Co-op survival horror fans have a chilling new title to keep on their radar. Developer Santa Barbara Games—a team founded by industry veterans hailing from EA, Riot Games, and Bethesda—has released terrifying new gameplay footage for Voidwood, their upcoming PC title where your real-world voice is your greatest tool and your deadliest mistake.

A Charming Dream Turned Nightmarish Reality

At first glance, Voidwood draws you in with a deceptively whimsical, Studio Ghibli-esque art style. Players take on the roles of children trapped in a mysterious, cursed forest. However, don’t let the enchanting visuals fool you; this game is pure horror at its core.

The gameplay loops around a tense day-and-night cycle:

• By Day: You and up to three friends (1–4 players total) scavenge the forest for supplies, craft vital survival tools, and search for clues left behind by the children who vanished before you. The deeper you venture into the woods, the richer the rewards, but the risk grows exponentially as the sun dips below the horizon.
• By Night: Scavenging ends and pure survival begins. Nightfall summons “The Beast”—an unkillable, horrifying apex predator that stalks the forest. Fighting back isn’t an option. Your only goals are hiding, outrunning the creature, and making it back to camp alive.

Speak Carefully: The Forest is Listening

What sets Voidwood apart from standard co-op horror games is its heavy reliance on proximity voice chat and spatial audio. To coordinate strategies, share supplies, or alert friends to impending danger, you have to talk into your microphone.

However, Voidwood‘s audio mechanics mean monsters—especially The Beast—can hear every whisper, footstep, and panicked scream.

Shouting to warn a teammate across a clearing might save their life, but it will pinpoint your exact location for the creatures lurking in the dark. The newly revealed gameplay footage highlights this agonising dynamic: players must balance essential communication with total silence, forcing teams to whisper, use subtle signals, or even make the grim decision to use noise as a distraction (sacrificing one player so the rest can slip away).

Camp Upgrades and Endless Replayability

Surviving the night allows teams to regroup at their central camp, a safe haven where lower-tier creatures refuse to enter due to the campfire’s light. Here, players can use scavenged resources to upgrade their camp, craft advanced gear, and plan their next excursion. Because every successful run dynamically alters forest conditions, no two nights play out the same way.

Voidwood is slated for release on PC via Steam in 2027, with playtests and public hands-on demos kicking off. If you’re a fan of high-stakes co-op horror games like Lethal Company or Phasmophobia, Voidwood promises a fresh, voice-driven twist that will test your team’s discipline—and your friendships.

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