Friday the 13th: The Game was at its best as a tense, film-faithful multiplayer horror game: one player hunted as Jason while the others tried to survive as counselors. Reviews praised its atmosphere and the stories that emerged from a group match, but criticized technical trouble, thin content and weaker solo play. Today, the bigger issue is access: Sony says the game was delisted from its store after December 31, 2023, and a Steam Community reply reports that its servers shut down on December 31, 2024. It should not be bought on the assumption that official online multiplayer still works.
What is Friday the 13th: The Game?
Released May 25, 2017, Friday the 13th: The Game is a third-person survival horror game developed by IllFonic and published by Gun Interactive for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Its central setup draws directly on the films: a player controls Jason Voorhees, while the other players take the roles of counselors trying to survive, escape or fight back.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Friday the 13th: The Game - Ultimate Slasher Edition (Nintendo Switch) | $35.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Friday the 13th: The Game (PS4) | $59.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Friday The 13th: The Game - PlayStation 4 Edition | $33.40 | Buy on Amazon |
As Jason, players use abilities to track and hunt counselors. As a counselor, the challenge is to cooperate, make use of what is available and find a way out. The game is rated Mature by Metacritic; Sony lists Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language and Suggestive Themes.
What did reviews like about it?
It made the films feel playable
The strongest praise was for atmosphere and franchise authenticity. GameGrin wrote that it was “the closest you are ever going to get to being in a Friday The 13th movie” in a July 17, 2017 review. GameCritics similarly praised how it “perfectly capture[s] the look and feel of the iconic films” while building the experience around multiplayer.
#1 Best Overall
- Includes all Paid DLC: Jason Part 2 Pick Axe Kill Pack, Jason Part 4 Pig Splitter Kill Pack, Jason Part 7 Machete Kill Pack, Spring Break '84 Clothing Pack, Halloween Costume Pack, Emote Party Pack 1
- Includes all previously released DLC: 10 Single Player Challenges, Offline matches with AI Bots, new maps, characters outfits and skins
- Exclusive Retail Disc Content: Bloody Jason Skins, clothing packs and much more
- 1v7 Multiplayer: With maps spanning multiple iconic locations from the movie franchise
- play online as either Jason Voorhees or a Camp Counselor trying to survive the night. The choice is yours!
Group matches could create real tension
The counselor-versus-Jason structure gave matches their appeal: players had to react to a threat, coordinate under pressure and decide whether to flee or take a risk. Game Informer’s June 2, 2017 review described the game at its best as a compelling multiplayer experience. That praise is about the original game’s design and match experience, not a promise that official online matches are available now.
What did reviewers criticize?
Technical problems could disrupt the suspense
Reviews from 2017 cited glitches, unstable lobbies and server trouble. Game Informer noted that waiting and technical issues could make the experience frustrating; GameSpot’s June 2, 2017 review criticized ongoing server problems and said the game felt unfinished at launch. These are launch-era assessments, not proof that every issue persisted unchanged throughout the game’s life.
There was limited variety, especially at launch
GameCritics noted in its July 5, 2017 review that the game had only three maps and room to expand. That limited variety mattered because the core premise depended on replaying multiplayer matches. Reviewers also found the game less satisfying when played alone, where the social tension and unpredictable group dynamics were harder to reproduce.
Rank #2
- 1v7 Multiplayer: With maps spanning multiple iconic locations from the movie franchise
- play online as either Jason Voorhees or a Camp Counsellor trying to survive the night. The choice is yours!
- Killer Variety: Play as various incarnations of Jason Voorhees as depicted in the films. Each Jason has been hand-crafted with specific Strengths, Weaknesses, and exclusive brutal kills!
- Authentic to the Franchise: The game draws expertise from horror icons including Sean S. Cunningham, Tom Savini, composer Harry Manfredini and Kane Hodder.
- Unlock and Customise: Level up and unlock new playable Counsellors or Jason models
How did critics and players rate it?
Metacritic’s PS4 page lists a 61/100 critic Metascore from 17 reviews, classified as Mixed or Average. Its separate user score is 6.2/10 from 307 ratings, as displayed on October 8, 2026. Those figures represent different groups and measures; neither should be read as a direct measure of the game’s current service status.
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Can you still play it, and is it still online?
Sony’s PlayStation listing says the game stopped being available for purchase through the PlayStation Store after December 31, 2023. It also said copies already in a player’s library would continue to function through at least December 31, 2024. A Steam Community discussion opened January 26, 2025 includes a reply reporting that the servers shut down on December 31, 2024. That shutdown date is reported by a community user, rather than established here by a primary publisher announcement.
For practical buying decisions, do not count on official online multiplayer. A used physical copy may be of interest as a collectible or for whatever offline functionality is available, but the evidence here does not establish current stock, prices, edition differences or the reliability of unofficial workarounds. Check the specific listing and platform before buying; a disc does not restore an ended official online service.
Rank #3
- 1v7 Multiplayer: With maps spanning multiple iconic locations from the movie franchise; play online as either Jason Voorhees or a Camp Counselor trying to survive the night. The choice is yours!
- Killer Variety: Play as various incarnations of Jason Voorhees as depicted in the films. Each Jason has been hand-crafted with specific Strengths, Weaknesses, and exclusive brutal kills!
- Authentic to the Franchise: The game draws expertise from horror icons including Sean S. Cunningham, Tom Savini, composer Harry Manfredini and Kane Hodder.
- Unlock and Customize: Level up and unlock new playable Counselors or Jason models; spend hard-earned customization points on new kills for Jason or game-changing Perks for your Camp Counselors.
- Retail Disc Exclusive DLC: Exclusive free Bloody Jason Skin for all playable Jasons and free pack of clothing for each of the playable camp counselors.
Is Friday the 13th: The Game worth seeking out?
Its original strength was an unusually direct match between franchise and format: Jason’s hunt, counselors’ scramble to survive and the film-inspired presentation all supported the same horror fantasy. Its weaknesses—technical friction, limited map variety and less engaging solo play—also matter more when the original multiplayer experience cannot be assumed to function today.
If weighing it against another asymmetrical horror game, consider five practical questions: how strongly it captures its source material, how much variety its maps and situations offer, whether matchmaking and service are dependable, whether it is enjoyable solo or mainly with a group, and whether a new buyer can access the intended experience. For this title, the first quality was its clearest strength; current access to official online play is the decisive caveat.
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