Saber Interactive’s Hellraiser: Revival is shaping up to be an authentic recreation of the infamously brutal film series, and ahead of its eventual release, the game has received an ESRB rating. According to the chief creative officer at Saber Interactive, Tim Willits, no content needed to be cut for the game, which includes some very gruesome content. Willits hinted at this push for extreme content last year, as he mentioned that Saber Interactive was going to go as far as possible to secure an M-rating.
“I can say that we have our ESRB rating, which was great, and we had to take nothing out for that,” Willits said to IGN. “We’re working with all the other ratings groups now, and I think that we’re going to do really well. It’s all context. It all fits with the IP. It is an artwork, and it is a mature game for mature audiences. We’ve stayed within those lines, and we’ve been very successful at moving the game through all rating boards.”
While gamers are no strangers to gore–just look at Mortal Kombat or modern-day horror games like Resident Evil Requiem–Saber Interactive is looking to push the envelope with Hellraiser: Revival by aiming to be as true and as unfiltered as possible to Clive Barker’s creation. Hellraiser books and films don’t just cover a disturbing amount of brutal violence, but also sex and BDSM themes that the Entertainment Software Rating Board is usually strict on. How Hellraiser: Revival will be rated in other countries also remains to be seen, as some of its content might not fly in other regions, like the infamously strict Australian Classification Board.
The recent Valentine’s Day trailer for Hellraiser: Revival hinted at some of the disturbing sights that players will be subjected to, and associate game director Aleksandra Pelivanović confirmed last year that there won’t be an option to reduce any gore or NSFW content in the game. “Visually, it’s a crucial part of the franchise, and we have to do it justice, so it is a part of the game,” Pelivanović said to GameSpot.
Hellraiser: Revival will launch for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S later this year, and if you’re looking to add some more digital terror to your playlist, you can check our list of all the upcoming horror games on the way in 2026 and beyond.
