7 Minutes in Hell is coming for Lethal Company’s crown

October 8

7 Minutes in Hell is a new multiplayer horror game inspired by titles like Lethal Company that shadow-dropped on Steam today. It’s shaping up to be a creepy and funny multiplayer horror game you can play with friends this Halloween season.

It’s the latest game from Goose Goose Duck developer Gaggle Studios. Goose Goose Duck is a social deduction game similar to Among Us in many ways, but it features more role variety and game modes. It was first released in 2021, but went viral in 2023 after a member of teh Korean boy band BTS played it. Building off that success, Gaggle Studios is now making a game that riffs on Lethal Company’s formula, just as Goose Goose Duck takes inspiration from Among Us.

In 7 Minutes in Hell, players participate in a game show that bears the same name as the game. They have to navigate through eerie environments full of creepy enemies, pick up money and other collectibles they find, find an exit, and escape, all within seven minutes. Herbert Chan, games director for 7 Minutes in Hell, had the following to say about how the game stands out from similar titles.

“We’re huge fans of the genre, and 7 Minutes in Hell shares much of the same DNA. At its core, cooperative horror games offer a fun and silly experience with friends, punctuated by moments of intense terror,” Chan tells Digital Trends. “We’ll be delivering that familiar mix, but one of the new features that sets it apart is that the 7 Minutes in Hell game show has a campy host live-narrating and commentating on the player’s actions to a fictional online audience. Though this feature won’t be available in early access, we also plan on exploring integration with Twitch and other live-streaming platforms to allow audiences to vote and influence gameplay, creating a very unpredictable and interactive experience.”

I played a few rounds of 7 Minutes in Hell ahead of its reveal and found the game has a satisfying loop. With each subsequent run, my progress snowballed as I had more items to use, sponsors to choose from, and money to spend depending on what I brought back with me. While I didn’t get to try 7 Minutes in Hell with others, its proximity chat setup should create memorable moments where communication is cut off. A player can leave their teammates behind and escape by themselves, so I’m sure 7 Minutes in Hell will also offer up its fair share of hilarious moments.

You can pick up 7 Minutes in Hell on Steam. It’s in early access, and Gaggle Studios already has a road map confirming that new enemies, items, interactable, arenas, and mod support will all come to 7 Minutes in Hell between now and January 2025.