresh and engaging.
Procedurally generated maps add variety to each playthrough.

Game suffers from numerous bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay.
Limited content with only a few maps and monsters, leading to repetitive gameplay.
Some monsters are frustratingly overpowered, making solo play nearly impossible.

gameplay
119 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
63%
8%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its repetitiveness and lack of depth, often describing it as shallow and unoriginal. While some appreciate the cooperative mechanics and unique monster interactions, others criticize the clunky controls and design choices that hinder immersion and engagement. Overall, the game shows potential but requires significant improvements in variety and mechanics to enhance the player experience.
- “The game offers a fantastic gameplay loop with outstanding co-op elements.”
- “The cooperative gameplay and intense atmosphere make each session thrilling and unique.”
- “The mechanics enable a lot of shenanigans while rewarding team play; monsters are distinctive and it's fun to discover how to counter them.”
- “Unoriginal and lacking anything special about its mechanics to set it apart from other games of the same genre.”
- “The gameplay is extremely repetitive and boring.”
- “The gameplay becomes repetitive almost immediately, and the monsters—while initially intriguing—become predictable and boring.”
humor
92 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
99%
3%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with many players finding it hilarious, especially when played with friends, as chaotic moments and unexpected interactions lead to laughter. However, some reviews note that the humor can feel inconsistent and overshadowed by bugs and gameplay issues, making the experience less enjoyable over time. Overall, while the game has the potential for funny moments, its execution varies, and it shines brightest in a multiplayer setting.
- “Incredibly funny and chaotic game that isn't really scary, but that doesn't mean it's not good!”
- “The intense moments and unexpected scares will have you laughing and screaming in equal measure.”
- “This game strikes the perfect balance between spine-chilling moments and absurd humor, combining the classic horror vibes of Halloween with the comedy of Deadpool and Mall Cop.”
- “Too boring, only one level, not funny.”
- “The jokes fell flat and lacked creativity.”
- “I expected more laughs, but the humor was stale.”
story
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
79%
6%
The game's story revolves around players completing crime-themed objectives while evading monsters, creating a tense atmosphere as they race against a time limit. However, many players feel the narrative lacks depth, with repetitive missions and minimal lore, leading to a desire for more engaging storytelling elements. Overall, while the premise is intriguing, the execution leaves much to be desired, with players often feeling the gameplay becomes tedious and uninspired.
- “Now that we know the ropes, every mission grows more tense the closer we get to the end, as you all start planning how you might gank your friend right before extraction to increase your personal gain.”
- “An interesting team game with coordination a key factor in successful mission completion but plenty of room for shenanigans.”
- “The mission is simple: do the heist, steal the goods, and—oh yeah—don’t get caught or, you know, accidentally murdered by your own teammate.”
- “The game is grabbing random items, not knowing their value unless you stare at them in your inventory, and doing the uninspired quest of the stage while the scariest thing is not knowing what the monster is until it kills you for the first time.”
- “After a few rounds, the gameplay can feel repetitive, and adding layers of story could help break that cycle.”
- “It really only has one mission that is reskinned with five different monsters that persist through the mission.”
stability
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is widely reported to be very buggy, with numerous glitches affecting gameplay, particularly in multiplayer modes. While many players find it enjoyable and fun, especially with friends, the stability issues—including game-breaking bugs and desynchronization—significantly detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game is still in early access and requires substantial improvements to its stability before it can be fully recommended.
- “Extremely buggy, graphics are from 1999, runs like absolute dog shit in a tar pit.”
- “Game was too buggy to play a single mission successfully.”
- “So buggy it should not even be in early access, 90% of the games we played we could not finish due to missing items or just poor game design, monsters are unique and fun but a lot of the times the monsters just don't spawn in.”
graphics
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
45%
15%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the beautiful art style and overall atmosphere, while others criticize performance issues and optimization, particularly on high-end systems. Many users express hope for improvements in graphical quality as the game progresses, especially given its current beta status. Overall, while there are standout moments in the visuals, significant enhancements are still needed to meet player expectations.
- “The graphics are nice and I like the atmosphere overall.”
- “The maps are amazing, the creatures aren't similar, and the graphics are beautiful.”
- “I highly recommend the game—the sound and graphics are top-notch and the optimization is great.”
- “The graphics look like they were rendered on a toaster, the AI has the brainpower of a potato, and the bugs are so bad I’m starting to think they’re a feature.”
- “It's beta, but the game honestly seems well done minus some obvious graphical enhancements required.”
- “Yet another Phasmophobia clone could be fun at first, if the mechanics weren't so clunky and the visuals had a major upgrade, but it would eventually just become another gimmicky addition in your backlog of barely-played games.”
atmosphere
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
81%
19%
The atmosphere in "Dark Hours" is widely praised for its immersive and creepy qualities, effectively blending survival horror with cooperative heist elements. Players appreciate the eerie environments, spine-chilling sound design, and intense moments that enhance the overall experience, although some feel that certain audio aspects could be improved. Overall, the game successfully creates a thrilling and atmospheric world that captivates players during cooperative sessions.
- “Overall, Dark Hours offers a unique twist on the survival horror genre by fusing cooperative heist elements with a supernatural thriller atmosphere.”
- “Dark Hours is a thrilling horror game that immerses players in a dark, atmospheric world full of eerie environments and spine-chilling sound design.”
- “The cooperative gameplay and intense atmosphere make each session thrilling and unique.”
- “I also found the music and atmosphere to be somewhat underwhelming.”
- “The atmosphere is absolutely terrifying, but the sudden jump-scare with the eyeless monster feels cheap.”
- “The mechanics of the weeping angels and eyeless monster are well made, but they overshadow the overall atmosphere.”
grinding
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
13%
80%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and frustrating, often feeling locked out of content due to a demanding progression system. While the introduction of a reputation system offers some incentive to grind beyond cosmetics, many reviewers express that the gameplay loops become monotonous and unengaging, leading to a lack of enjoyment and a desire for improvements in game design. Overall, the grinding experience is seen as a significant drawback that detracts from the game's potential.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “There's also a lot of cool stuff you can't actually access because it's locked behind a very grindy progression system that, let's be clear, we will never be able to beat lol.”
- “Had high hopes for this game but the enemies are too frustrating and kill you way too easily, the objective seems fun until you realize there are barely any maps and the game then becomes tedious, refunded.”
- “Has potential, but right now it's tedious and repetitive.”
optimization
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
40%
20%
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while it runs smoothly on high-end PCs and has received praise for its performance on laptops, many users report significant issues such as lag and stuttering, particularly on less powerful setups. Some players highlight that online connection optimization needs improvement, and recent updates have exacerbated performance problems for certain configurations. Addressing these optimization concerns could enhance accessibility and enjoyment for a broader audience.
- “Game is fun and runs smoothly.”
- “I highly recommend the game—the sound and graphics are top-notch and the optimization is great.”
- “With some tweaks to creature mechanics, deeper narrative integration, more atmospheric audio, balanced combat, and improved optimization, it could stand out as a must-play in its genre.”
- “It is a truly promising game, but the biggest problem is the optimization of online connection.”
- “Lastly, performance optimization could use some attention.”
- “As of right now, this game is completely unplayable for me. I'm running an i9-14900k, 64 GB DDR5, 4090, and this game is not properly utilizing them; the game is stuttering every time I move or look around.”
replayability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
Overall, "dark hours" is praised for its dynamic and engaging replayability, with features like generated maps and customizable elements that keep each run feeling fresh. However, some players feel that the game lacks sufficient content and variety in monsters, which could enhance its long-term replay value. While many enjoy the experience, there is a consensus that additional content would further improve replayability.
- “What makes Dark Hours particularly engaging is its dynamic and replayable nature.”
- “But once you get a feel for it, including the use of the graffiti as signs, the randomness actually makes the game way more replayable and keeps every run feeling fresh.”
- “Very replayable, lots of fun and genuinely scary!”
- “The monsters were more frustrating than scary, and the game severely lacks replay value.”
- “Needs more content/maps/monsters for replayability, but everything from gameplay available is awesome.”
- “Some things that I like: cosmetics you can buy with in-game currency, customization of outfits, generated maps to make it replayable, a variety of monsters to keep it fresh (though always hoping for more in future updates), and also some accessibility options are available!”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players enjoying the prologue version and the fun atmosphere in the lobby, while others find the overall audio experience underwhelming. Critics suggest that the game would benefit from more dynamic and intense soundtracks to enhance the horror elements and match the gameplay's intensity. Additionally, the inconsistency in the chase music and monster spawns detracts from the overall immersion.
- “The new lobby is also nice; my friend got the ball in the hoop, and the music and confetti were a cute touch! I don't know if the emotes are new, but I greatly enjoy them and I will probably be spending all my time in the lobby trying to dance in sync with my friends, lol.”
- “Music greatly increases the element of surprise.”
- “I also found the music and atmosphere to be somewhat underwhelming.”
- “By enhancing the audio design to match the intensity of the game’s premise—maybe more dynamic music that shifts based on in-game events or subtler, creepier ambient sounds—it could take the overall experience to the next level.”
- “Love the prologue version but I wish this game had more puzzles and more horror soundtracks; honestly, it gets boring after some time.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization of the game has been criticized for presenting a misleading portrayal through its advertising, yet despite this, the game is highly recommended for its quality, standing out in a market often filled with broken or exploitative titles.
- “The advertising and information regarding this game presents a very different reality than actually playing it.”
- “I highly recommend this game, and I don't usually recommend games much lately because most are broken, unoptimized, or just a cash grab.”