It’s a dark and stormy night, the power’s gone out in an apartment building, and it turns out one woman, Ava (voiced by Zoë Kravitz), isn’t nearly as alone as she thought she was. Unhinged, out now, is unlike anything you’ve seen (or played) before. It’s an immersive game experience that puts you in the center of a thriller-turned-horror story, and your phone, which you use as a controller, is your only lifeline to escape.
Lock in, it’s about to get personal. All you need is a Netflix account, your phone, and the same amount of time you’d need to watch an episode of your favorite show.
Ava is trapped inside her apartment building by a Category 5 Hurricane, and her only link to the outside world is a call from her best friend Claire (voiced by Sadie Sink), who lives across the street.
But the true terror is inside. A suffocating uneasiness transforms her sanctuary into a hostile prison. The building's stairwell is locked shut, blocking her only escape, and a wellness check on a neighbor reveals unsettling signs of life, but no answer. Finally, a spine-chilling realization sets in: Ava is no longer alone.
What begins as a terrifying blackout in a raging storm spirals into a mind-bending thriller. With only your phone to guide you, this is a story of unpredictable turns.
Playing Unhinged is simple. Select the game from the Netflix Games row and scan the onscreen QR code to link your smartphone as a controller. From there, the integration is seamless: The real-world movements on your phone track with Ava’s hands in the game, allowing you to guide her flashlight through the shadows.
The immersion goes a step further with audio. When Ava receives a call or text, your actual phone rings, vibrates, and plays the audio directly through its speaker, while the rest of the environmental sound effects boom through your TV.
Survival, however, depends on your chosen version of gameplay. If you want a pure narrative experience, Story Mode features no timer, so it prevents you from dying and lets you just play through the story. But in Standard Mode, it all comes down to your reflexes. During high-stakes moments, a shrinking timer bar at the top of the screen forces you to quickly scan the room for an interactive object. If you can’t find what you need before time runs out, you will die — though instead of a total game over, you’ll simply restart from your last checkpoint.
Unhinged was made by the narrative wizards behind Oxenfree and its sequel Oxenfree II: Lost Signals, Netflix’s own Night School Studio. The team has created a tense, atmospheric yarn that plays out like a twisted first-person true-crime story.
Award-winning composer Jason Hill (Mindhunter, Gone Girl) is on hand for audio duties. Ren Klyce (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) contributed to the sound design on the game, so crank up the volume if you want maximum immersion for this disquieting night.
You can play Unhinged now, exclusively on Netflix, with no ads or in-game purchases. Just select it from the Games tab, scan the QR code to link your phone, and try to survive the night.
