Directive 8020 Adds Five-Player Online Multiplayer in Free Update

Online multiplayer gives Directive 8020 a new way to turn its sci-fi horror into a shared test of trust. Supermassive Games has released a free update for the latest The Dark Pictures Anthology game, even as the studio deals with layoffs affecting more than 70 employees. The update's headline is a multiplayer setup for groups of up to five, with players sharing control and weighing in on decisions. That shifts the experience from one person making choices for a group to a group having to negotiate who gets to make them.

Two ways to take turns

Groups of up to five can divide the game’s locations among themselves in different configurations. Custom Mode hands control to each player in turn; Round Robin adds a timer, switching players when their allotted time runs out. Players can also vote on decisions, with the outcome shown after the vote. The two formats offer different kinds of pressure: one gives each player a turn without a stated time limit, while the other puts a clock around the handoff.

That distinction matters in a horror game built around uncertainty. A player with control may have to make a choice before knowing what it will lead to, while everyone else has to decide whether to trust that player's judgment. Voting gives the group a way to express its preferences, but it doesn't remove disagreement. In fact, seeing how the vote lands can make a split decision more visible: everyone knows what the group chose, and who may have argued for something else.

Here's the thing: shared control changes the social texture of a story game even when the story itself hasn't been rewritten. A solo player can pause, reconsider, or act on instinct without explaining the decision. In a group, those same moments invite discussion, persuasion, and second-guessing. The suspense isn't only about what might happen in the game. It's also about whether your friends will go along with your call.

Round Robin adds a more structured version of that tension. A timer can keep one person from holding the controls indefinitely, but it can also force a decision before the player feels ready. That may suit a tense scene, where hesitation is part of the experience; it may be less comfortable for a group that wants to discuss every option at length. Custom Mode leaves more room for that discussion. Neither format guarantees a better session. The useful choice depends on whether a group wants to manage the pace itself or have the game impose one.

What the update adds beyond multiplayer

There are limits: crossplay isn’t supported, and every participant needs their own copy. Those requirements shape who can actually play together. A group has to be on compatible platforms, and each person has to own the game; sharing one purchase across the group won't work. For friends who already meet both conditions, the update offers a new way to play. For others, coordinating access may be the first obstacle.

The update also adds 13 Premonitions that reveal hints about events ahead, while new downloadable content outfits the crew in retro-futuristic suits. These additions serve different purposes. Premonitions offer players information about what may be coming, which can change how they interpret a scene or debate a choice. The outfits are a visual extra, giving the crew a different look without changing the multiplayer rules described in the update.

Hints can also change the group dynamic. If players see a clue before a decision, they may treat it as evidence, a warning, or simply one more ambiguous signal. That doesn't make the choice easy; it gives the discussion another piece to work with. (And this is the part most people overlook.) In a shared session, information isn't just something each player receives. It becomes something the group has to interpret together.

That can make Premonitions especially relevant to a format where players vote. The clue may influence individual preferences, but the vote still records the group's outcome rather than guaranteeing that everyone agrees. A player who reads a hint differently from the others could end up outvoted, then watch the story proceed on the basis of the majority's choice. A small addition to the information available can therefore make the social stakes sharper.

Available now

Directive 8020 is available on Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC. Our review rated it 8, citing its presentation and the paranoia of its sci-fi setting. It has a 72 Metascore on Metacritic, based on 61 reviews. The new modes put more players inside the game’s tense choices, though each needs a separate copy.

The review's emphasis on paranoia helps explain why multiplayer is a natural fit for the premise. Sci-fi horror often puts characters in situations where they can't be certain what another person knows, wants, or can be trusted to do. Playing with friends adds a real layer of uncertainty around the fictional one: you can disagree about what a clue means, or simply distrust someone's choice. That's a promising match for this kind of story.

Still, the feature's appeal will depend on the group as much as the game. Players who enjoy arguing over decisions may find the vote and turn-taking systems give their session a stronger shared identity. A group that prefers to move quickly may welcome the timer; one that wants to deliberate could find it intrusive. And because crossplay isn't supported, playing with friends also requires some advance coordination around platform and ownership.

Why this addition matters

Adding multiplayer is more significant than it looks. It gives Directive 8020 another way to make its central tension felt: choices become public, and the people making them have to live with one another's reasoning. The feature doesn't establish that the story changes for each group or that every decision is handled differently. What it does establish is a structure for sharing control, timing turns, and recording votes.

That structure is a practical test of how well a choice-driven horror game works as a group activity. A single-player story can keep its pace in one person's hands. A multiplayer session has to account for competing preferences, uneven confidence, and the possibility that the group would rather debate than act. The two modes address that problem in different ways, but neither can guarantee that a group will agree.

If you're working in this space, the update points to a simple design challenge: adding players is only useful when their presence changes how the experience feels. Here, the timer, turns, and voting make the social process part of the session. Whether that makes the horror more absorbing or just more argumentative will depend on who sits down to play. A shared decision, with everyone watching.