Hunter’s Moon Release Date Confirmed for October 26 With Historical Folk Horror and Stealth Gameplay

Hunter’s Moon has been officially announced as a first-person historical folk-horror game from Twin Swans, with its release scheduled for October 26, 2026.

Instead of putting players against supernatural monsters, the game takes a more grounded approach. Players become Lilith Thorne, a woman accused of witchcraft who must survive one dangerous night while being hunted through a 17th-century English village.

The game combines stealth, exploration, observation and an unusual eavesdropping mechanic. Players will need to listen to villagers, gather information and understand their surroundings while trying not to be captured.

Hunter’s Moon Brings 17th-Century Witch Hunts to PS5 With Lilith Thorne, Eavesdropping and a One-Night Survival Story

The October 26 release date also has a deliberate connection to the game's name, arriving on the night of the full Hunter’s Moon. In North America, the game is scheduled to launch on October 25, while other regions including the UK, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand receive it on October 26.

Hunter’s Moon Release Date and Platform

Hunter’s Moon will launch exclusively on PlayStation 5.

The official PlayStation Store currently lists October 26, 2026 as the release date and confirms PS5 support, offline play and single-player gameplay. The game is also listed as PS5 Pro Enhanced.

The North American release is scheduled for October 25, one day before the October 26 launch in many other regions.

That timing is intentional because October 26 is the night of the full Hunter’s Moon.

There is currently no confirmed Xbox, Nintendo Switch or PC release.

For now, Hunter’s Moon is being presented as a PlayStation 5-exclusive horror experience.

A Horror Story Without Traditional Monsters

The biggest difference between Hunter’s Moon and many modern horror games is its approach to fear.

There are no giant creatures or supernatural monsters at the center of the experience.

Instead, the game focuses on human fear, suspicion and persecution.

Lilith Thorne has been accused of witchcraft and is forced to run for her life.

The people chasing her believe she is dangerous, creating a situation where ordinary villagers become the source of the horror.

Twin Swans says the game is inspired by the real history of English witch hunts and the folk-horror tradition.

The developers want players to question whether the most frightening thing is actually magic and monsters, or the behavior of people who believe in them.

You Play as Lilith Thorne

The protagonist is Lilith Thorne, an accused woman trying to escape from a rural English village.

Her objective is simple: survive the night.

But she cannot simply fight her way through the people hunting her.

The game is built around stealth and cunning.

Lilith must move through the village, surrounding forests and moors while avoiding several pursuers.

Among them are the Witchfinder General, the village magistrate and a local huntsman.

This creates a very different type of horror gameplay.

The player is not the strongest character in the world.

Lilith is vulnerable, hunted and constantly forced to make decisions about where to go next.

The Entire Story Takes Place During One Night

Hunter’s Moon is structured around a single night.

That gives the game a strong sense of urgency.

Instead of slowly exploring a massive world over dozens of hours, players are placed inside a village that is approaching a breaking point.

Every movement can matter because Lilith is being hunted.

The setting also gives the developers an opportunity to build tension gradually.

The player can explore the village, listen to conversations and uncover information before moving deeper into the story.

The goal is not simply to reach the end of a level.

It is to understand the people and secrets surrounding Lilith while staying alive.

Eavesdropping Is a Major Gameplay Mechanic

One of Hunter’s Moon's most unusual features is its eavesdropping system.

Players can listen through windows and discover conversations taking place inside the village.

This information can help Lilith understand what is happening around her.

Instead of receiving every important clue through traditional objectives or dialogue scenes, players can learn by observing ordinary people.

The mechanic is inspired by immersive theatre, allowing the player to become an observer within the world.

The PlayStation Store describes a village filled with more than 100 fully voice-acted characters, giving the environment a large cast of people with their own stories and problems.

This could make listening just as important as movement.

More Than 100 Characters Bring the Village to Life

Hunter’s Moon is not being designed as an empty horror environment.

The village contains more than 100 fully voiced characters.

These people are described as ordinary villagers affected by war, hardship and misfortune.

Players can listen to their conversations and discover pieces of information that may help Lilith survive.

That means the villagers are not simply background characters.

They form part of the game's information system.

Some conversations could reveal dangers.

Others may provide clues.

Some might expose relationships between characters.

The player therefore has to pay attention to what people say rather than simply following objective markers.

Mummers Add to the Strange Atmosphere

Another unusual element of the setting is the presence of mummers wearing traditional folk costumes.

These performers add a strange theatrical quality to the village.

Their appearance fits naturally with Hunter’s Moon's connection to immersive theatre.

The village is already under pressure because of fear, war and witch-hunting.

Adding costumed performers creates another layer of uncertainty.

Players may not always know what they are seeing or how different people fit into the wider story.

The result is intended to feel unsettling without depending on traditional supernatural horror.

The Game Is Inspired by Real Witch Hunts

Hunter’s Moon takes inspiration from the real history of English witch hunts, particularly the period when witch-hunting reached intense levels during the 17th century.

The game is not presented as a fantasy adventure where witches are simply another type of magical character.

Instead, the developers are interested in the historical idea of people being accused, persecuted and punished because of fear and belief.

That historical foundation gives the story a darker tone.

The horror comes from the consequences of accusations.

Lilith does not need to fight a monster for the situation to become frightening.

She only needs to be seen by the wrong person.

Stealth Is More Important Than Combat

Hunter’s Moon is primarily about avoiding danger.

Players must use stealth and awareness to stay alive.

The game encourages players to understand where pursuers are and decide when it is safe to move.

That makes observation an important part of gameplay.

A player who rushes through the village could expose Lilith.

A more careful player can listen to conversations, learn about the environment and choose a safer route.

This creates a different type of tension from action-focused horror games.

The question is not:

Can I defeat this enemy?

Instead, it becomes:

Can I avoid being discovered?

Historical Realism Meets Stylized Art

Although Hunter’s Moon is grounded in historical themes, the developers are not attempting to create a completely documentary-style experience.

The PlayStation Store describes the game as being built around historical realism combined with hand-crafted stylized art.

That combination could give the game a distinctive visual identity.

The village can feel historically grounded while still having an artistic style that makes characters and environments visually memorable.

This is particularly important for folk horror because atmosphere often matters as much as graphical realism.

Dark forests, muddy paths, old houses and isolated moors can become more effective when combined with a carefully controlled visual style.

Who Is Developing Hunter’s Moon?

Hunter’s Moon is being developed and published by Twin Swans.

The studio brings together developers and artists with experience on several well-known games.

The team includes talent associated with projects such as The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Signalis, according to the game's announcement materials.

That background is interesting because those games represent very different approaches to storytelling and atmosphere.

Hunter’s Moon appears to combine some of those strengths into a focused historical horror experience.

The game is particularly interested in storytelling through environments, conversations and observation rather than relying only on scripted jump scares.

Why Hunter’s Moon Could Stand Out

The horror genre is already crowded with games about monsters, demons, zombies and supernatural creatures.

Hunter’s Moon is taking a different route.

Its central threat is society itself.

Players control someone who has been labeled dangerous and must survive among people who believe the accusation.

That creates a more personal type of horror.

There is also no need to explain an enormous supernatural mythology.

The basic situation is immediately understandable.

A woman has been accused.

People are hunting her.

She needs to survive until morning.

Hunter’s Moon Is Built for Atmosphere

The game's one-night structure could also help Twin Swans maintain a consistent atmosphere.

The player knows that the story is unfolding within a limited period.

That can make every encounter feel more important.

The village is not simply a backdrop.

It is part of the threat.

Its residents have their own fears, beliefs and relationships.

The player has to navigate that social environment while also avoiding the people actively hunting Lilith.

The combination of exploration, stealth and eavesdropping could make the village feel like a living puzzle.

What We Still Don't Know

Despite the announcement, several details about Hunter’s Moon remain unknown.

The developers have not revealed the full length of the game.

The complete story structure is also still under wraps.

We do not yet know exactly how many different paths players can take through the village or how much the eavesdropping system changes the outcome.

There is also no confirmed information about a future PC or Xbox version.

For now, Twin Swans is keeping the experience focused on PlayStation 5.

Hunter’s Moon Release Date and Pre-Order Information

Hunter’s Moon is scheduled for release on October 26, 2026 in most regions.

Players can already add the game to their PlayStation Store wishlist.

The game is listed as a single-player title with offline play.

It also supports several accessibility features, including audio controls, 3D audio, subtitles and options related to controller vibration and adaptive triggers.

The PS5 Pro Enhanced listing also suggests that the game has been designed to take advantage of additional PlayStation hardware capabilities.

Hunter’s Moon could become one of the most distinctive horror games arriving this October.

Rather than relying on demons or monsters, the game builds its horror around the real history of witch hunts and the fear created by human suspicion.

Players take control of Lilith Thorne, an accused woman attempting to survive one night while being hunted through a 17th-century English village.

The combination of stealth, exploration and eavesdropping gives the game a gameplay identity that is very different from traditional survival horror.

Its cast of more than 100 fully voiced characters could also make the village feel unusually alive, while the immersive-theatre-inspired listening system encourages players to pay attention to conversations instead of simply following objectives.

Hunter’s Moon launches on PS5 on October 26, 2026, with the North American release arriving on October 25.

For players looking for a slower, atmospheric horror experience built around historical themes and human behavior, this is definitely one to watch.