Activision/Paramount Digital Entertainment/Temple Hill Entertainment/WayForward Technologies (2023)

Smile is a 2023 psychological horror video game developed by WayForward Technologies and published by Activision. Based on the 2022 horror film Smile directed by Parker Finn, the game serves as both a direct adaptation and a narrative expansion of the film’s events. It was released on October 17, 2023, for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows. The game is rated M for Mature by the ESRB for intense violence, gore, strong language, and disturbing psychological themes.

Unlike typical movie tie-ins, Smile received praise for its atmospheric storytelling, use of psychological tension, and its unique approach to blending survival horror and investigative gameplay. The game was written in collaboration with Parker Finn, ensuring narrative consistency with the original film.

Gameplay
Smile is a third-person survival horror game that combines exploration, puzzle-solving, stealth mechanics, and psychological horror elements. Players primarily control Dr. Rose Cotter, voiced and motion-captured by Sosie Bacon, reprising her role from the film. The gameplay takes place across multiple interconnected environments including hospitals, psychiatric wards, suburban neighborhoods, and distorted dreamscapes affected by the curse.

Players must collect clues, interact with NPCs, manage sanity levels, and uncover the hidden origins of the supernatural entity behind the Smile curse. The game features multiple playable sequences from the perspectives of other cursed individuals, adding variety and deeper narrative context.

Sanity is a core gameplay mechanic — the lower the player's sanity, the more intense hallucinations and hostile encounters become. Players must balance confronting their trauma with staying grounded through in-game coping mechanisms such as journaling, medication, and making critical narrative decisions.

Plot
Set shortly after the events of the film, the game begins with Rose Cotter mysteriously surviving the encounter with the Smile entity. Now institutionalized and under constant observation, Rose begins to experience a recurrence of the hallucinations. The game’s central narrative revolves around her escape from the psychiatric ward and descent into unraveling the curse's true origins.

Players uncover that the Smile curse dates back to ancient rituals surrounding trauma and ritualistic possession, spread through acts of witnessed suicide. Rose encounters a network of survivors, researchers, and victims — including Joel (Kyle Gallner), who now works with a rogue group attempting to end the curse.

The game features multiple endings depending on the player’s choices:

The Escape Ending: Rose breaks the curse but sacrifices herself.
The Containment Ending: The curse is sealed but only temporarily.
The Cycle Continues Ending: Rose fails to contain the curse, passing it on to another.
The Truth Ending (secret): A hidden ritual reveals the entity’s original form, allowing players to confront and destroy it.
Development
WayForward Technologies, best known for 2D side-scrollers like Shantae and The Mummy Demastered, took on Smile as its first foray into full 3D horror. The development team collaborated with Parker Finn and horror consultants to ensure the game retained the film’s disturbing psychological tone.

The game uses Unreal Engine 5, with a strong emphasis on dynamic lighting, environmental storytelling, and immersive audio. Veteran horror composer Jason Graves (Dead Space, Until Dawn) composed the soundtrack, blending ambient dread with unsettling motifs.

Development began in late 2022 and concluded by mid-2023, with multiple gameplay showcases at Summer Game Fest and Gamescom.

Cast
Sosie Bacon as Dr. Rose Cotter
Kyle Gallner as Joel
Robin Weigert as Dr. Madeline North (new character)
Rami Malek as Dr. Elias Kreel, an occult researcher
Toni Collette as Eliza Redgrave, a past survivor
David Dastmalchian as The Entity (Voice)
Reception
Smile received generally favorable reviews from critics, with praise directed at its psychological depth, atmosphere, and strong performances, particularly Bacon’s return as Rose. It was compared favorably to horror classics like Silent Hill 2 and The Evil Within, though some criticized its occasionally clunky combat mechanics and inconsistent enemy AI.

IGN gave it an 8/10, citing it as “one of the most unsettling and intelligent horror games in years.”
GameSpot rated it 7.5/10, calling it “an ambitious adaptation that mostly sticks the landing.”
Metacritic average: 78/100 (PS5)

Legacy
The success of Smile sparked interest in further game adaptations of horror films by WayForward. A DLC expansion titled Smile: The Witness was released in March 2024, exploring the backstory of the curse through a new playable character.

As of March 2025, a sequel is reportedly in early development, possibly tying in with the upcoming film Smile 2.

External Links
Official Website (archived)
Smile on IMDb
Smile at Metacritic