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It Wants You To Stay
The lights are on. Everyone is gone. Descend through eleven shifting liminal worlds in this first-person psychological horror game. Photograph the impossible, follow a missing woman’s VHS recordings, and save your light for what follows you. When the lights fail, stand still.

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Features
Single-player
HDR available
Family Sharing
Steam is learning about this game 
Languages:
Interface Full Audio Subtitles
English ✔ ✔ ✔

Early Access Game

Get instant access and start playing; get involved with this game as it develops.

Note: Games in Early Access are not complete and may or may not change further. If you are not excited to play this game in its current state, then you should wait to see if the game progresses further in development. Learn more

What the developers have to say:

Why Early Access?

“It Wants You To Stay is a playable horror game that is still taking shape. Early Access gives supporters a way to play, explore its unsettling spaces, and help shape the experience through feedback.

We want to learn where the tension works, where exploration becomes confusing, and how encounters and progression feel to different players. That feedback will help guide gameplay decisions, balancing, usability, and development priorities.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“We currently expect the game to remain in Early Access for approximately three to five months after its Early Access launch.

During this time, we plan to improve the cutscenes, refine the overall experience, fix bugs, and make further improvements based on player feedback.

This timeframe is an estimate and may change depending on feedback and the development work needed before the full release.”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

“We plan to use Early Access feedback to refine exploration, encounter design, pacing, and progression, alongside improvements to usability, performance, and overall polish. Our aim is a more cohesive and satisfying horror experience for the full release.

The scope and priorities may change as we learn from players. We are not committing to a fixed feature list or release schedule.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The current version is playable and includes the core first-person exploration and horror experience: unsettling environments, entity encounters, photography mechanics, and the game's found-footage presentation. The About This Game section describes the current experience in more detail.

Development is ongoing. Gameplay, pacing, balance, and presentation may change, and players may encounter bugs or performance issues. Early Access is intended for people who want to enjoy the current game and take part in playtesting as it develops.”

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?

“We currently plan to keep the same base price during Early Access and at the full release.

Buying during Early Access gives you ownership of the game, including subsequent game updates and the full version when it is released, without needing to buy it again. There is no separate upgrade charge to move from Early Access to version 1.0.”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

“We invite players to use the Steam Discussions for bug reports, feedback, and suggestions. Tell us which moments stayed with you, where you got stuck, how encounters felt, and what you would like to see improved. For technical issues, details about your system and the steps that led to the problem are especially helpful.

We plan to use this feedback to help prioritize development and share updates through Steam announcements. We cannot implement every suggestion, but player experiences will help shape the game.”
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$7.99
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About This Game

Two things first: 1: This game is EARLY ACCESS and will have rough edges. It will probably still evolve. I'm releasing it to get people to play it and collect feedback. I am dedicated to making this game as good as it can be.

2: As you can see in the disclaimer, this game was made with extensive use of AI tools. If you do not like AI I totally respect your opinion. Please just scroll on. Play something else. There is no reason to buy my game and then give it a negative review just for that reason. With that out of the way:

There should be someone here.

The slot machines are still running. The airport is still calling flights. Somewhere beyond the empty offices, a telephone won’t stop ringing.

You came looking for a missing woman. Now you’re looking for a way out.

It wants you to stay is a first-person psychological horror game set across eleven procedurally generated liminal worlds. Explore places built for crowds and left running without them. Photograph what shouldn’t be there. Follow a trail of recordings deeper into the building—and keep enough light to survive what follows you.

Dr. Evelyn Cross was investigating disappearances at an aging Las Vegas casino when she missed her check-in. Her last message told you not to come looking. The recordings she left behind begin with careful observations and reasonable explanations. Further down, she struggles to remember what she once seemed certain of.

You’ll have time to listen. The elevator is waiting.

An abandoned mall gives way to sterile offices. School corridors stretch past empty classrooms. Beneath them lie prison galleries, flooded bathing halls, and places where the architecture begins to feel less like something that was built.

Learn the route, but keep looking. A blackout can rearrange the way ahead. A wall can draw a slow breath. A photograph can disagree with the room you’re standing in.

And when something appears at the end of the corridor, looking away gives it a chance to close the distance.

Your flashlight can burn it back. Its charge won’t last forever.

When the lights fail, stand still.

  • Descend through eleven worlds. Follow a story-driven journey through a building whose layout changes with each new run, while its mysteries follow you from floor to floor.

  • Photograph the impossible. Document anomalies, uncover hidden passages, and keep an album of what you found. Sometimes the picture shows more than you expected.

  • Survive on borrowed light. Face pursuing creatures, manage your flashlight’s limited charge, and endure the wait at a charging station.

  • Follow the recordings. Watch Dr. Cross’s account unfold through live-action VHS tapes as her confidence, memory, and explanations begin to fail.

  • Stay awhile in Wander. Explore the eleven worlds without pursuing enemies. Take your time with the empty spaces, distant sounds, and strange comfort of being somewhere nobody needs you.

  • Choose your view. Play with VHS distortion and CRT effects, or switch them off. Adjust head bob, flashing effects, audio, and subtitles to suit you.

The fluorescent lights keep humming.

The elevator doors open.

You haven’t found her yet.

AI Generated Content Disclosure

The developers describe how their game uses AI Generated Content like this:

It Wants You To Stay was developed using generative AI tools, including Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, Meta Muse, Meshy, Scenario, Eleven Labs, Suno AI, ChatGPT, and Seedance. AI was used to create code, many of the 3D models, sound effects, music, and videos. The game also includes free-to-use, human-made 3D models, with credit given to their authors.

I understand that some players feel strongly about AI in games, and I respect that. If you prefer not to support games made using AI, this title may not be for you. I’m sharing this openly so you can make an informed choice before buying.

If you choose to play, I hope you’ll judge the experience it delivers—its atmosphere, gameplay, performance, and value. Honest feedback, including negative reviews, is welcome. I take responsibility for the game’s quality and will use that feedback to help improve it.

Mature Content Description

The developers describe the content like this:

This is a psychological horror game. While there is no gore or realistic violence, it's NOT suitable for young children.

System Requirements

Windows
macOS
SteamOS + Linux
    Minimum:
    • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
    • OS: Windows 10
    • Processor: Intel Core i5-10400 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600
    • Memory: 16 GB RAM
    • Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 6 GB, or AMD Radeon RX 6600 8 GB
    • DirectX: Version 12
    • Storage: 5 GB available space
    Recommended:
    • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
    Minimum:
    • OS: macOS 13 Ventura or later
    • Processor: Apple M1 Pro or later
    • Memory: 16 GB RAM
    • Graphics: M1 Pro’s 14-core GPU or better
    • Storage: 5 GB available space
    Recommended:
      Minimum:
      • OS: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or newer, 64-bit x86_64
      • Processor: Intel Core i5-10400 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600
      • Memory: 15 GB RAM
      • Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 6 GB, or AMD Radeon RX 6600 8 GB
      • Storage: 5 GB available space
      Recommended: