The best forgotten horror games on Game Pass

Xbox and PC Game Pass it has allowed many great games from the past to live again because more players can access them in one place and at a lower price. These games come from all sorts of places, but one of the most impressive genres available is terror. There are a few standouts horror games on Game Pass which are just waiting to be played, many of which have already been forgotten over time and ignored by players who may not even know they exist.

Horror fans can treat themselves to revolutionary titles that set the bar high for the genre, one-off experiments with terrifying new ways, and even a few unique titles that explore darker themes in a whole new light. With even more games being added to the Game Pass catalog every month, now is as good a time as any to jump into one the best forgotten games the horror genre has to offer.

Carrion

Become a villain

• A reverse horror game where the player is a monster.

• Horror action with pixelated visuals.

Carrion is a game that places the player in the role of the monster rather than the victim, delivering a unique reverse horror experience built around fluid movement and environmental destruction. Instead of surviving against a despotic threat, players are instead free to roam the world and consume whatever comes their way. However, they will still need to plan routes and carefully position themselves out of harm's way in order to advance.

Carrion it also has a pretty elaborate upgrade system that allows players to mutate into an even scarier creature. Some upgrades can make players feel more agile, while others can give them armor to protect them from incoming attacks. It may not be as jumpscare-heavy or full of suspense as other horror games, but it still delivers something completely new and stands out from the crowd with its visual design and subversive gameplay.

Doom 3

Overshadowed by the rest of the series

• A first-person action/horror hybrid.

• A darker feel and a more claustrophobic setting.

Doom 3 marked a dramatic tonal departure from the franchise, trading frantic arcade shootouts for methodical, tension-driven horror. The slower pace makes the game much scarier and more intense than the rest of the franchise, and the lack of visibility can make even a single enemy in the dark a big problem for players. A lot of work has gone into the sound design, with the noise getting closer and more menacing by the minute, creating an immersive experience that borders on suffocating.

Revisiting the game today feels like a portal to another dimension, much to the liking of the newer items Doom Eternal paint the franchise in a much more action-packed light. However, back in the early days, Doom 3 they pressed for something new and offered players the chance to explore an oppressive world filled with horror and despair, while still retaining the shooter DNA that made the series so popular.

Limbo

Sidescrollers can be scary too

• A simple aesthetic, yet still deeply disturbing.

• A logic oriented game revolving around moving objects and avoiding enemies without fighting.

Limbo is a unique horror-adventure game that relies less on impressive visuals and more on symbols and silhouettes to instill a sense of fear in the player. The game uses a monochrome art style to create an environment that feels eerie from the moment the game starts, with backdrops that add more depth and give players more things to pay attention to and more opportunities to be scared.

Suspense is the key word, as with no real method to defend themselves, players are at the mercy of their wits and ability to avoid danger rather than face it. in the core Limbo it functions as a throwback to the days of early horror games, when puzzle solving and observation took precedence over intense action sequences and fast-paced gunfights.

Alice: Madness Returns

Everything but a fairy tale

• A reinvention of the classic story with a darker twist.

• Dark world building and deep psychological themes.

Alice: Madness Returns takes the iconic tale of a girl who stumbles into wonderland and turns it on its head in every possible way. The entire world is rendered as bleak and decaying, familiar scenes become surprisingly ominous thanks to the darker atmosphere. Iconic characters are not immune to horror, with even someone as cute as the Cheshire Cat appearing deranged, proving that even the most beloved literary characters can be made into terrifying creatures.

The gameplay is also a far cry from the carefree adventures of Alice in the books. Players must slash their way through enemies, bleeding their blade and destroying anything that gets too close. Even when they're just moving around the environment, the aesthetic keeps things grim, allowing the world to do a lot of heavy lifting in terms of the fear factor, ensuring there's never a second of comfort from start to finish.

Evil within

Survival horror at its best

• Classic survival horror feel.

• Psychological themes mixed with zombie-like enemies.

Evil within it feels like a love letter to the early days of the horror genre, but with a healthy dose of innovation that makes it unique in the space. This follows how it was directed by Shinji Mikami, the director of the first one Resident Evil. Players will find themselves in the darkest parts of the mind, exploring abandoned cities, infested villages, and even the brain itself, all while battling hordes of creatures that each pose a different threat. The gameplay behaves very much like something similar Resident Evil 4as there is a large amount of action and inventory management to complement the terrifying scenes players are forced to face.

Each area escalates the horror even further, sending players down a rabbit hole of psychological torture, pitting them against zombified humans and twisted abominations that can only be taken down by a ship full of bullets or by running away. Many people have already tried the newer, more polished sequels, but the original manages to create a much more visceral horror experience that feels scarier and overall mentally draining.