A Brief History Of Evil Dead Video Games

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The Evil Dead (1984)

A quest game launched for the Commodore 64, BBC Micro, and ZX Spectrum, Evil Dead’s inaugural venture into the digital realm was about as frightening as a pack of kittens. Trapped in the notorious cabin, Ash Williams had to contend with groups of blocks symbolizing the Deadites, monitor his energy levels, and ultimately conclude the nightmare by obliterating the Necronomicon. Simple, yet entertaining in short durations back in the day.

Evil Dead: Hail to the King (2000)

Evil Dead enthusiasts had to be patient for 16 years for anyone to acquire the license, with developer Heavy Iron Studios making its debut with this iconic PlayStation title. Designed as a sequel to Army of Darkness, Evil Dead: Hail to the King drew substantial inspiration from Resident Evil to recreate recognizable locations and adversaries for a blood-drenched escapade that concluded with a remarkable plot twist. Furthermore, you can’t go wrong with listening to Bruce Campbell unleash more one-liners.

Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick (2003)

Ash Williams would arm his boomstick for another journey on PS2 and Xbox in this Hail to the King follow-up. Down on his fortune and eager to take on Deadite adversaries once more, this continuation enhanced the original and once again brought Campbell back to voice his iconic cinematic character.

Evil Dead Pinball (2003)

For the few individuals who had been yearning for it, Evil Dead eventually ventured into the world of pinball on mobile platforms. Players needed to gather pages from the Necronomicon utilizing their table wizardry, while also confronting the realization that a few rounds of Snake were more enjoyable on early-2000s mobile technology.

Evil Dead: Regeneration (2005)

Not linked to the prior two console titles, Evil Dead: Regeneration took the franchise in a fresh direction by reinterpreting the series through a hypothetical perspective that occurs between Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness. What might have unfolded if Ash had not been sent back through time? Abundant blood and campy horror, with this specific game garnering positive feedback from fans as an Evil Dead offshoot that maintained the cult-film’s essence.

Army of Darkness: Defense (2011)

With Apple’s iPad having secured its place as the go-to tablet in the early 2010s, this straightforward yet captivating Evil Dead game emerged. Players were charged with preventing the Necronomicon from falling into Deadite hands in this side-scrolling tower defense title, as they unleashed waves of soldiers and heroes against the legions of darkness.

Evil Dead: The Game (2011)

A top-down twin-stick shooter released for iOS, this Evil Dead game revolved around boomsticks, Deadite cannon fodder, and Ash’s oversized head. This game essentially recounted the narrative of the original film across 30 levels.

Evil Dead: Endless Nightmare (2016)

Essentially a first-person endless runner loosely inspired by the underrated 2013 remake of Evil Dead, Endless Nightmare delivered a fast-paced and raw action experience that recycled Mia’s dialogue as she battled through supernatural malevolence.

Evil Dead: Virtual Nightmare (2018)

A few years later, Endless Nightmare was revived for virtual reality headsets and mobile devices. Same game, same low-budget horror experience, but devoid of any of the indie flair.

Evil Dead: The Game (2022)

At its peak, Evil Dead has consistently been a clever blend of gruesome horror and exaggerated action, and developer Boss Team Games chose to fully embrace those concepts in this 2022 rendition. Evil Dead: The Game was a “somewhat groovy” interpretation of asymmetrical multiplayer horror, one that faithfully replicated the visual elements of the cherished franchise yet was lacking in content and narrative. Like many Evil Dead endeavors, this one concluded with disappointment: in September 2023, 16 months post-launch, live content support for the game was terminated, along with plans for a Nintendo Switch version. By April 2025, the game was removed from several

storefronts. Evil Dead: The Game’s servers are still operational, though we sense the faint roar of a chainsaw approaching them.

Fortnite (2022)

Fortnite’s 2022 Halloween celebration, Fortnitemares, formally introduced Ash to Epic’s extensive roster of crossover figures. Ash–who appeared shortly before Halloween on October 23–was offered as part of a bundle, complete with Necronomicon and Boomstick back embellishments, along with an astonishing Chainsaw Hand built-in pickaxe skin. Anyone who secures a Victory Royale in this outfit has a valid reason to exclaim “Hail to the king, baby.”

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022)

Ash was quite busy during Halloween 2022: In addition to Fortnite, he also contributed his skills (and his boomstick) to the Call of Duty franchise. Ash made his debut as part of The Haunting, a Season 06 event that also featured Lilith and Inarus from Diablo 4, Skeletor from Masters of the Universe, and Alucard from Hellsing. This was yet again Evil Dead II Ash, but pre-amputation: he still possesses his signature chainsaw, but unfortunately, there’s no method of employing it against your adversaries.

RetroRealms: Ash vs Evil Dead (2024)

Developer Wayforward’s interpretation of the Evil Dead franchise–a 2D side-scrolling brawler based on the three-season Starz series of the same name–is less ostentatious than many of the other titles on this list, but it stands out as the most impressive Evil Dead game we have ever received. The game features a seasoned, older Ash shooting his way through an army of Deadites portrayed in a 16-bit visual aesthetic, employing a variety of firearms (and his renowned chainsaw) to dismantle his foes. In GameSpot’s critique, Mark Delaney commended the game’s “outstanding platforming mechanics (and) genuine ’90s feel.”