Welcome to Hanwell

Welcome to Hanwell

Steel Arts · October 20, 2017 · Adventure, Indie, Action, Horror, Casual

Welcome to Hanwell is free to play — no purchase needed. We track it so you know if that ever changes.

PC
Mixed48% · 3771playing now
This game is free to play. Get it on Steam →

Screenshots

Welcome to Hanwell price

Welcome to Hanwell is free to play — there is no purchase price, on Steam or anywhere else we track. We keep watching it, so if it ever stops being free the price history on this page will show when that happened and what it changed to.

About Welcome to Hanwell

Open World Horror



Welcome to Hanwell, once a safe haven from the horrors of the world, now a cesspit of anomalous scum. Explore a dense open world of terror, every building a unique location with it's own story to tell. Strung together by the remenants of Hanwell.

Hanwell



There is something deeply unsettling about Hanwell. Unexplained noises, something in the corner of your eye or laying just beyond the shadows create an atmosphere that will keep you constantly on edge.

Monsters, known in the game as Anomalies, roam the streets. They occasionally get into the once protected buildings. What you do with them is up to you, be resourceful and pick up whatever you can find in order to fight them, if you think you can handle it. Or run. And don't look back.

There is an entire city to explore, featuring different environments each more distinct than the last. From residential homes, old English pubs, parks, stores, supermarkets and government buildings, all the way to the infamous HCPP research center. Each location holds its own backstory, leading to your arrival. Upon which there will always be something happening.

The Hanwell Council of Public Protection


When the anomalies first emerged, the Hanwell Council of Public Protection (HCPP) was formed to keep residents safe.

Providing equipment and expertise on prevention and preparation. With the help of the HCPP, Hanwell became one of the safest, if most inconvenient places on the planet. But the council has fallen, you try to carry on as normal, but failing equipment and lack of warning has become a major issue. In addition to this, you are being stalked by a mysterious individual who seems to be everywhere.

The rest of the world closed the gates and left Hanwell to rot. Thus begins your journey...

Warning!


This game contains flashing images which may have an adverse on people suffering from photosensitive epilepsy.

Welcome to Hanwell — game info

Platforms
Windows
Steam Deck
Playable
Player modes
Single-player
Controller
Partial controller support
PC Game Pass
Not included

What Steam players say

Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.

Not recommended Sep 1, 2026
I don’t really play horror games, so Welcome to Hanwell had me spooked just walking through a door. It’s decently scary with its warning's and only about four different anomaly repeated types and a boss. But after a while, the whole thing becomes rinse and repeat: explore, get startled, grab stuff, repeat until you feel like you’re doing chores in a haunted neighborhood. And the story? I’m convinced it’s hiding in a corner somewhere because trying to follow it felt like reading a book with half the pages ripped out. Overall, yeah, it has spooky moments but I wouldn’t really recommend it unless you enjoy being confused and repeatedly startled. Especially if you go for 100%, because once you kill the boss the anomalies spawn like they’re having a party, and when you leave the final area… surprise, no weapon for protection.
Not recommended Aug 31, 2026
Please do not play this game if you want more from Beyond Hanwell or want to play this before it. Trust me the bossfight at the end and the ending are genuinely terrible and most of the story buildings (and normal buildings) are "protected" so you have to drop your weapon before going inside which is a problem when you have a high damage weapon like a sword. Unless you really like horror games with a bad story please stay away from this.
Recommended Aug 23, 2026
I played this after Beyond Hanwell and I can definitely see the progression in quality between the two games! While Welcome to Hanwell has it's own narrative and help understand some of the aspects of Beyond Hanwell, it is also much less polished. I really liked the atmosphere inside and out of the buildings. I think movement and pace is much better in BH though. WtH feels more empty and you will be crossing large areas of the map without much happening. The combat feels much more random than BH, there is less audio cues as to what will attack and I felt it was less forgiving, leading to less interesting second crossing of the same section of the map if you fail a combat. It does suceed in making the game tense as anomalies feel more powerful than in BH. Overall, it was still interesing to play but treat it more like a beta version or demo to BH than a prequel you absolutely need to play.
Recommended Aug 17, 2026
It's cool for free, but looks un finished. I really would like to try the other game they made looks more complete in story and gameplay.
Not recommended Aug 1, 2026
Terrible controls and combat, that alone turns exploration in to pure pain and frustration, sad as the atmosphere feels good.
Not recommended Jul 30, 2026
Welcome To Crashwell If u want to play a game that just crashes after 30 seconds after clicking new game then this is the game for you all i wanted to was experience this game first before the sequel tried everything to fix it like it said on google still dont work.

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