Life is Strange: Reunion vs Directive 8020
Fan-service closure for LiS veterans vs. standalone sci-fi horror — your familiarity with the series decides which to play.
Holds up as Max-and-Chloe closure if you survived Double Exposure's dropped ball — but newcomers should start with the original LiS, not Reunion's nostalgia-leaning sendoff.
Supermassive's strongest Dark Pictures entry yet, if you can tolerate the tedious stealth sections.
Steam popularity
Shared scale — sparklines are directly comparable across both games.
Life is Strange: Reunion
Jun 2026 peak CCU 371 ↓ 19% MoM
All-time peak 2,240
Directive 8020
Jun 2026 peak CCU 337 ↓ 89% MoM
Key differences
Narrative tone
Reunion is an emotional character drama centered on Max and Chloe's relationship and fan-service closure.
Directive 8020 is a sci-fi horror story about an alien threat on a crashed colony ship.
Gameplay approach
Reunion is a simple narrative game with only basic choices and no complex mechanics.
Directive 8020 includes branching consequences but has tedious stealth sections that break pacing.
Series familiarity
Reunion demands knowledge of earlier Life is Strange games, especially Double Exposure.
Directive 8020 is a standalone entry in the Dark Pictures anthology, welcoming newcomers.
Which one is for you?
Pick Life is Strange: Reunion if
- You played LiS1 and Before the Storm and need Max and Chloe closure.
- You forgave Double Exposure's stumbles and want fan-service done right.
- You want an 8-10 hour narrative game with no complex mechanics.
Pick Directive 8020 if
- You loved Until Dawn and previous Dark Pictures anthology entries.
- You enjoy narrative games with branching choices and real consequences.
- You are a fan of sci-fi horror and alien-invasion stories.
Bottom line
Choose Directive 8020 for a standalone sci-fi horror experience; Reunion is only for fans who need closure on Max and Chloe's story.