I’m not precisely sure what I did to deserve so many of my favorite horror franchises getting installments this year and next, but Bloober Team gave me a look at Saw: Genesis, and I’m genuinely interested in what the team behind games like Layers of Fear, Observer: System Redux, The Medium, Cronos: The New Dawn, and Silent Hill 2 would have to say about the world of Jigsaw.
Saw: Genesis came out of nowhere, getting a shiny trailer at Summer Game Fest 2026’s live show. We got to see a closed-door but hands-off demo of what the game has to offer, and I’m surprised to say that it’s nothing like what I expected. While the movie series might be getting retooled under new leadership (Blumhouse bought the franchise rights last year), we are getting a new 3vs1 asymmetric multiplayer game in the vein (hehehe) of games like Dead by Daylight. Not content to do what other games like Friday the 13th, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and The Outlast Trials do, we’ll have one “killer” and three victims. That’s where Bloober Team put their biggest twist.
The “killer” in the Saw movies is never Jigsaw. No, in fact, the people doing the killing are the supposed “victims” as they choose their life over others, or in direct opposition to their own safety because it might hurt, or in other myriad situations where they can’t or won’t save themselves. Saw: Genesis takes place 100 years before any of the movies, retconning in that Jigsaw was aware of some secret society of “Judges” that set up similar games to his own, inspiring his later work. In this game, we live that inspiration.
Judges are the planners, strategizing the traps and scenarios that will help them to become better people. You’ll have to capture those people in various ways, drag them back to the scene of the action, and then set up various devices that will become the instruments of their rehabilitation. You observe from afar, watching from the catwalks and through peepholes as they scurry through your maze – rats in a cage. The problem happens when they don’t do what they want.
Judges aren’t like the silent stalking monsters in games like Dead by Daylight. You aren’t tougher than your prey. The example we saw was a judge who had to use an improvised invention to even breathe, pumping oxygen into his mouth like a steampunk 02 mask. His fragile and emaciated body won’t hold up to direct combat with “The Accused” – the people in need of rehabilitation, aka the other players. Sometimes you need to force the lever, but doing so puts you at extraordinary risk.
The Accused, on the other hand, are very capable people. They have to work together to escape, and each failure will disable them in a myriad of ways, making it even harder to escape. Stepping into a bear trap is bound to slow down the person who did that, making it hard for them to act quickly to save the next Accused who needs their help. On the other hand, we also saw what happens when things go particularly wrong for them…
Saw: Genesis is using Unreal Engine 5. I pause to mention this because I want you to understand the incredible graphical fidelity that this engine can bring. It gives us lush forests, insanely detailed buildings, and ground textures. It renders cars that are almost indistinguishable from their real-life counterparts. It also brings to life a reverse bear trap in a way that turns your stomach when the familiar sharp metal “ting” sound signals that somebody’s jaw was just ripped forcibly from their face, flipping their head backwards to usher gouts of blood like a twisted water fountain as the victim gurgles their last choked moments of life. It also brings to life devices that impale their victims in the eyes or violently rip a limb from a still-living person. It’s grotesque, gory, and is sure to turn stomachs in the best possible way.
We closed out our demo with a quick Q&A that I hope gave the team a few ideas. What happens if the team sacrifices too much, like the Fatal Five's Trial in Saw V? Could there be a mode where the players could turn on one another to win? The team said they tried that, but it caused too much mayhem; they might consider a special mode to allow it. Would there be a special mode where you could have multiple judges in a twist, as we’ve seen in several of the films? All things are possible as the game is headed into Early Access. In fact, you can sign up to check it out for yourself in the upcoming closed beta – details at the official page. There’s no telling how it will change and evolve through that Early Access process, but one thing is certain – this is one to watch as it’s doing something different. That’s something the Bloober Team does extraordinarily well. I want to play their game.
Saw: Genesis is coming to PC Early Access in early July 2026, with the possibility (eventuality?) of console when the game eventually releases.
