We got to get ours hand on Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival during Summer Game Fest, and wow, let me tell you that Hellraiser fans are in for a treat. Not only is this the first video game to come out with this IP (which is shocking), but it also has the full support and blessing of the man, the myth, the legend himself: Clive Barker. This means that the story events within Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival are cannon. Another great surprise was learning that Doug Bradley is once again voicing the iconic Pinhead for the first time almost twenty years. Saber Interactive and Boss Team Games really went all out for this one.

He’s baaaaack!

When we first sat down we were asked if we were familiar with the Hellraiser franchise. Myself and another player said “hell yes!”, while the guy to my left said no and that he was only here because his manager scheduled him the appointment. The team leader chuckled and looked pointedly at me and said, “I was a little concerned that we might have needed to give you this warning, but clearly I guessed wrong”, and then addressed the man who was completely unfamiliar with the franchise. They warned us that Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival, like everything else in the franchise, is explicit. Lots of sex and lots of gore. They then joked that the lead designer was Serbian, so that should tip us off to the level of depravity we were about to experience. 

And boy, oh boy, they were not joking. The section we played took part in a BDSM club after the protagonist, Aidan, has discovered his girlfriend, Sunny, has been taken by the Cenobites to the hellscape of the Labyrinth. He is now in possession of the puzzle box, the Genesis Configuration, and is able to utilize it as a weapon against his foes. This was a fun feature I wasn’t expecting.

Swanky club.

The puzzle box can be used in a variety of ways, but the main way I made use of it during the section was by absorbing the flames from one of the many braziers around the club and then shooting a ball of fire back at the waves of spiked, gimpsuit-wearing cultists charging at me. BDSM club, remember? I was mildly disappointed that they attacked me using guns and blades instead of any number of the massive dildos scattered all over the place, but maybe that’s just me.

The combat is a ton of fun, being incredibly fast-paced and responsive. Having the Genesis Configuration in addition to a more traditional weapon, such as a pistol, made for a lot of inventive ways to dispatch enemies. There were also plenty of vents and back hallways I could go through to try to escape and flank the cultists. Bits of lore are placed around the club as well, which provide a bit more background into what’s at play.

You know what? I don’t think I want to be a part of this cult after all.

The cutscenes are exquisitely detailed, which can be a good or bad thing depending on how squeamish you are. Being a big fan of the franchise, I wasn’t bothered by some of the sadomasochistic cutscenes, but I could tell the newcomer next to me was struggling a bit. As mentioned earlier, Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival is explicit. 

After a cutscene and making my way through the club (after solving some really fun puzzles to unlock the main door), I was suddenly pulled into the Labyrinth. This is where the Genesis Configuration served a new function: shifting the area around me so I could successfully escape. This type of environmental puzzle mechanics are a blast and help add more complexity to Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival instead of just being a straight-up shooter. It was hilarious to talk to the team after I had beaten the demo and have them tell me that they were loving seeing the smiles on my face to all the insane stuff they had presented us, while chuckling about how the other guy looked a little green around the gills after he was done. To each their own, I guess.

How can such an unassuming trinket bring about so much torture?

Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival releases October 8th, 2026 on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. I can’t wait to see what else awaits in the Labyrinth and what pain and pleasure Pinhead and the other Cenobites can bring!

*All assets were provided by the publisher.