- BGG rating
- 7.5
The Stifling Dark: Mini Expansion
- 2–5 players
- 60–120 min
- 2023
- BGG rank
- BGG #6,294
- BGG rating
- 7.4
The Stifling Dark
2024
Rules assistance for The Stifling Dark
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–5 players
- 60–120 min
- 14+
- Complexity 3.2/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for The Stifling Dark
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Stifling Dark is a board game released in 2024 for 2–5 players, 60–120 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Jeremy Geenen, Ethan Janssen, and Matt Rayford and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Trading, and Point to Point Movement.
Expansions
- BGG rating
- 7.7
The Stifling Dark: Nightfall
- 2–5 players
- 60–120 min
- 2024
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About the game
The Stifling Dark is a one-vs-many hidden-movement horror board game with an innovative line-of-sight mechanic for 2-5 players. One player takes the role of the adversary, whose goal is to prevent the other players (the investigators) from escaping through a variety of unique actions. As an investigator, your only goals are to survive and escape. Investigators move around the board in a point-to-point fashion using their base movement speed. They may sprint to move more quickly, but they need to keep an eye on their stamina so they don't become exhausted. Additionally, investigators can pick up and use items, lock and unlock doors, or use their flashlights to try and find the adversary. Meanwhile, the adversary is secretly moving around the board, trying to stop the investigators from escaping. There are a variety of investigators to choose from, each with their own special abilities. The adversary also has multiple attacks and abilities that change how you play the game. Will you fix the car and drive out, or will you override the gate and try to sneak out? The investigators will need to decide if they want to stick together to watch each other's backs, or split up to race towards the exit. Either way, they must move quickly - the longer the game takes, the more chances the adversary has to stop them! The game ends when either all of the investigators escape (meaning the investigators won) or the adversary achieves their win condition (which is different for each adversary).
Mechanics
Publishers
- Game Harbor
- Maldito Games
- Sophisticated Cerberus Games, LLC
Questions and answers
The Stifling Dark supports 2–5 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for The Stifling Dark is 60–120 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists The Stifling Dark for ages 14 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
The Stifling Dark has a complexity rating of 3.2 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
The Stifling Dark belongs to these categories: Deduction and Horror. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Trading, and Point to Point Movement. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of The Stifling Dark are: Jeremy Geenen, Ethan Janssen, and Matt Rayford. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists The Stifling Dark as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.