Ever heard of Hotel 626? If not, you missed out on one of the most iconic horror games of the 2000s. Imagine this: the game wasn’t created by a renowned game studio but by... Doritos. Yes, the snack brand you usually munch on. So, how did Doritos end up making a game? Apparently, they wanted to promote two of their discontinued flavors, Black Pepper Jack and Jack & Smokin’ Cheddar BBQ. But instead of a regular ad, they created a game that gave players literal nightmares!
The concept was simple yet terrifying. You wake up in a mysterious hotel, and from the first second, you know: this is the wrong place. Your mission? Just one—escape. But don’t think it’ll be easy. You’ll face ghosts, a demon baby, and a psychotic hotel staff member. Adding to the tension, the game was only playable from 6 PM to 6 AM, meaning you had to play it in the dark and silence. Unless you cheated and changed your computer’s clock, of course.
What set Hotel 626 apart from other horror games was its visuals. No 3D characters here—everything was made with real video footage and photos of actual people. This made the experience feel disturbingly real. One of the most unforgettable moments? A puzzle in a locked room with a starving, half-insane man. If you failed to solve the puzzle, he’d break free and... let’s just say, you’d be his dinner.
Sadly, Hotel 626 has since disappeared from the internet, but its legacy still lingers, sparking nostalgia for those who played it. It wasn’t just about the scares—it was about how out-of-the-box Doritos’ idea was. Imagine a snack brand creating a legendary digital horror experience.
So, for those who played Hotel 626, hats off to this one-of-a-kind childhood horror memory. And for those who missed it? Well, here’s hoping another game comes along that can give you chills like this one did.