The Texas Chain Saw Massacre tier list – best killers and survivors

Who are the best Texas Chain Saw Massacre family members and victims? Obviously we don’t condone becoming a terrifying killer, but behind the safety of a screen and a terrifying multiplayer horror game, by all means go for it. Our Texas Chain Saw Massacre tier list will help you to do just that, as three family members team up to hunt down the opposing team of four teenage victims.

Each killer and survivor in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre has their own unique ability, as well as a range of changeable perks that are shared across the killer or victim category in the multiplayer game. It’s those abilities that set the characters apart from one another, so here’s our TCM tier list for the best family members and victims to choose from. If you need more advice, we’ve got some TCM tips we wish we knew when we first got started – and you might want to know how to select your chosen Texas Chain Saw Massacre character in the lobby screen.

Texas Chain Saw Massacre victim tier list

Here is our Texas Chain Saw Massacre victim tier list:

It’s worth mentioning that, while the victims’ abilities do make them stand out among one another, they also work together beautifully. Teamwork is advised, so while Connie’s ability, for example, is great in one way, teaming up with Sonny for his hearing or Leland for his attack helps everyone.

Connie

Connie far and away sticks out as the best victim character thanks to her ‘Focused’ unlock ability. Unlocking doors and gates with the unlock tool takes some time in its own little minigame. However, Connie is able to bypass this puzzle with her ability, popping the lock in just a few seconds. Not only does this mean you can bolt from the basement quickly, but it also makes it easier to unlock one of the Texas Chain Saw Massacre exits with ease – handy when there’s a killer hot on your tail.

Given the long cooldown of Connie’s ability, we recommend not using it to escape the basement, as you might find it hasn’t recovered by the time you next need it. Instead, save it for a time when a killer is close, or for opening that all-important final gate.

On top of this incredible ability, Connie’s stealth is second only to Julie’s, allowing her to carry out actions quickly and easily.

Ana

The beautiful Ana is arguably the ‘main’ character of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre so far, as the sister of the first victim, Maria Flores. The game’s backstory tells us that Ana found herself in this mess looking for her sister, and brought her friends down with her.

Her ‘Pain is Nothing’ ability makes her one of the sturdiest characters in the game, boosting her adrenaline to significantly reduce damage taken from attacks. This can be particularly useful nearing an open exit with  killer hot on your tail, as it could get you out of a situation that could otherwise end in death. The only downside to Ana’s power is actually remembering to use it when you get hit, but once you get used to her and upgrade her ability, she’s one of the best. Another great moment to try and remember Ana’s ability is when you are forced back into the basement through a well. While the fall would normally do some serious damage, Ana withstands it with grace.

Sonny

Like Grandpa and Cook, Sonny’s ability ‘Heightened Sense’ enables him to detect sound, highlighting the location of nearby sounds. The downside of Sonny’s ability is that sounds aren’t differentiated between family and victims, but you can usually tell from the movement. Unlike Cook, Sonny’s ability doesn’t reveal the enemy’s location to other victims, but you can always use voice chat to inform your friends – particularly useful if they’re all together, or if someone is fiercely defending a particular exit.

Leland

Leland is a top dog, but not the top dog, thanks to his ability to fight back with Life Saver. By using his ability at the right time, the long-haired jock knocks into a family member, stunning them momentarily. This might seem like one of the best abilities available, especially since it can help friends in danger, but you can only use it at the right moment, and it doesn’t affect Leatherface, making it a little less overpowered than it initially sounds.

Leland’s downside is that he is not very stealthy, so doing anything like finding unlock tools or opening doors without making noise takes a lot longer than other victims.

Julie

Julie is at the bottom of our list, but this doesn’t mean she’s entirely useless, as she has a good starting endurance and stealth score. However, her ‘Ultimate Escape’ ability is the most selfish of them all, granting her immunity from being tracked by family members and reducing the stamina cost of running. Working in a team, perhaps Julie could be used to press ahead to the exit armed with an unlock tool, if it means the family won’t find her there.

Texas Chain Saw Massacre family tier list

Here are the best family members in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, ranked:

As with the victims, the killer abilities have been designed to work perfectly together, as a family should, so keep that in mind when considering the best family member. If you aren’t able to play as Sissy, for example, it doesn’t mean you can’t still pull your weight, and despite being bottom B-tier as a standalone character, Cook is actually the best team player.

Sissy

Despite being a new face to the Texas Chainsaw franchise, the beautiful Sissy – with an equally beautiful set of pipes – has stormed into first place as one of the best killers to play. Her power, ‘Bane’, is better to use as a trap than it is in chase, as you can poison items likely to be picked up or interacted with by victims, poisoning them in the process.

What really puts Sissy in the S-tier though is her speed and ability to follow survivors through gaps, so once you find someone, they’re unlikely to escape you. Her only downside is that she is the least stealthy killer as she sings while she hunts. To be honest, though, her pretty vocals are more of a pleasant accompaniment than anything.

Hitchhiker

Hitchhiker is one of the three legacy characters that you already know from the movie, and is even voiced in-game by his original actor, Edwin Neal. The young, skinny sociopath is able to easily fit through gaps behind survivors, and is speedy enough to keep up with and even catch up to them. This is why he’s up there as an S-tier character with Sissy, even though his ability isn’t quite as flexible. Place his three traps in the right place, though, and they could stop a victim in their tracks. The best places are by the generator and the car battery once you’ve turned them on.

What elevates the Hitchhiker is his blood-harvesting ability, which is among the best of the family members. This means Hitchhiker collects more blood from drainage buckets to feed to Grandpa, leveling up his Sonar ability faster.

Johnny

We contemplated putting Johnny in the S-tier with Sissy and Hitchhiker thanks to his ‘Hunt’ ability, which shows the footsteps of nearby victims, leading him right to them. Sadly, he’s not as flexible as the others, nor can he follow victims through smaller gaps, which helps to stop him being entirely overpowered, but team him up with Sissy or Hitchhiker for an unstoppable duo.

Cook

The new head of the family (though no one will ever take over from Grandpa as the best killer of them all), Cook is getting on a bit, so he’s the slowest family member of them all. He does a lot of damage to victims, but only if he can catch up to them first.

However, utilize him as part of the team and he could be the family’s greatest asset. Cook’s ‘Seek’ ability lets him listen out for nearby victims, honing in on them to reveal their location to the rest of the family. This works across the map, so it’s game-changing if you reveal someone close to Sissy or Hitchhiker.

Cook is also a pretty good blood harvester as well, so you could just use him to feed Grandpa and reveal victims, rather than doing the killing himself.

Leatherface

Finally, our main man Leatherface. Yep, he’s here at the bottom despite being the famous face of the franchise. Sadly, Leatherface is sluggish and also cannot fit through gaps to chase victims, and his only ability ‘Maim’ is most widely used to destroy obstacles separating you from a victim, or closing up vents behind them. He is the best blood harvester of the family, so any damage you can do to victims can significantly increase Grandpa’s Sonar level, but none of his benefits place him above the other family members.

That said, it’s worthwhile learning how to play Leatherface well, as he is the only killer that must appear in every match, so there’s a strong chance killer mains will have to play him at some point.

So that’s your Texas Chain Saw Massacre tier list for both victims and family members. If you’re playing as a victim, you should know how the bleedout mechanic works in TCM, and since we’ve discussed teamwork so much, take a look at our The Texas Chain Saw Massacre crossplay compatibility guide. Teamwork is also something we discuss in detail in our TCM review, so why not have a read of that while you’re waiting in your next lobby?