Coming soon

About This Game

HAILSTADT: 1952 is a third-person psychological horror set in a fictional city-state created after the collapse of the world as we knew it.

It’s a blend of surrealism, retro-futurism, brutalist architecture, paranoia, and a totalitarian utopia turned nightmare.

Europe lies in ruins after an alternate ending to World War II. The Cold War never happened – instead, chaos reigns. Structures have collapsed, and the Americans have withdrawn from Europe. 

You play as an anonymous refugee, one of thousands with nowhere to go after the war.
The survivors found shelter in Hailstadt – a self-sufficient city(-state) founded by a visionary known only as Der Architekt.

An open labyrinth-city

• Explore Hailstadt, built on the principle of "man = module", where each district has a specific function and everything is subordinated to the ideology of Symmetrismus.

• Over time, you notice inconsistencies.
  Or maybe you are the inconsistency?

Dialogue and decision system

• Talk to citizens, officials, guards.
  But don’t say too much.

• You can ask about Der Architekt,
  but doing so may invite a visit from the Truth Police.

Identification mechanics

• You must constantly carry valid documents.

• Permits, false names, forged stamps – anything to survive.

Paranoia and hallucination system

The closer you get to the truth, the more the world breaks down:

• Audio-video distortions

• NPC voice shifts

• Places and people disappearing

• Time and memory glitches

Brutal interventions

This is not a shooter, but violence is swift and merciless:

• Random inspections

• Public executions

• Disappearances

You can fight – but first, you must find… the right tools.

The underground resistance

• The city has sewers, bunkers, old factories.

• There, you’ll find alternate endings.

Immersion and Atmosphere

HAILSTADT: 1952 is not just a story-driven game – it manipulates you.
The entire player experience is designed to make you feel like part of a machine: a nameless citizen in a world where symmetry means life and emotion is a structural flaw.

🔻 Core immersive elements:

• Limited visibility camera – induces fear and disorientation

• Audio that reacts to paranoia – the more you fear the system, the more you hear (or think you hear)

• A world that reacts to your actions – the more questions you ask, the more people walk away. Or report you.

• No full HUD – instead: notes, documents, conversations, and retro-mechanical interfaces

• No classic map – you must learn the city like a newcomer, asking questions and remembering signs

• Paranoia changes the environment – walls shift, doors vanish, sounds loop

• Language of oppression – interactions are cold, logical, and often illogical from a human standpoint

The true horror is not the monster. It’s that you no longer know if you’re still yourself.

Mature Content Description

The developers describe the content like this:

This game contains strong language, disturbing themes, psychological horror, depictions of violence and trauma, and references to cult activity. Player discretion is advised.