The Vanishing of Ethan Carter cover

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

Critic score16 critics
Be the first to rate
First release
Sep 25, 2014
Genres
Indie, Adventure, Puzzle · Mystery, Horror, Thriller
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch

In The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, you play as Paul Prospero, an occult detective who receives a disturbing letter from Ethan Carter and realizes that the boy is in grave danger. When Paul arrives in Ethan's home of Red Creek Valley, he realizes things are even worse than he imagined. Ethan has vanished in the wake of a brutal murder, which Paul comes to see might not be the only murder to investigate. Using both regular and supernatural detective skills, Paul must figure out what happened to the missing boy.

Also known as The Vanishing of Ethan Carter: Oculus Edition, Launcher.exe

Attributes

No Attributes added.

Details

Storyline, release dates, time to beat, age ratings, modes, links, keywords

Storyline
In 1973, paranormal investigator Paul Prospero receives a fan letter from 12-year-old Ethan Carter, inspiring him to journey to Ethan's hometown of Red Creek Valley, Wisconsin. Upon arrival, he learns Ethan has gone missing and begins encountering unsettling paranormal phenomena, as well as evidence of recent violence in the tiny mining village.Read more

In 1973, paranormal investigator Paul Prospero receives a fan letter from 12-year-old Ethan Carter, inspiring him to journey to Ethan's hometown of Red Creek Valley, Wisconsin. Upon arrival, he learns Ethan has gone missing and begins encountering unsettling paranormal phenomena, as well as evidence of recent violence in the tiny mining village.

Release dates
PC (Microsoft Windows)
Sep 25, 2014
PlayStation 4
Jul 15, 2015
Xbox One
Jan 19, 2018
All 4 release dates
Nintendo Switch
Aug 15, 2019
Time to beatIGDB · recorded
Main Story
4h
Main + Extras
4h
Completionist
5h
Game modes
Single player
Perspective
First person
Keywords
exploration, bloody, paranormal, detective, murder
… All 69, magic, maze, trains, space, steam, multiple protagonists, bird, traps, murder mystery, steam trading cards, investigations, atmospheric, survival horror, teleportation, slow-motion, dreams, gods, possession, darkness, explosion, steam achievements, astronaut, digital distribution, xbox controller support for pc, single-player only, steam cloud, platform exclusive, voice acting, xbox one x enhanced, polygonal 3d, pop culture reference, wasd movement, disorientation zone, extreme violence, descendants of other characters, corpse, sprinting mechanics, young protagonist, faceless protagonist, auto-saving, useable vehicles, underwater gameplay, jump scare moment, subtitled silence, gamescom 2014, no hud, sleeping, suicide, tentacles, motion capture animation, dynamic soundtrack, mine cart sequence, ambient music, severed limbs, context sensitive, foreshadowing, remote play, 4k ultra hd, space flight, railway building, male protagonist, church, graveyard, season fall

At a Glance

Critic Score
82
Main Story (IGDB)
4h
Main + Extras (IGDB)
4h
Completionist (IGDB)
5h
OverviewHow it playsMediaCommunityBehind the gameRelated

Overview

Steam review summary

Steam users rate this Very Positive, 6,868 reviews in all languages, recorded 18 October 2026

Valve's summary of Steam user reviews. Valve counts only reviews from purchases on Steam, not key activations, and leaves out review periods it has marked as off-topic. It isn't part of the CritScore score.

Review summary: SteamSteam data provided via the Steam Web API (opens in a new tab)Not affiliated with Valve →

About storefront and compatibility information

Compatibility, feature and availability information shown on this page is recorded from the storefronts and services named against each fact, on the dates shown. Steam and the Steam logo are trademarks of Valve Corporation; Steam data is provided via the Steam Web API. Other product and service names are trademarks of their respective owners. CritScore is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by or certified by Valve Corporation or any other storefront or platform holder, and does not itself test or certify any game.