Can I play dark pictures alone?

The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan supports online and offline multiplayer. But can you play this interactive horror movie in single-player mode?

The answer is yes.

While Until Dawn was solely a single-player experience, Supermassive Games has included a couple of multiplayer offerings in Man of Medan. You can play in co-op with an online buddy, or you can get a group together, taking it in turns to control characters with the game’s Movie Night mode.

Thankfully, however, Man of Medan does fully support a single player experience too, even if the game does warn you “don’t play alone”! The game does feature multiple characters, who may or may not make it through the game alive, but each of them can be controlled by a single player. The game will switch character perspectives at fixed points in the game, allowing you to take control of each character multiple times.

If you do have friends around however, it’s well worth trying the game’s couch co-op mode, which requires only one controller and supports up to five players. It’s like watching a horror movie, only this time it’s your fellow players that are making the bad decisions. Enjoy!

More Man of Medan Guides

• How Long Does it Take to Beat?
• Can You Replay Chapters?
• Can You Play in Split-Screen Co-Op?
• Can Joe Survive?
• Can Brad Survive?
• Can Conrad Survive?
• Can Alex Survive?
• Can Julia Survive?
• Can Fliss Survive?
• How to Kill Everyone

The next entry into The Dark Pictures Anthology, House of Ashes, is out now. But can you play it in single-player?

House of Ashes takes players to Iraq in 2003. Set against a backdrop of war, five soldiers unwittingly find themselves falling into an ancient underground temple. And as if war wasn’t scary enough, they’ve got an even bigger threat to face while they’re down there: terrible, inhuman creatures. Personally we think horror games are best played together, but if you’re brave you might want to tackle it by yourself. And thankfully, with House of Ashes, you can.

Like all Dark Pictures Anthology games, House of Ashes packs in a number of play modes. While there are online and local co-op options available, the full game is perfectly playable solo with a single-player mode.

When you’re playing by yourself, you’ll simply take control of all five characters and you’ll be personally responsible for their survival… or their demise. It’s a lot of responsibility on one set of shoulders, but if you’re up for the task, we salute you. Remember, every decision you make counts, so good luck as you explore those dark caverns.

Need more help with House of Ashes? Click here to see all of our guides.

Learn the ins and outs of the multiplayer story modes in The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan.

One of the biggest features of Supermassive Games’ newest adventure, Man of Medan, is the introduction of cooperative gameplay in the cinematic, choice-driven gameplay that makes up most the game. Unlike Until Dawn, the studio’s 2015 horror game, which only featured a singleplayer experience, players can team up with a friend in one of two different multiplayer modes. But how do these modes work, and will you need to own the game to play through it with a friend? Here’s everything you need to know.

How multiplayer works in Man of Medan

Man of Medan offers three ways for players to dive in and experience the latest horror story from Supermassive Games. The first way, and one that many will probably undertake, is to play through the game’s campaign alone. All the decisions are on you and you’ll play through the entire 6 hours or so of the campaign without any help from your friends. However, if you want to mix things up a bit, you can also play through the game in Movie Night mode or with Shared story mode.

In Movie Night mode, players take turns on the same console or PC. You can join up with up to 4 of your friends and each of you will control a different character. You’ll all make your own decisions for the character, decisions that will directly impact all of the others in the story.

The second cooperative game mode is Shared Story. This version of the campaign is played online with up to one other friend. You’ll play through the entire story alongside your friend, and you’ll each take control of different characters throughout the tale as you make choices that impact the rest of the characters, too. In order to play online with a friend, you’ll both need to own a copy of Man of Medan. You can then invite your friend to your lobby from the Don’t Play Alone option on the menu.

Now that you know how multiplayer works in Man of Medan, you can head back over to our Man of Medan guides hub for more help with the various collectibles, choices, and secrets available in the latest horror adventure from Supermassive Games.

Joshua holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and has been exploring the world of video games for as long as he can remember. He enjoys everything from large-scale RPGs to small, bite-size indie gems and everything in between.