The series returns to CBS’s streaming platform, CBS All Access, this Monday, April 1st led by new host and growing horror legend, Jordan Peele. To get you in the mood before the show hits your home theater, or to continue your craving for mystery and twist endings after you’ve binged the revival, here are eight games to check out with plenty in common with The Twilight Zone, as well as some episodes to watch if you want to take your viewing/playing experience even further.
Alan Wake
Remedy was so obviously inspired by Rod Serling’s important series that they went and included six homages to the show throughout Alan Wake. Periodically Alan can stumble upon episodes of Night Springs, an obvious nod to the show once you see its intro and hear its narration. Each episode runs about three or so minutes and tends to tell really weird stories not unlike those featured in the series over the years.
Watch Episode: A World of His Own (1960)
Firewatch
It’s tough to talk in detail about how The Twilight Zone similarities are strong here, but let’s just leave it at there being an unnerving premise that sets up for a more pertinent interpersonal point being made, the same way plenty of episodes of The Twilight Zone play out.
Watch Episode: The Lonely (1959)
Generation Zero
By far the newest game on this list, Generation Zero launched just days ago. It’s arguably even closer to Black Mirror‘s episode “Metalhead,” — itself a Twilight Zone descendant — but the way the game uses sci-fi to tell an allegory of Cold War anxieties is textbook TTZ, and for that reason the dots are easy to connect.
Watch Episode: The Invaders (1961)
Inside
Inside is a difficult game to figure out all on its own, but according to some interpretations (which we won’t spoil here), it can definitely be considered something akin to some of the creepier Twilight Zone episodes. Though we admit Serling never tried anything quite like the final moments of Playdead’s bizarre cinematic platformer.
Watch Episode: The After Hours (1960)
SOMA
If you only play one game on this list and want the most Twilight Zone-like game on it, play SOMA. Nothing else comes close to basically being a modern episode of the series. Mixing fantastic horror elements with one of the smartest and most curious plots in all of games, SOMA is The Twilight Zone of video games.
Watch Episode: Five Characters In Search of An Exit (1961)
Tacoma
Arguably the second closest choice on this list, Tacoma is the adventure game follow-up from the team behind Gone Home. This time, a similarly abandoned space takes place in, well, actual space, and the game does very well to hide its true intentions right up until the very Serlingesque final sequence.
Watch Episode: I Sing The Body Electric (1962)
The Turing Test
Plenty have caught up to this indie puzzler thanks to its Games with Gold offering nearly two years ago, but if you’ve still missed it til now, it definitely has a TTZ feel to it thanks to its narrative mix of super AI, tough philosophical questions, and a twist ending. It’s like the Twilight Zone starter pack.
Watch Episode: The Lateness of the Hour (1960)
We Happy Few
We Happy Few isn’t as sci-fi as most of the games on this list, but then neither was The Twilight Zone always very science fiction either. The alternate history setting and unsettlingly smiley denizens of Wellington Wells feel like the kind of dystopia Serling would approve of, no doubt.
Watch Episode: Number Twelve Looks Just Like You (1964)
If you have any other game or episode recommendations, we’d love to hear them! Here’s to hoping the revival is as strong as the beloved original run from 1959.
Mark is a Boston native now living in Portland, Oregon. He’s the Editorial Manager on TA, loves story-first games, and is the host of the community game club TA Playlist. Outside of games he likes biking, sci-fi, the NFL, and spending time with his family. He almost never writes in the third person.
