7 things to know before your first HAUNTED night

You’ve got HAUNTED: Are You Alone? on your Quest and you want to start tonight? Good. Here are seven things that will make your first evening easier. Each point is short so you can jump right in.

1. You play alone

HAUNTED is a pure single-player game. There’s no co-op and no online mode. That doesn’t mean it can’t work at parties: others can watch, and the headset gets passed from person to person. But in the game, you’re alone with whatever comes out of your walls.

Best for: Solo evenings with headphones or rounds where you take turns.

Skip if: You’re looking for a horror game you play simultaneously with friends.

2. Standing, not sitting

The store lists the play modes “Room-scale” and “Standing.” The story requires you to turn around, lean in, crouch, and even crawl in one chapter. So plan for open space and clear away the coffee table, cables, and glasses. This game isn’t made for sitting on the couch.

3. Hands or controller, your call

HAUNTED supports hand tracking and the Touch controllers. Both work. With controllers, you feel the strong vibration feedback on hits and scares. With your hands, grabbing and touching feel more natural. Feel free to try both.

4. No internet needed

According to the store, HAUNTED doesn’t need an internet connection. The privacy policy says the game doesn’t use a microphone, doesn’t collect data, and saves your progress locally on the headset. That’s handy for an evening in a room with weak Wi-Fi.

5. Nobody gets stuck

This might be the most reassuring point. After every death, the game-over screen offers “Help”: an explanation of how to beat the chapter. From the third death in a chapter, “Skip chapter” is added, and you can skip it. Also, the game never moves the camera itself. All movement comes from you.

Best for: People who rarely play horror games and are afraid of getting stuck at a spot.

Skip if: You deliberately want to play without help. Then just ignore the buttons.

6. All chapters are open from the start

Under “Chapters” you’ll find the chapter selection. Every chapter is playable from the beginning, and the ones you’ve reached are marked. That’s useful if you want to show a friend a specific chapter or relive a moment. For your first playthrough, we still recommend going in order: the story takes about 25 to 35 minutes and builds on itself. After the credits, there’s New Game+ with changed menu texts and dialogue.

7. The game is in English

According to the store, HAUNTED is only available in English. The story is told through a little girl on the phone and through voices in the room. If you don’t understand English, you can still play, but you’ll miss part of the atmosphere. School-level English is enough in most cases, since the sentences are short.

Bonus: Take the content warning seriously

Every time you start, a two-page content warning appears. HAUNTED is rated PEGI 18 and warns of sudden loud noises, flashing lights and dimmed lighting, gore, and intense jump scares. According to the warning, it’s not suitable for children, pregnant people, or people with epilepsy, heart conditions, or anxiety disorders. If that includes you, skip it. And even if none of that applies to you: don’t play right before bed if horror lingers with you. A few minutes in the light without the headset afterward helps you wind down.

And after?

When the story is over, three endless arcade modes await under “Games”: Grave Rush, Arm Cutter, and Skull Hunt. There you collect coins, buy new weapons in the Bone Market, and chase high scores. And there are two secret chapters you can discover yourself. How? We’re not telling here.

Price and platform note

HAUNTED: Are You Alone? cost £3.99 in the UK Meta Horizon Store on Oct 10, 2026. According to the store, it supports Meta Quest 2, Quest Pro, Quest 3, and Quest 3S. Installed, the game takes up about 410 MB.