When I say Still Wakes the Deep left an impression on me, I mean it clawed its way under my skin and stayed there. From the moment I stepped into the doomed Scottish oil rig setting, the game wrapped me in a creeping sense of dread that never once let go. So it’s no surprise—and a deeply satisfying validation—that the game earned three wins at the 2025 BAFTA Games Awards, including the coveted New Intellectual Property, Performer in a Leading Role (Alec Newman), and Performer in a Supporting Role (Karen Dunbar).
“Thank you to everyone at The Chinese Room and Secret Mode, your attention to detail is phenomenal, and was an inspiration to me from the moment I first read for Caz McLeary.”
Developed by genre masters The Chinese Room and published by Secret Mode, Still Wakes the Deep is a rare kind of horror experience. It’s not just about jump scares or monsters lurking in the dark—it’s about suspense, about dread, about pacing every breath and footstep with intention. And let me tell you: it’s perfect. Every scene is placed with surgical precision. The tension rises and falls like the tide outside that decaying rig, and I was gripped from start to finish.
The recognition at the BAFTAs places Still Wakes the Deep as one of the standout games of the year. It was nominated for eight awards in total, tied for the second-most nominations of the night. Those nominations included:
Artistic Achievement
Audio Achievement
British Game
Narrative
New IP (Winner)
Performer in a Leading Role - Alec Newman (Winner)
Performer in a Supporting Role - Karen Dunbar (Winner)
Performer in a Supporting Role - Michael Abubakar
The awards for Alec Newman and Karen Dunbar are especially well-earned. Newman’s performance as the protagonist brought so much weight to the game—raw emotion, fear, desperation. Meanwhile, Dunbar added humanity and tension in equal measure in her supporting role, elevating every scene she appeared in.
Clocking in at a tight runtime that doesn’t overstay its welcome, Still Wakes the Deep is a masterclass in horror storytelling. It gives you just enough time to feel completely unravelled—and then it ends, leaving you haunted in the best way possible.
With this BAFTA recognition, it’s clear the industry agrees with what fans like me already knew: Still Wakes the Deep isn’t just a great horror game—it’s a landmark experience. One I won’t stop thinking about anytime soon.
