Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes release date set for October

The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes release date has been revealed.

A new story trailer debuted during today's Summer Game Fest Kickoff Live event, and we've got our first glimpse at the vicious monster you'll be trying to survive as well as the October 22 release date.

Launching just in time for Halloween - just as its predecessor Little Hope did - The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes is coming to PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC. There's a standard edition with just the base game as well as a boxed collector's edition with stickers, a poster, a pin, and, coolest of all, an impressively detailed creature figurine.

Speaking of creatures, we finally got to see the terrifying giant bat monster lurking within the depths of a deep, complex cave in House of Ashes. In previous trailers, we'd seen characters being snatched out of view or suffering from wounds presumably inflicted by the monster, but this is the first we've actually seen a good clear shot of the thing. 

And it is quite a thing, hulking and screeching with huge dragon-like wings and snaggled claws for teeth. Definitely not something you'd want to see when you're wandering around a dark, ancient, cursed, underground cavern, but that's the situation you're facing in the next entry in The Dark Pictures Anthology.

The new story trailer reveals just how the unfortunate army soldiers wind up underground fighting for their lives. They were sent there on a mission to expose an underground chemical weapons facility, but after exchanging gunfire with an unseen force and having their helicopter downed, they fall through the cracks in the floor and discover something I don't they were expecting.

Pre-orders for House of Ashes are live now, and if you do decide to buy either the standard or collector's edition, you'll get early access to the "Curator's Cut," whereas otherwise you'd have to wait until about 3 months post-launch.

Until you and a friend have the chance to play The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes this Halloween season, check out the best horror games to scare yourself silly with right now.