Buitopia DVD Turns Your DVD Player Into a Horror Game — Burn at Your Own Risk

You still have one. Admit it — the DVD player under the TV, untouched since streaming ate the world, humming its standby hum in the dark, dreaming of menus. Now imagine feeding it something it was never meant to digest: a horror game. Not a disc you buy — a file you burn yourself onto a blank DVD, like it’s 2006 and cursed chain letters still travel by polycarbonate. You slide the tray shut. The laser wakes up. And Buitopia starts smiling at you.

Dust off the remote, horror hounds — the menus are loading.

Watch the Trailer

Quick Specs

• The news: Buitopia DVD, a surreal horror game by animator Ben Wheele (Nondoon Interactive), is out now on Steam — with a DVD file you can burn to disc and play on a real DVD player. (Spotlighted by Dexerto.)
• The game: A short point-and-click interactive fiction presented entirely as lo-fi DVD menus. Your quest: find a birthday gift for Jess, Buitopia’s one human inhabitant.
• The twist: Built around real DVD limitations — DVDs can’t save games, so Wheele designed a password-save system, with Outer Wilds-style knowledge-based progression: learn, then complete.
• The dev: A surreal horror animator with 17 years on YouTube; Wheele began Buitopia in 2006, lost it on an old PC, and resurrected it.
• The price: $4.99 on Steam (PC/Linux), or $4.49 with the 10% launch discount through October 23. A collector’s physical DVD edition with a Steam key is sold separately.
• The catch: “If there are bugs or errors, there’s no way to patch everyone’s discs!” Wheele told Dexerto. “I can’t guarantee I tested every possible bug… but I did a LOT of testing… oh boy…”

Harper’s Extras

• Our UnderMire indie-horror piece — another indie horror oddity worth your wishlist.
• Our Hellraiser: Revival game coverage — for horror games with bigger budgets and sharper hooks.
• Our Fire and Ashes piece — in this one, your scream fights back.

FAQ

• Do I need a DVD burner? Only for the full ritual — it also runs on PC through Steam.
• How long is it? A short interactive DVD game; no firm runtime published yet.
• Is it actually scary? Surreal horror from a 17-year horror animator — expect deep unease over cheap jump scares. No reviews yet.
• Can I play it on any DVD player? That’s the idea — it’s authored as a real DVD. (Mileage may vary on truly ancient hardware.)

Your DVD player has been waiting twenty years for a purpose. Give it one — if you dare. Sleep tight, and don’t scratch the disc.