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- Image of Hellraiser, Courtesy of Saber Interactive

Hellraiser Revival HANDS-ON Preview at Gamescom 2025: A Disgusting Festival of Pleasure and Gore

Originally posted on Total Apex Gaming
By Nicole Azucena | Last updated Aug 28, 2025 11:12 PM ET

Hellraiser is a 1987 horror film that is getting its own game adaptation, and I am so darn happy. Hellraiser was part of Gamescom’s HANDS-ON Preview, and it was wild. The opening scene of the game was a full-on sex scene, the gore is incredibly detailed, and vomit bags were provided for players who played the first hour of the game! If that doesn’t tell you what’s in store for players, I don’t know what will. Here’s what went down at the HANDS-ON Preview.

Opening Scene is a Sex Scene?!

The whole premise of Hellraiser is exploring the thin line between pleasure and pain, and what would happen if you were to open a portal to Hell, where demons would whisk you away because they have such sights to show you. So obviously, the game has to open with a sex scene. According to players who got to experience it, it was one shot shy away from being an actual porn scene.

The main character, Aidan, and his girlfriend, Sonny, are exploring the limits of pain and pleasure, going a step further by including the lament configuration, or, in this game, they call it the Genesis configuration. And at this moment, a wall opens up, introducing the iconic figure of the franchise, Pinhead. Sonny is then ripped to shreds by the Cenobites, taking her through the portal they showed up in, where Aidan, still fully naked at this point BTW, decides to go to Hell to try to save Sonny.

Fighting Off Cenobites and Cultists

Image of Hellraiser, Courtesy of Saber Interactive

At this point, the demo skips a little bit ahead of the story. We are strapped down in a chair, our hands nailed down into the armrests, and we are faced with the leader of a cult, who is looking for the Genesis configuration to summon the Cenobites. What for? I guess we’ll find out when the full game releases.

The gameplay mechanics are really interesting. Combining strategy within the weapon system is a cool way to add tension to the game. Having to worry about what weapon you need for every enemy, while your eyes are bombarded by the most disturbing ways a human body can be mutilated, is an intense experience for any gamer brave enough to play this game.

Including the cult that worships the Cenobites as enemies is also a really cool way to expand the lore of the Hellraiser universe. This isn’t a direct continuation of the first film, or any of the other films in the franchise, and I don’t believe any of the films get mentioned in this game; however, this game is not only expanding the universe, but we actually get to see the full extent of what the Hellraiser franchise is about. Pure unadulterated violent depravity.

There Were Vomit Bags at the Preview…

I talked about this in a different article, but one of the telling signs that this game may not be for everyone is the fact that the devs of Hellraiser provided vomit bags during the HANDS-ON Preview. This has never been done before, and it was sort of a main highlight of the preview; I know it had me dying a little. For the players lucky enough to get to experience this, I think this is hyping the game even more.

Saber Interactive has yet to announce a release date for the game; however, it is expected to be released sometime next year. Hellraiser Revival will be available on PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, and PC, and is available to wishlist now.

This article first appeared on Total Apex Gaming and was syndicated with permission.

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