When The Devil Takes Hold

About this game

When The Devil Takes Hold is a singleplayer psychological-horror game.



You are James Davidson, a fearless content creator who specializes in exploring abandoned, creepy places and capturing every unnatural detail. Your adventurous spirit and insatiable curiosity have earned you a large and dedicated following on your social media channels.

One day, one of your viewers sends you a message suggesting that you visit a remote location in South Carolina for your next trip. Despite your initial skepticism, the mysterious aura surrounding this place piques your interest, and you decide to take a closer look.

Upon your arrival, you quickly discover that this location has a dark and sinister history. A family once lived here, but they were brutally murdered, and their daughter's body was never found. The locals whisper that the place is cursed and that the spirits of the murdered family members still haunt the grounds.

Determined to uncover the truth, you venture deeper into the location, armed with your camera and a thirst for adventure. But as you delve deeper into the dark and creepy environment, you soon realize that there is more to this place than meets the eye. The spirits of the murdered family members are not as harmless as you initially thought.

• Night vision camera
  In poorly lit areas, you'll have access to a night vision camera, allowing you to see as clearly as you would in daylight.
  
• Saves and Progression
  You can take a break from the game at any time and not lose your progress, as it automatically saves your progress.
  
• Enemy AI
  Your enemy will use advanced AI to track and pursue you, making for a thrilling and unpredictable experience.
  
• Inventory Management
  Throughout the game, you'll need to gather items such as keys and notes to increase your chances of success. The inventory system will help you keep track of everything you've collected.

The average time to complete the game is around 1 hour

Latest news

• Patch Notes·25 Aug 2026Official

  Major Update V1.3 (2026.08.25)

  Heya, we thought to release an update after 1.5 years, since we learned a lot since the last update and had a bit of free time.Put the Language selector in the ingame settings menu, no need to change it in Steam settings anymoreBecause of this change, we could add the Slovakian languagePolished the Main Menu UIFixed some texts and objectives not being localizedFixed some remaining issues with the save/load systemAdded the trailer for "The Visit: Mizukawa" after the credits
  Read full article on Community Announcements (lastround)

• Announcements·27 Jan 2026Official

  New game announced - The Visit: Mizukawa

  Hey everyone!We’re happy to announce that our next game, The Visit: Mizukawa, has been revealed over the past few days. A playable demo will be available in late February as part of the upcoming Steam Next Fest.If you’re interested in helping with testing or voice acting, feel free to join our Discord! (More details about this after the release of the demo)Make sure to wishlist & follow the game if it looks interesting to you, it really helps us out.Thank you for your support, NOVAK STUDIOS
  Read full article on Community Announcements (lastround)

• Announcements·1 Nov 2024Official

  The Horror Game Awards 2024

  Hello, everyone! We're happy to announce that When The Devil Takes Hold has been nominated for The Horror Game Awards 2024! If you haven’t voted yet, please head over to thehorrorgameawards.com/vote and show your support. Thank you so much! NOVAK STUDIOS
  Read full article on Community Announcements (lastround)

• Patch Notes·27 Sept 2024Official

  Major Update V1.2 (2024.09.28)

  First Major update, with the focus on a better performance overall: -Added optimizations once again -Fixed translations in languages: Russian, German and Hungarian -Many, many little changes and fixes -Please note that Slovak and Japanese languages are already done, and we're working on adding it.
  Read full article on Community Announcements (lastround)

• Patch Notes·20 Sept 2024Official

  Small Update V1.1.2 (2024.09.20)

  -Added optimizations to the game -Fixed bugs with different languages and fonts -Fixed every corrupt save bug we know about
  Read full article on Community Announcements (lastround)