End of Abyss came out on 1 October on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, and this indie horror game deserves more attention than its quiet launch suggests. It comes from Section 9 Interactive, a small Swedish studio founded by former Little Nightmares developers, with Epic Games’ publishing arm behind it. You play a combat technician heading down into an abandoned underground complex, viewed from above, gun in hand, with new gear opening up more of the map as you go. Critics are split between those won over by the atmosphere and those who found it too safe. PC players will need the Epic Games Store, as there’s no Steam version.
At a glance
End of Abyss has been out since 1 October on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via the Epic Games Store.
It’s made by Section 9 Interactive, a Malmö studio founded by former Little Nightmares developers.
OpenCritic shows an average of 73 from 17 reviews, with 53% of critics recommending it.
End of Abyss sends Cel into a broken underground facility
On its official PlayStation Store page, End of Abyss is billed as a single-player action horror game. You play Cel, a young combat technician sent to investigate disturbances of unknown origin in an underground facility, and what starts as a routine mission turns into a harrowing descent through a broken, abandoned world full of twisted creatures.
In terms of play, it’s a top-down twin-stick shooter with a metroidvania structure. The complex is sprawling and full of branching paths, and a scanner helps you track down hidden areas. Gear unlocked along the way opens up new routes and beefs up your arsenal. End of Abyss carries a PEGI 16 rating for horror and strong violence.
Little Nightmares veterans, published by Epic Games
End of Abyss was revealed in June 2025. According to Gematsu’s report on the original announcement, Section 9 Interactive was founded by veterans of Little Nightmares, Little Nightmares II and the PlayStation Vita version of LittleBigPlanet. The studio is based in Malmö, Sweden, according to the game’s PlayStation page.
That background shows in the official artwork: tiny figures lost in enormous spaces, cold light and plenty of darkness. Fans of the series will recognise that knack for making the player feel small, something the Little Nightmares III expansion The Shores is also leaning into right now.
Publishing duties sit with Epic Games Publishing, which has a direct consequence for PC players: End of Abyss is sold on the Epic Games Store, and there’s no Steam release. On console, it’s out on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. At the time of writing, it was listed at £22.49 on the UK PlayStation Store, and it’s also among the games available to try through PlayStation Plus Premium.
Structurally, it sits alongside the indie metroidvanias we’ve been following closely. If the genre is your thing, our Well Dweller review, a metroidvania built around exploration, makes a good point of comparison. For indie horror, the demo of Deadpact, a horror game where every wound sticks, shows a different way of keeping the pressure on. All three come from independent studios and lean first and foremost on exploration and atmosphere.
Strong atmosphere, mixed reviews
Four days after launch, End of Abyss holds an average of 73 on the game’s OpenCritic page, based on 17 reviews, with 53% of those critics recommending it. Scores vary a lot: IGN and GameSpot both gave it 6 out of 10, while PlayStation Universe went as high as 9 out of 10.
Most of the praise collected on OpenCritic goes to the atmosphere, an eerie, claustrophobic world that you want to explore. One of the reviews listed there feels the tension fades once the first upgrades arrive, and flags map glitches that make backtracking confusing.
End of Abyss arrives with a strong identity and a few flaws picked up by the press. If you like your metroidvanias dark and your environments oppressive, it’s worth a look this autumn, especially if PlayStation Plus Premium lets you try it before deciding.
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