Buffy The Vampire Slayer Meets L.A. Noire In New Gothic Detective Thriller Game

Image via MovieStillsDB Published Aug 23, 2026, 7:00 PM EDT Tom Wilson is a Gaming Features Writer at Screen Rant. Over the past five years, Tom has worked as the Editor-in-Chief at The Game Crater, as a Staff Writer for GamingIntel, a List Writer at TheGamer, and, of course, as a Senior Writer at ScreenRant. Tom has experience writing reviews, guides, news, and features, and has been responsible for teams of writers, training them and editing their work. Tom graduated with a Masters in Multimedia Journalism, and has since gone on to build up his portfolio of games journalism work. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Buffy the Vampire Slayer is inarguably one of the best vampire-related TV shows of all time and a phenomenal coming-of-age epic that perfectly encapsulates the angst of the late 90s and the tropes of the high school-focused films of the time. It proved to be highly influential, helping to popularize the lust for vampire fiction, in large part by offering a groundbreaking saga that manages to both deliver over-the-top spectacle with expertly written dialogue and compelling characters, all of which remain forever relevant and rewatchable. It is a shame, then, that Buffy the Vampire Slayer never really got very many good video games. Indeed, even the very best Buffy the Vampire Slayer game is an easily skippable disappointment, a frustrating reality that continues to irk the most dogmatic of fans. Fortunately, a brand-new RPG that looks to blend the best elements of Buffy the Vampire Slayer with the complex detective sim mechanics of Rockstar's legendary L.A. Noire could finally rectify that problem and deliver fans the game they've always dreamed of. A Vampire Hunting Detective Sim? We're In It seems as if the vampire genre is finally being revitalized after largely being abandoned shortly after the release of the incredible Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines. Sure, there has been a dud here and there, but with the likes of Blood of the Dawnwalker looming on the horizon, fans are finally getting the swathe of great vampire-themed games that the likes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer paved the way for. Included in this roster of upcoming vampire games is a lesser-known indie game called Nightborn. Nightborn, as aforementioned, brings together the sleuthing of L.A. Noire with the vampire-filled world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer to offer a surprisingly niche take on the genre. Rather than hunting vampires themselves, players assume the role of a vampire detective in New Orleans, who is investigating the disappearance of their Maker, a prominent figure within the elite vampire community known as Nightborn. It is a promising setup that absolutely sounds appealing to anyone searching for a game like L.A. Noire or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Of course, with it being an indie title, one should expect a certain level of jank, especially for a title that is attempting as many ambitious mechanics as Nightborn is. Nevertheless, there's a promising foundation here that developer Occupational Hazard absolutely has the potential to build upon before its release date. If You Like Buffy, Check This Out Aside from a handful of smaller upcoming Buffy the Vampire Slayer projects, there isn't anything major planned for the IP, so it is up to games like Nightborn to pick up the slack. As it is set to release in Q4 of 2027 on Steam (which includes any date between October 1 and December 31), there is plenty of time for the developer to showcase its talents and polish the existing content. However, as unfinished as it seems, it is clear that Nightborn is looking to implement a lot of what made Buffy so special in the first place. Its neon-soaked setting looks suitably modern yet gothic; its focus on impactful dialogue will resonate with fans of Buffy's incredible scripts, and its more noir tone is certainly not at odds with a lot of the show's plotlines. There is undeniably the potential here for something great, and hopefully Occuptational Hazard can pull it off, as the world truly deserves not just a good Buffy the Vampire-esque video game, but a truly great one that offers just as compelling an experience as the show did nearly three decades ago. Release Date 1997 - 2003-00-00 Network The WB Showrunner Joss Whedon