Friday the 13th: The Game asks players to split into two groups: a small team of camp counselors and a single masked killer who stalks them through the night. That simple idea sounds easy. In practice, it rarely plays out that way.
The game, released in 2017 for PS4, PC, Xbox One and Switch, puts players in one of two roles. One side works together to escape Camp Crystal Lake. The other tries to hunt them down as Jason Voorhees. The balance between those two sides is the whole point, and it is also where the game struggles the most.
Trailer, via Gun.
The Two Sides
The survivors move in groups, using flashlights to see in the dark and hiding from Jason when he closes in. The killer gets a full map and a suite of tools built around surprise. The design assumes both sides will play with equal care. That assumption fails often.
Players controlling Jason can pick up weapons, throw knives and use a hockey mask to scare survivors into making mistakes. Survivors need to find keys, open doors and reach the boat dock without dying.
The Killer’s Advantage
Jason has a real advantage. He sees everything on the map, moves faster than anyone else and can strike from almost anywhere. Survivors, by contrast, depend on luck and teamwork to survive. A single mistake can cost the whole group.
That difference shows up across the board:
- Visibility — Jason sees the whole map. Survivors see only what their flashlight reaches.
- Speed — Jason moves fast. Survivors move slowly and can be caught off guard.
- Weapons — Jason carries a hatchet and a kitchen knife. Survivors carry weak weapons that rarely land a hit.
- Fear factor — Jason’s presence alone can break a survivor’s focus. There is no equivalent effect for survivors.
Co-op Trouble
Playing as a survivor with friends online is where the game finds its best moments. Working together, sharing a flashlight and covering each other’s exits can feel genuinely tense. When the coordination holds, the game delivers on its promise of fear and cooperation.
But the game leans heavily on teamwork that never quite arrives. Players who join a match expecting to play as a survivor may instead get stuck as Jason. That mismatch breaks the experience for everyone involved.
Technical Rough Edges
Friday the 13th: The Game has rough edges beyond the balance issues. The lighting in some areas is dim to the point of being unreadable. Jason’s movements can feel stiff and unnatural. The sound design, meant to build dread, sometimes oversteps and turns into noise.
These problems are not fatal on their own, but they compound the difficulty of an already unbalanced game. A player trying to escape Jason in a dark corner with poor visibility has little chance left.
Performance Across Platforms
The game launched on four systems at once, and performance varies across them. The PS4 version runs at a solid frame rate in most maps, though some areas struggle during busy moments. The PC version offers higher detail settings and better performance, but it requires a strong machine to keep the frame rate steady.
Both the Xbox One and Switch versions drop frames under pressure, especially when Jason and survivors occupy the same area at once. None of the versions perform consistently enough to call the game smooth.
Sound Design
The music, drawn from the films, helps sell the mood. The game also uses sound cues well, letting players hear Jason moving before they see him.
Where It Works
The game succeeds when the two sides respect each other. A careful survivor team can hold off a skilled Jason for minutes at a time. Those moments are rare, but they exist.
The game also does a good job of recreating the look of the films. Camp Crystal Lake feels lived-in and dangerous, even when the mechanics fall short.
Final Word
Friday the 13th: The Game is a game of contrasts. Its ideas are strong, its execution is uneven and its balance is broken. Players who want a shared scare will find some of that here. Players who want a fair fight will likely leave frustrated.
The game remains a curiosity more than a finished product. It captures the spirit of the source material but fails to deliver a satisfying match for anyone playing it seriously.
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