Here are the top horror games in one place. All types of horror are represented here, from classic first-person horrors of the jump scare era to teens horror to the best Resident Evil games .
Although horror games aren’t as popular today as they were in 1990s and their revival in 2010s indie, the best horror titles have a lasting appeal regardless of whether you’re more into Japanese horror or indie hits like Inside.
For example, the Dead Space team has never stopped enjoying horror games. While we wait for Isaac Clarke to return to the screen, the spiritual successor Callisto Protocol will be available for horror fans.
Not all horror games have to be graphic. If creepy images or fear of the unknown are enough to make your heart pound, there are plenty of other options. The best horror games have a great deal to offer for those who are afraid of ghosts, zombies, or other supernatural creatures.
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After reading our guide, make yourself at home on the platform you prefer and start playing horror games.
Best horror games
Little Nightmares (Image credit Tarsier Studios).
Little Nightmares
Escape the Maw
There are many reasons to buy
+Unique art style +Terrifying characters and world +Clever puzzles
Avoidable reasons
Platting is often awkward
Platforms PC, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. Stadia, PS4 and Xbox One.
Little Nightmares is an excellent example of a game which inspires fear and disgust without using blood or gore.
You play as Six, a young girl who must navigate a terrifying world full of bizarre and gigantic creatures.
Six is a small girl so you don’t have to fight these creatures. Instead, you can sneak past them. However, you are playing as a sneaker in platforms that add an extra layer to the gameplay.
These sequences can be tedious, but Little Nightmares makes for a great horror game. It perfectly creates an atmosphere of helplessness and shows that there are still ways to escape. It turns familiar areas of your home that are supposed to be comforting on their heads by making them unsafe and repulsive for Six to explore.
Little Nightmares 2 also featured a sequel featuring a new protagonist. However, it couldn’t match the tension of the original.
The Evil Within 2
A great horror game evolved
There are many reasons to buy
+Unsettling adversaries +Solid storytelling+ Explore at your own pace
Avoidable reasons
Newcomers might have trouble understanding the story
Platforms, PS4, Xbox One, and PC
The Evil Within series is by Shinji Mikami, who was also responsible for Resident Evil. If that’s not enough to convince you, then it’s nightmarishly good.
This horror is third-person survival horror. It will take you into a dark, terrifying world with frightening enemies. Mikami is well-known for this game. However, Sebastian Castellanos, his protagonist, never knows the difference between real horror and a nightmare he created.
It’s horror in some ways: a darkened town, a creepy facility and a character searching for their beloved one. The Evil Within 2’s Resident Evil-esque mix of horror, action, and helplessness, fueled by a lack in resources, won many fans.
Dead by Daylight
Your killer instinct is yours
There are many reasons to buy
+Straightforward concept+Good selection of characters+Licensed killers are available to purchase
Avoidable reasons
-Can sometimes become repetitive-Buggy
PlatformsPS5, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, PC, and Stadia (Android, iOS, and other platforms are also available, but it’s not the same experience).
Dead By Daylight is a horror multiplayer experience that stands out on this list. One player assumes the role of a serial killer and four other players flee to their deaths.
This is a new twist on PvP combat with a variety of unique characters, each with their own advantages as Survivors or Killers. You will find many strategies and tricks to use in each map. There is also a character progression system that will keep you coming back.
Horror junkies will be pleased to know that you can unlock and download characters from Saw, A Nightmare on El Street or The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Dead by Daylight is not only one of our favorites horror games but also one of the best crossplay games right now.
The Dead Space series
You can’t hear anyone in space scream your screams
There are many reasons to buy
+Compelling story+Good pacing+Believable visuals
Avoidable reasons
-Dead Space 3 doesn’t have the same quality as the other two
Platforms Xbox 360, PS3 & PC – Also on Xbox Game Pass
Dead Space is a horror game published by EA, developed by Visceral Game and ranked among the top 10 for many players. The story is set in an abandoned spaceship (duh), but it takes horrifying twists and turns, most of them involving zombified aliens who wait around these turns.
The formula used by Ridley Scott’s classic Alien certainly helped. Besides, the first Alien game that succeeded was not released for several years.
Dead Space was a pioneering horror game in the new era of reannaissance horror games. Its success is down to three simple principles: compelling stories, convincing visuals, and good pacing. It can be a little difficult to access the games if you don’t have a console of a later generation or Xbox Game Pass. But, do not worry – there is a Dead Space remake in the works.
We recommend the original game, but you will also enjoy the two mainline sequels.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
Resident Evil has its mojo back
There are many reasons to buy
+Truly, viscerally frightening+Haunted house setting gleefully disgusting+Excellent voice acting+Great use of VR too
Avoidable reasons
Slow movement
Platforms Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Stadia. Amazon Luna, PS4 (and PSVR).
Resident Evil 7 was refreshingly different from the series that had become so stale. It brought a new understanding to horror games and movies, but still retained that Resident Evil feel.
The perspective was changed from first to third person, making the fear feel more real and immediate. This also led to the inclusion of a truly frightening VR experience in the game.
Resident Evil 7 is the perfect addition to horror series. It has a compelling story and tight gameplay. Resident Evil 7’s success, as well as the remakes of previous titles, brought a lot new fans to the series.
- Read our Resident Evil7 review
Inside (Image credit: Playdead)
Inside
Inside is a place you won’t forget.
There are many reasons to buy
+Great platforming action+Unsettling, unique atmosphere+Brain-bending puzzles
Avoidable reasons
PlatformsNintendo Switch (PS4, PC, Xbox One), iOS and Mac
The creators of Limbo created a game that was less about horror and more about unease. To make us crawl, they had previously used the image of a small child living in hostile surroundings. But Inside takes it a step further.
This game is both visually and spooky, as well as intriguing. This game is similar to Little Nightmares in that you must solve puzzles and avoid harming anyone. Inside is one of our games. This is the game for you if you enjoy playing as a child and the mystery of the unknown.
Alien: Isolation
Terrifying, but unforgettable
There are many reasons to buy
+Claustrophic environment +Non-stop tension+Captures film’s essence
Avoidable reasons
-Alien AI can be irritating -Facial animations can be a little janky
Platforms : Xbox 360, PS3, Xbox One and PS4 – also available on Xbox Game Pass
Creative Assembly is the first developer to create a game using this valuable creative license. The game takes place 15-years after the events of Ridley Scott’s 1979 film. It puts players in the shoes of Amanda Ripley, Ellen Ripley’s little girl.
Isolation takes you on a first-person view and challenges you with one xenomorph that hunts you across a vast space station in darkness. It captures what it was like to watch the film for the first times. It has the right vibe to be a horror game, and Isolation feels like you are actually watching the film.
Throw in the excruciatingly-clever artificial intelligence afforded to the alien, along with an absolutely gripping virtual reality experiment, and you have the trappings of a modern horror classic.
(Image credit: 2K)
The Quarry
Canny valley
There are many reasons to buy
+Gorgeous visuals+Actors give amazing performances+QTEs feel natural+Buckets with replay value
Avoidable reasons
-Not too scary-Clunky movements controls-Missable collectibles might frustrate
Platforms PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X.
Another one is from Supermassive Games. This studio has a special affinity for teen slasher terror.
The Quarry is a great horror game because it excels at many of the same things that made Until Dawn such a good game. You take control of nine teenage campers, who are unlucky enough to be forced to endure horrendous horrors as their party goes south.
The quarry is more than just a backdrop. It’s also something that our protagonists become throughout the story. Your quick thinking and decision-making will help you or your protagonists make it through the hunt.
This interactive horror features many familiar faces, such as Justice Smith, Justice Arquette, Ted Raimi, and Ted Raimi.
- Check out our The Quarry full review
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
The pinnacle in horror
There are many reasons to buy
+Makes you feel vulnerable+Clever puzzles+Terrifying creatures and sound effects
Avoidable reasons
Graphics and -Sanity Meter are out of date
Platforms Nintendo Switch. Xbox One. Nintendo Switch.
Amnesia is a horror series and game that has been praised for its quality. The first Amnesia: The Dark Descent was one of our most frightening games.
You can imagine that you are being chased by a monster, and you have no way to defend yourself. You can only run for your lives and, at best, knock a few doors into its faces to slow it down. You might be able to barricade yourself into the building if you have the right tools. But you know that you will be killed if caught. This is the frightening gist behind Amnesia The Dark Descent. It’s a game that can also degrade your player’s mental health if they are exposed to dark for too long. It’s good to know that there is plenty of light to protect you from the darkness. Wait… it’s not.
Amnesia The Dark Descent was released on PC for the first time in 2010. You can still purchase the entire collection for your current-gen devices. The Amnesia Collection includes Amnesia The Dark Descent, Amnesia The Justine expansion, and the sequel A Machine for Pigs. Our favorite is Dark Descent.
Resident Evil 2 Make
Its legacy is cinchened by a stone-cold classic
There are many reasons to buy
+Stunning RE Engine Graphics+Masterful Environment Design+Heaps with replay value
Avoidable reasons
-Voice acting is sometimes shaky at times-Trapped in original story
Platforms PS4, Xbox One and PS5, Xbox Series X and S, Xbox Series S, PS5 and PC
Resident Evil 2: Remake is exactly as it sounds. It’s a remake the classic ’90s horror Resident Evil 2. If you loved the original Resident Evil 2 Remake, but didn’t think it could be any better, then prepare to be proven wrong! This is the ultimate horror game. Resident Evil 2 Remake’s full review calls it a “stone cold classic that has just cemented its legacy”.
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Resident Evil 2 Remake takes the classic game’s grandeur and makes it a modern survival horror experience. This fantastic remake offers puzzles, zombies and heart-pumping action in a beautiful environment that begs for exploration.
You’ll be terrified for hours thanks to the second playthrough, which offers a completely different character experience.
